The first Navy shore-based intercept station was established in the American consulate in Shanghai in 1924, and was designated Station ABLE. The primary target of intercept was the diplomatic radio network serving the numerous Japanese consulates throughout China. Since the On-The-Roof Gang training had not yet begun, operations at Station ABLE were hit-and-miss and relied on operators performing intercept on their off-duty hours. Chief Radioman Malcolm Lyon, a self-taught Kata Kana Operator, began the operation at Station ABLE and taught others how to intercept Japanese communications. Lyon eventually was recognized as one of the original On-The-Roof Gang operators and later went on to perform intercept in Guam and Washington, DC. He was also one of a very small number of operators who taught On-The-Roof Gang classes on the roof of the Main Navy Building in DC.