 SW1C at the top of HMCS Caraquet's mast | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1941 |
| No. built | hundreds |
| Type | surface search/anti-submarine |
| Frequency | VHF, 200 or 215 MHz |
| RPM | manual |
| Other Names | CSC, SW2C, SW3C, SW2C/P, SW3C/P |
SW1C, short for Surface Warning, Model 1, Canadian, was an early radar system developed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).
Originally known as CSC, for Canadian Submarine Control, it was developed in less than two months by combining bits of the British ASV Mk. II radar and the NRC's own Night Watchman. After successful demonstrations in May 1941, the system was ordered into production and several hundred examples were produced by Research Enterprises Limited in Toronto. Two upgrades were made over the year-long production run, the SW2C which moved to a slightly higher frequency, and the SW3C which used a motorized antenna and PPI display.
In service, they proved unreliable with marginal detection capability and a significant maintenance load. They also lost effectiveness in late 1942 as the German U-boat fleet deployed the Metox radar detector that could detect the SW long before the radar could see the submarine. They were replaced in the anti-submarine role by the British Type 271 radar starting in 1943, as rapidly as deliveries allowed. SW remained in service as a backup system and for aircraft detection.