Research Strategy
The project’s research structure is strategically split across two main categories of inquiry.
The primary phase investigates the sophisticated development of maritime signalling protocols utilized by British submarines during the Second World War.
This analysis focuses on the high-risk Mediterranean theatre of operations, where the precarious balance between maintaining absolute acoustic stealth and ensuring reliable tactical communication served as a decisive factor in naval survival.
In parallel, the second pillar of this investigation shifts its focus toward the material culture and mechanical engineering of the physical Medium Frequency Direction Finder (MF-DF) coils utilised in these submerged systems.
The academic study rigorously documents these specialised antennae and receiving components not merely as static historical museum artefacts, but as the critical technical nexus that facilitated sophisticated direction-finding and geolocation capabilities.
By examining the hardware within its original operational context, the research highlights how these coils were engineered to overcome the formidable environmental constraints and electromagnetic interference inherent in maritime warfare and subsurface navigation.
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
Malta Maritime Museum Collection
A detailed case study is currently being carried out by a maritime archaeology master’s student from the University of Malta, focusing on the MF-DF coil in the national collection of the Malta Maritime Museum. Note that the artefact is currently in storage and not accessible to the general public until further notice.