Science: Radar Ahoy!

The harbor of grimy Liverpool, swept by racing tides and shrouded in fog or rain a good part of the year, is a nerve-tester for ship pilots. Last week the test was easier. At seven control stations along the Mersey basin, seven navy-type radars scanned the crowding river traffic. Their electronic eyes could pierce the blackest night, the soupiest fog or rain, spotting every ship, buoy, dock or shoreline. Dock masters could warn a scuttling ferry (in appropriate nautical language) that a long, lean liner was fixing to cut her in two. They...

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