Alexander Behm invented a device that can be found in every ship:the echo sounder. The Mecklenburger developed it with a Kiel company. The occasion was the sinking of the "Titanic".
by Cornelius Kob
It is April 14, 1912, when the then largest and fastest passenger ship "Titanic" sinks after colliding with an iceberg. About 1,500 people are killed. Destruction moves the world. The young engineer Alexander Behm was also shaken by this accident. At that time, the Mecklenburger headed a physical-technical research institute in Vienna. Here he deals with the propagation of sound waves. He had the idea for a device that could use sound waves to locate icebergs, making it possible to spot icebergs in good time, even in the dark or in fog. He looks for support for his project and is referred to Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe by Munich University. In 1905 he founded a company in Kiel to produce gyro compasses. After initial difficulties, these work perfectly and are used by the German Navy.
22. July 1913:A patent for the echo sounder
The principle of the sonar:Sound waves are sent into the water and their reflections on obstacles are caught.After Alexander Behm presented his idea at Anschütz-Kaempfe, he can use the technical equipment in his company and also receives financial support. At first he produces pops with a gun, measures the strength of the reflected signal and calculates the distances from it. In the long run, however, this measuring method is not practicable. He changes the procedure. Now he wants to calculate the distance from the time it takes for the sound to travel there and back - hence the name echo sounder.
He no longer needs loud popping noises, but gets by with a quiet beeping. The process was patented on July 22, 1913. It was submitted and paid for by Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe. He gives it to Behm with the condition that he found a company and use the patent.
Series production starts in Kiel in 1920
From inventor to stamp motif:Nord Brief dedicated a stamp to Alexander Behm to mark the 100th anniversary of the echo sounder.However, Behm did not have the necessary funds until 1920 and founded the Behm-Echolot-Gesellschaft in Kiel to mass-produce the device. The company survived Behm's death in 1952 and only closed in 1970.
Competing products that differ in the details of the measuring system soon emerge. The Imperial Navy, the main customer for new developments in shipping, tests the devices extensively. For military use, it is crucial that the water depth can be determined very precisely. The sonar will soon become standard equipment on all larger ships.
Alexander Behm - short biography
11. November 1880 :Alexander Behm is born in Sternberg, Mecklenburg
1888-1896 :Attendance at high school, graduating from secondary school; then
one-year internship as a gunsmith in Hadersleben
until 1903 :Study of physics in Karlsruhe;
followed by a few years as an assistant at the Physics Institute;
then move to Vienna as head of a physical-technical research institute
22. July 1913 :Reich patent for the invention of the echo sounder
1920 :Founding of the Behm-Echolot-Gesellschaft, Kiel
1928 :Receipt of an honorary doctorate from the University of Kiel
22. January 1952 :Alexander Behm dies at the age of 71 in Tarp near Flensburg.
Further development for submarine and fish detection
A further development of the sonar, the sonar, makes it possible to locate submarines under water. A use that Alexander Behm certainly did not have in mind when he invented the device to protect ships from collisions with icebergs. During the Second World War, sonar was of great importance. U-boat crews fear the beeping of enemy sonar, which in many cases could be used to locate them. In contrast to the echo sounder, the sonar emits its sound waves in a horizontal direction and can therefore also locate objects that are in the further vicinity of the transmitter.
A further development of the sonar used purely for civil purposes is the so-called fish finder. With this device, fishermen can determine the size and type of schools of fish below the boat to optimize their catches.
The radar helps when searching for icebergs
With the Behmolot, patented in 1921, the principle of the sonar can also be used in aviation.The device is just not suitable for locating icebergs - which was Behm's original idea. Another invention is suitable for this, which can display distant objects with the help of the reflection of electromagnetic instead of acoustic waves. In 1904 Christian Hülsmeyer from Lower Saxony presented his "Telemobiloskop". It later became known as "Radar".
Inventor Behm applies for 110 patents
The echo sounder is not Behm's only invention. The inventor registers a total of 110 patents, including the "inaudible" dog whistle. As a passionate angler, he also develops numerous new devices in this area. Again and again he comes up with improved baits, rods and reels. The best-known invention is the Behm Blinker, an artificial lure in the shape of a ship's hull with a stabilizing rudder.