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Sperry Marine was formed in 1997 from three well-known brand names in the marine industry - Sperry Marine, Decca and C. Plath. Sperry Marine was acquired by Litton Industries in 1996, followed by the Racal-Decca marine electronics business unit in 1997. They were combined with another Litton company, C. Plath, to create a single integrated worldwide supplier of navigation, communication, information and automation systems for commercial marine and naval markets.
Sperry Marine
The Sperry Gyroscope Company was founded in 1910 by Elmer A. Sperry, a noted engineer and inventor, who patented the first ballistic marine gyrocompass in 1911. During World War I, Sperry continued in the development of new-generation gyrocompass products, and also pioneered the
development of gyro fire control and autopilot systems. In 1928, Elmer Sperry sold the Sperry Gyroscope Company to the North American Aviation Company. In a subsequent corporate reorganization, it became the Sperry Corporation. During World War II, the company grew rapidly in response to the surging demand for marine gyrocompasses for the U.S. and Allied navies.
Following the war, Sperry Marine continued to solidify its position as the leading supplier of marine gyrocompasses and took the lead in developing integrated bridge systems for the commercial marine and naval markets. During the 1990s, Sperry Marine introduced the first ring laser gyro system for the U.S. Navy and rapidly became the world leader in ring laser gyro technology.
The company went through a series of mergers and acquisitions during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and was acquired by Litton Industries in 1996.
Read more about Sperry Marine's history
Decca
In 1950, Decca launched its first marine radar product - another product created of wartime necessity and later commercialized. Decca has remained at the forefront of marine radar technology ever since. The company was responsible for the first true-motion radar, the first anti-collision radar and the first type approved color radar.
Today, Decca produces a comprehensive range of type approved radars under the well-known BridgeMaster name. Decca is also a leader in marine machinery monitoring and alarm systems and is one of the leading suppliers of specialized electronics for the commercial fishing industry. The Decca Marine group became part of the Racal Electronics company in 1980 and was sold to Litton Industries in 1997.
C. Plath
The C. Plath company traces its origins back to 1837, when David Filby established a company in Schleswig-Holstein in North Germany to trade in nautical books, charts and sextants imported from England. His company was sold in 1862 to Carl Christian Plath, who broadened its scope to manufacture sextants, magnetic compasses, binnacles and barometers. He was awarded the Gold Medal at the Hamburg Crafts and Industry Exhibition in 1889 for his nautical instruments. By the time Carl Plath''s son, Theodor, assumed control of the company in 1905, C. Plath was recognized as one of the leading German manufacturers of precision nautical instruments.
C. Plath was appointed a sales and service agent for Anschuetz gyrocompasses in 1912 and evolved into a major supplier of gyrocompasses for the merchant marine market. After the end of World War II, C. Plath was dismantled by the Allied occupation forces, but in 1949 the company was permitted to renew production of its classic range of nautical instruments. In the same year, the company received a key gyrocompass patent and started producing a line of gyrocompasses for the international marine marketplace. Over the next four decades, C. Plath evolved into a diversified manufacturer of marine electronics, introducing new designs for marine autopilots, speed logs and other systems.
C. Plath was acquired by Litton Industries in 1962, and work was immediately started on the production of inertial navigation systems for the German Air Force. In 1996, C. Plath introduced the world''s first fiber-optic solid-state gyrocompass for the marine industry.
In 1997, C. Plath was combined with the recently acquired Sperry Marine and Decca business units to create Sperry Marine.
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The
Decca marine group is a direct descendent of the famous Decca Company,
which was first established before the First World War, manufacturing
gramophones and subsequently gramophone records under the Decca
label. The move into the marine industry occurred during the Second
World War, when the company developed the Decca Navigation System,
which was first used on D-Day to assist the Allied minesweepers
and troop ships in navigating to the beaches of Normandy. The Decca
Navigator System was introduced to commercial markets in 1946 and
became a mainstay of electronic navigation throughout Europe and
other regions for more than four decades. 