C.S.O. Saltcoats

[Danny Boy]

Hello from Canada! I am researching a ship of the Royal Navy and would like to know what a 1945 reference to "C.S.O. Saltcoats" means. Greatly appreciate if anyone has knowledge of this name and perhaps a story about it. Cheers,

[Richard]

Danny Boy:
I'm sure someone on this site will be able to help you but failing that, you could always try the following site:
www.shipsnostalgia.com
It's an excellent site for all topics Maritime AND very helpful.
Good Luck.

[Guest]

OK thanks for that tip. Cheers,

[gwennypenny]

Hello from Canada. We are from Scotland. That looks familiar I wonder if my dad would know . I will ask

[Jim McCreadie]

Hi DannyBoy
What you are researching is NOT a ship but a signals intercept station. CSO means "Composite Signals Organisation" stations were the top-secret "Y-Service" of the British "Government Communications Head Quarters" [GCHQ] at Bletchley Park where the Nazi Enigma cyphers were broken. It would appear there was an intercept station located at Saltcoats, Ayrshire which would have been ideally situated to intercept U-boat signals from the North Atlantic.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j ... W4GqvXKmuA

http://ticktalk.shawwebspace.ca/pages/v ... ronometer/

Jim McCreadie
Fremantle (formerly Saltcoats)
Western Australia

[John Donnelly]

Now this is interesting.

How would some-one go about finding out where this station was located?

JD.

[Hughie]

It would appear there was an intercept station located at Saltcoats, Ayrshire which would have been ideally situated to intercept U-boat signals from the North Atlantic.

Jim there was mention some time ago that there was such an intercept station located at the Saltcoats. From what I recall it was at the Saltcoats Pavilion.

[Richard]

In addition to Jim's contribution:
http://www.thehourlounge.com/thread/vie ... _70209.pdf

http://ticktalk.shawwebspace.ca/pages/v ... ronometer/

[Jim McCreadie]

Hi guys
Hughie, I never knew such a station existed in our area although it certainly makes sense.

John, as CSO was so secret ("Top Secret" was NOT used by Britain which preferred "Most Secret"), I believe you would be hard pressed to locate much data; Official Secrets Act and the 100-year old rule!

Here's a link to another CSO Site:
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/26 ... no+2+site/

Jim

[Jim McCreadie]

More hyperlinks on this topic:
http://www.our-secret-war.org/Y_Service ... _Park.html

http://www.iwm.org.uk/search/global?que ... .x=9&.y=10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-stations

http://ystations.webs.com/militaryyservice.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peoples ... ies/c1176/

Jim