The Decca Company, a British gramophone manufacturer that, as Decca Records

Decca Records

Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

, released records under the Decca label, contributed to the British war effort during the Second World War. This military engineering activity resulted in a number of commercial ventures after the war, in particular the Decca Navigator System

Decca Navigator System

The Decca Navigator System was a low frequency hyperbolic navigation system that was first deployed during World War II when the Allied forces needed a system which could be used to achieve accurate landings...

, and the Decca Radar company.
Decca Radar launched its first marine radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

, the 159, in August 1949. (The radar was named after the number of the London bus that passed the Brixton

Brixton

Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....

 laboratory where the radar was designed and manufactured.) The company held a position at the forefront of commercial marine radar technology, producing the first true motion radar, the first anti-collision radar and the first "Type Approved" colour radar.