De Neumann began developing thoughts on the potential for a port-control system while he was captain of HMRC '' Vigilant '' . These ideas followed on from considering such incidents as the accidental ramming of the submarine by HMS '' Divina '' in 1950 , the Norwegian vessel '' Baalbek '' s collision with the Nore Army Fort in 1953 , and the disastrous North Sea flood that resulted in the flooding of Canvey Island , Foulness and the East Coast in 1953 . In these and other situations , rescue and intelligence gathering were severely hampered by a lack of centralised command and control , which led to a lack of situational awareness
North Sea flood
North Sea flood of 1953
Peter de Neumann