Work is under way at Raytheon Company on a U.S. Navy system that will measure magnetic fields of ships before and after their hulls have been treated for defense against magnetically influenced mines. The automated system, which includes underwater magnetic sensors and data processing and display equipment, has been designed and will be built by Raytheon's Submarine Signal Division, Portsmouth, R.I., for installation at the U.S. Navy Deperming Facility in San Diego. The facility will accommodate vessels up to 30 feet in draft.
The $1.4-million contract with the Naval Sea Systems Command follows recent delivery by the Raytheon division of computer-controlled systems for both the measurement and treatment ranges at the Navy's Magnetic Silencing Facility in Bangor, Wash. As systems prime contractor, the division is also responsible for the current installation of sensors and shore-based instruments for these ranges, which will greatly reduce the processing time for a ship's treatment.