Scientist had long pondered on the methods of communication used by whales and dolphins, not only to apparently converse with each other, but to fix their geographical positions.

They discovered that high frequencies transmitted by animals, were capable of travelling through salt water for considerable distances. They also found that the beams of these projected HF sounds could bounce off an object in water. The animal could distinguish the size and shape of the object, also it’s distance away. In addition, different salinities, produced results which helped the animals, through instinct memories, to pin-point their own position in thousands of miles of ocean.

The ‘boffins’ made very crude systems to emulate the animal ones. This was the birth of the sonar systems used later in the war, and developed to today’s sophisticated levels.

One of the scientists, Hans Mueller, a Swiss American, noticed the lack of marine life and contamination in the area surrounding the underwater HF transmitter.

After the war, Hans returned to Switzerland, and remembering those clean areas reproduced the HF sound in a tank of cleaning fluid. Items in that fluid had all their soils and contaminates removed to what was then, a very high degree of cleanliness. That was the birth of the Ultrasonic Cleaner!

Although, because of the variety of conditions that can exist, ultrasonic cleaning still cannot be claimed as an exact science, research and development over the years in technology and materials, by companies such as Ultrawave Ltd. in the UK, have resulted in a highly effective and efficient means of dislodging soiling and contamination from those hard to get at places.