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With war imminent, on 30 August 1939, he wrote to
Admiral Lawrence volunteering his services as an experienced sailor and successful manager and was commissioned within 18 days. His days at sea came to an abrupt end when he was spotted in his glasses on board ship, and reassigned to research efforts.
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and formed a 'keel' by bending it lengthways and sewing the two sides together. Then, with the help of his wife, Mary
Lochner, they made waves on one side with a spade and experimented all day in the family pond until he found that waves only exert their force to a relatively shallow depth,
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The big challenge in the rough seas of the
English Channel was to create a breakwater to protect the concrete landings from the vicious waves and Robert Lochner was the man chosen by Churchill to lead a group of scientists known as
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landings was to secure a
European port for the delivery of essential supplies, but instead of capturing an existing port, the Allies decided on an audacious plan to build temporary harbours off the coast of
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plus 12, most of
Lochner's floating steel breakwaters were in position. Lochner's bombardons were effectively temporary structures liable to storm damage, and should not be confused with the heavy concrete
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On 23 July, Churchill visited the harbours and on his return stated: "This miraculous port has played and will continue to play a most important part in the liberation of Europe".
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girdle, a skirt fitted to the hulls of ships, and energised by a special electric current which countered the threat from these mines, securing the future of the north
Atlantic
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in
November allowed a solution to be developed within one week. Lochner was assigned to the research efforts. Together with a team of fellow scientists, he invented the
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in Surrey in the spring of 1943, he had an inspiration. While sitting in the bath playing with his hand flannel he noticed that when he made waves on one side of the
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He was also a keen amateur sailor, and proud owner of his own sailing boat, the Odette. Amongst other achievements, he successfully completed the 208-mile
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After the war, Lochner had a third career, qualifying and practicing as a successful patent and trademark barrister. He was due to be appointed as a
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A total of 1,500,000 tons of harbour equipment had to be taken across the channel in an operation involving 150 Allied tugs, and by
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By July 1943 a mathematical theory to support the approach had been evolved and in August 1943 experiments began in
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As a reward for his war efforts contributing to the
Mulberry harbours, he received the remarkable sum of £5,000.
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The
Wheezers And Dodgers, under Lochner's leadership were to play a critical role in winning the war.
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would not have been possible, due to the rough seas if it wasn't for one major element, the
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for
Laurence, Scott & Electromotors Ltd, moving to Rats Castle at about the same time.
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in design, production and sales positions, before taking up an appointment as
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Later that summer, Lochner and his fellow scientists flew to Canada for the
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With the onset of war the Admiralty was seriously concerned by Germany's
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Lieutenant Commander R. A. Lochner working at Short Lake House in
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The D-day Landing Beaches: The Guide by Georges Bernage (Author)
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completely revolutionising the approach to the solution.
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16:Inventor of the Bombardon breakwater (1904–1965)
363:"Turning the Tide of War: The Mulberry Harbors"
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450:Members of the Order of the British Empire
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
211:on which Britain's war effort depended.
163:Before the war, Lochner was a qualified
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237:One of the major challenges facing the
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143:(1904–1965) was the inventor of the
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252:The Wheezers And Dodgers
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261:Bombardon breakwater
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317:Phoenix breakwaters
440:English barristers
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159:Background
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381:1 March
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