By Charles B. Frank, Jr., CTRCS, USN Ret., N1IKO

My years of active duty included research, development, evaluation and computer education/projects (IT&T, Southwest Research Institute, NSA, NRL Washington, NRL San Diego, IBM, RCA and Burroughs Corp.). My career was varied and fun.

About 1962 the SecGru became interested in entering the computer age and in 1965 I was ordered to Naval Security Group Headquarters for duty in a computer programming billet. Upon arrival I was immediately sent to IBM (Washington, D.C.) and Burroughs Space and Defense Laboratory (Paoli, PA) for computer training on IBM and Burroughs systems. My previous computer exposure, which started in 1959 was limited, but evidently enough at that time to “count.” The Burroughs D-825 system was the computer that became known in the Security Group as the AN/GYK-3(V).

Returning to Nebraska Ave, I did a systems analysis and review of the BULLSEYE proposal under the direction of Louis P. Howland, (GP) and Lt. Thomas A. Ouellette, (GP-1)(N4JWE). The results of this study indicated the system software design was limited and modifications were required. Meetings with NRL, RCA & SecGru rapidly firmed up the software system design. Following this I was “attached” to NRL working on project BULLSEYE for a really great two and one half years (until my retirement in August 1967).

The Naval Research Lab., in the early 60’s, started development of a true MULTIPROCESSOR OPERATING SYSTEM (computer) for the Naval Security Group. The IBM System 360 (19), CDC 3870 (31), General Electric Company GE-635 (20), Burroughs D-825 and the Sperry Rand Corp. UNIVAC 1108 (29) were studied.

The selection process was based on a definition of a multiprocessing system being a system: (1) containing more than one identical arithmetic/control module, each of which could associate with random access memory; and (2) input/output (I/O) facilities to form a stored program computer. Such systems as the Control Data Corporation CDC 6600 (34), Solomon (14,28) and others were ruled out because they could not cleanly meet NRL’s. definition of a multiprocessing system. It should be noted that some of the systems were ruled out because they were “two years down the road.” Burroughs Corp. had the only system that existed and met the requirements. The Burroughs D-825 ( AN/GYK-3(V) ) was selected. It was a “a state of the art” computer which ran under what I believe was “the Worlds First Executive Program.” This program was called “AOSP” (Automatic Operating and Scheduling program). Executive programs are common now….. that is what CPM & MS-DOS are in our personal computers of more recent years.

The AN/GYK-3(V) did the job. The group at NRL, Dr. Bruce Wald, Elizabeth Wald, Alice-Joe Campbell, Penney Palmer, R. Smith, key people who I cannot name after all these years, plus the Naval personnel attached; CTC Robert M. Cameron (KK6NG) and myself; later joined by Lt.Cdr. Thomas McCalla, had themselves one fine time making the BULLSEYE concept a reality.

When I retired, on the east coast we had a system installed at the lab; a system operational at Cheltenham, and a week or two prior to my departure, Betz Wald and I made a trip down to Sugar Grove, VA to install “software” there. That made Lt. Cdr. Charles L. Benjamin (W4LSA) a happy camper. What a way to leave the Navy!