The one lesson that emerged from this massive R&D
effort was that scientific research was often expensive
failure. vigorously opposed the
establishment the lab near Washington, arguing that could
only success was far away from Washington. grouping ships convoys, the Allies made it
harder for the U-boats find target and also forced them to
engage the armed escorts. had investigated the
statistics ship sinkings and come the conclusion that
merchant ships were making easy for the U-boats find
19
them. The introduction the convoy system
in 1917 radically reduced the number sinkings and held the
U-boats bay until the war ended. Despite years effort, Edison was never able cut
through the bureaucratic red tape the Navy build naval
laboratory.
The role science this partial victory was not
decisive and the achievements the Naval Consulting Board
were slight. usual, the difficulty with establishing the lab
was finance; Congress did not appropriate enough money suit
Edison's grand design— estimated that the lab would cost
$5,000,000 fully equipped. The naval authorities were unreceptive the
idea convoys, but not Edison. His own
.XII-10
the ultimate submarine detection, but the experience the
Second World War showed that suffered from the same
operational problems all other detection equipment.
The best solution the submarine problem was very
simple idea that banked the vast area the sea hide
merchant ships
