History of the On-The-Roof Gang
On-The-Roof Gang Introduction
The “On-The-Roof Gang” was a group 150 Navy and 26 Marine Corps enlisted radio operators who were trained to copy Japanese telegraphic code and to intercept and analyze Japanese Naval radio messages.
The Katakana Code
As Chief Harry Kidder developed the plan for the On-The-Roof Gang training, he had a lot to keep in mind. While the Japanese used international Morse code in communicating with the rest of the world, at home they shunned the use of that code for both domestic and military purposes. It was not that international Morse code was necessarily incompatible with the Japanese language. The Japanese used a system of dits and dahs that was somewhat more responsive to their needs and certainly more succinct than was the code devised by Samuel Morse.
RIP-5
Prior to the beginning of the “On-The-Roof Gang” training, intercept operators copied Japanese radio messages by hand. In 1924, LT Safford, the renowned Father of Naval Cryptology, designed specifications for a special typewriter that would facilitate the intercept and transliteration of Japanese Kata Kana code by the “On-The-Roof Gang.”
PI-1HK
Before Chief Radioman Harry Kidder became the founder of the U.S. Navy’s “On-The-Roof Gang,” he was an early amateur radio enthusiast stationed in the Asiatic Fleet aboard USS POPE (DD-225).
Roofers Taken as POWs
December 8, 1941 - Just hours after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Guam became a target of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Among other U.S. assets on Guam stood intercept Station BAKER, located at Libugon Hill. For three straight days, the Japanese bombed U.S. Naval assets on Guam, sinking the USS BARNES and USS PENGUIN in Piti Harbor and destroying much of the island’s infrastructure.
Chief Radioman Harry Kidder
Any story about the On-The-Roof Gang has to start with Chief Radioman Harry Kidder. Known as the “Pappy” of the group, Chief Kidder held an esteemed place of honor in the opinions of those who he formally and informally instructed in Radio Intelligence operations. Many stories circulated about the Radio Intelligence skills of Chief Kidder. It is difficult, however, to confirm most of these stories as true – his legend is as strong as his skill was!
Orange Grand Maneuvers
The first success that can be directly attributed to the “On-The-Roof Gang” was in response to a large-scale training exercise undertaken by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in 1930, called the Orange Grand Maneuvers. On 18 May of that year, the “On-The-Roof Gang” operators performing Radio Intelligence (RI) operations at Station BAKER on Guam noticed a sudden and tremendous increase in radio traffic and a higher percentage of encrypted messages contained in the intercept.
RM2c Earnest Edwin Dailey
RM2c Earnest Edwin Dailey, or "E. E." to his shipmates, completed the On-The-Roof Gang training in August 1929 with Class #2. Through a mix-up, he believed he would be automatically promoted to RM1c. When the promotion didn't come, he quit the outfit and went back to General Service radio duty. He correctly assumed he'd have a better chance at promotion outside of the intercept gang.
President Lines
In 1933, the U.S. Navy’s budget was severely limited due to the Great Depression. Since ships in port were less expensive than ships underway, the Navy reduced deployments world-wide. However, a mutually beneficial partnership was struck by the U.S. Navy and the commercial American President Lines cruise ship company.
As a part of that agreement, four “On-The-Roof Gang” members, John Cooke, Antone Novak, James Pearson and Martin Vandenberg, were stationed on board American President Lines ships from 1933 through 1934. They rode as first class passengers, and performed intercept operations while the ships were underway in the Pacific Ocean.
