File:Diving at Hawkcraig Point - geograph.org.uk - 1099006.jpg

English: Diving at Hawkcraig Point Middle of winter. This couple seemed unfazed by the low temperature that day. I suspect it might have been warmer in the water.

The hollow concrete structure is a derelict jetty. The top surface has been broken up. The jetty was built in 1915 and formed part of the Naval station known as HMS Tarlair Admiralty_Research_Laboratory.

During the First World War, the Anti-Submarine Division of the Admiralty established this first Admiralty Experimental Station (preliminary workings were carried out from Granton) which was set up as a Royal Navy hydrophone research and training establishment.

Initially they tried to train seagulls to seek out submarines - seriously... http://ijnhonline.org/volume5_number1_apr06/article_avian_wilson_apr06.htm

This station produced the Mark II directional hydrophone of which large numbers were ordered in 1917 for use in patrol craft. It was a great improvement on any hydrophone instrument previously in use. Hawkcraig also produced the directional plates fitted to our submarines, as well as developing many other inventions used in detecting the presence of submarines.

By the end of the war the establishment numbered almost 800 personnel. Nearly 4,000 officers and men were trained at what was the Navy's main hydrophone research and training base. The base was closed during 1918. (D Maxwell 1998; 1999; information from RCAHMS (DE), May 1999)

Just off topic here: The inventor of the original ultrasound scanner Medical_ultrasonography - another device which 'uses sound to see' - lived in Aberdour (http://www.ob-ultrasound.net/brown.html Tom Brown).

When I was a lad a fella called 'Bob The Lobsterman' (Bob Main) used to keep his creels and lobster-pot equipment, nets and marker buoys around this area. He also had a small wooden shed painted in bright oranges and blues which was sited close by the jetty. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1098996

More pics: http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/1398

Follow this link: http://www.forthboathouse.com/aberdour.asp The second photo in this collection is interesting. (Postcard of Hawkcraig Point from Silver Sands). Just to the right of the boat there can be seen a structure which is in fact an observation post. There used to be a wooden figure of a seaman gazing out to sea permanently sited on this octagonal structure. This was to fool the enemy into thinking the site was manned.

Keywords: testing underwater acoustic detection equipment anti submarine aberdour hawkcraig hms tarlair First World War jetty Hawkcraig Point deep water channel RN experimental mining station Captain Ryan