One of the first acts by the Royal Navy during WW1was to have the German underwater telegraphic cables cut in the North Sea, thus denying them telegram communications with most of the world. It meant that they had to rely on high frequency radio transmissions to communicate with their embassies and overseas ships. Knowing this, the Admiralty engaged the help of Marconi and the Post Office to set up listening stations on the east coast of England to intercept the German sign

Who would have thought that a torpedo test ship would have such an impact on the conduct of the First World War? On 2 August 1914, the SMS Magdeburg, a German light cruiser, opened fire on the port of Libau in Latvia (now Liepaja), the first shots of the war against Russia. However, it was not until later in the month that her place in history would become more significant. On 26 August, whilst steaming off Estonia, she ran aground and could not be freed. Two Russian cruis

Yesterday, HM the Queen marked the start of GCHQ's centenary celebrations. In 1919, the Royal Navy's Room 40, of which I write in my second and third novels, became part of what was then known under the cover name of the Government Code and Cypher School. The official date for its formation was 1 November 1919, but of course, Room 40 was established in August 1914. The Queen unveiled a plaque to commemorate the centenary and containing a coded message. I have decoded it an

It is being reported by the Media that the Russians have a ship, the Yantar, capable of severing Britain’s underwater communications cables. There are also concerns that the Russians could use underwater drones to attack the network of cables that carry internet and telephone communications around the world. This all sounds very familiar to students of WW1 naval history. Within hours of the declaration of war on 4 August 1914, British cable ships, including the CS Alert, op