The 'Undine', a four ton pleasure boat was built in Teignmouth in 1905. She became famous as a result of her use by Harry Grindell Matthews, a pioneer in the field of wireless communications as well as voice broadcasting, turning silent films into sound films, and the man that created the 'Death Ray'. It is said that he used the 'Undine' during his early experiments in broadcasting. In 1912, the ship 'North Sea Ghost' came to the public's attention when it was reported that a mysterious voice and a popular song had been heard by the ship's radio operators on their Morse headphones. The message was heard by people who were over 600 miles away from eachother. When another company tried to take the credit for this, Grindell Matthews admitted everything. In July that year he travelled to Buckingham Palace to show the royal family the equipment and the kings-to-be Edward VIII and George VI talked with their mother from different cars in the Palace gardens. No financial backing from the government was forthcoming, however, and with the approach of the First World War Grindell Matthews had to stop experimenting for the time being as broadcasting stations and workshops were closed. He turned his attention to developing an invention which would find U-boats by detecting the magnetic fields produced by their engines. Once again, much of the experimental work was done in the Severn Estuary. Following the War, he worked on an invention which would introduce sound to the world of cinema but the film industry was not ready for talking pictures and, unfortunately, Grindell Matthews was careless with his invention's patent. He later became famous as the man who invented the 'death ray', when he discovered that powerful waves of electrical energy could have a very dramatic effect if they were concentrated on one spot - for example, it was possible to melt plate glass, ignite gunpowder and switch off machinery. Grindell Mattews came to the Monmouth area around 1910 when he established a radio station at Black Rock, Porthskewett, with a small number of helpers. A funny thing happened during the first broadcast. One of the helpers had given a black box to his landlady and had asked her to switch the machine on at midday. At midday she followed his instructionsand heard a voice which was being broadcast from five miles away saying the following 'This birthday message comes through space To greet you, bless your pretty face, With every wish for happiness, And best of luck by wireless.' The landlady believed the voice had come from Mars! Grindell Matthews reputedly used the boat 'Undine' during his early broadcasting experiments.