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KWR - 37
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KWR-37 (JASON)

To many outsiders, cryptography is a fascinating subject and detailed material is not easily obtainable even after de-classification. At the turn of the twentieth century, messages containing confidential information were encrypted using code books and continued this way up to end of World War 1. In the 1920's, mechanical, rotor-based machines were developed in Europe and the United States for the purposes of encrypting commercial business traffic. By the late 30's, the German military had adapted a three rotor encryption machine that we now know as the Enigma. Rotor based machines continued to be refined until replaced by vacuum tube technology and finally, by the computer based technology of today. One of the most critical applications for secure communications was the military naval environment. In Canada, around 1962, the KWR-37 was introduced into the Royal Canadian Navy As the radio restoration volunteer for the ship, it was a strong curiosity towards crypto gear which provided the inspiration and initiative for the research and story which follows. The KWR-37 was a very advanced machine when first designed in the 1950's, but its service life was curtailed when security was compromised in the mid-1980's.
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This KWR-37 example is held by the Communications and Electronics Museum in Kingston. (Photo by Jerry Proc)
All crypto gear fitted on Canadian ships in the 1950's and onwards was owned by the National Security Agency of the United States and was loaned to North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries including Canada. This still holds true today and crypto gear used by all US government agencies is subject to the same strict regulations. Also included back then, was keying material, key lists, certain rotors, and key cards. This material came in a variety of editions depending upon the application. Examples of these crypto packages would be named CANUSEYESONLY (Canadian only), CANUKUS (Canada, UK, and USA), AUSCANUKUS (Australia, Canada, UK and US), NATO, ALLIED, and so on. Any edition with the designation of CANEYESONLY, would have been generated in Canada by the Communication Security Establishment. In 1962, aboard HMCS HAIDA, a pair of KWR-37's were fitted on steel racks, and a canvas cover blocked them from view as the crypto receivers were considered very top secret. The crude canvas cover, installed by the dockyard workers 35 years ago, can still be seen today.