The player-piano rolls in the transmitter (aboard the ship) and receiver (in the torpedo) would be started at exactly the same moment, and would then stay synchronised after launch, providingasecure radio link from the ship to the torpedo.
Now I'm not against anyone providingasecure, loving home for a child, but it seems to me that these stories often reinforce a growing public image of adoption for many Americans: that of a rich, famous individual going to a developing country to adopt a child.