[107730] in Cypherpunks
Re: CDR: Re: [Fwd: C-Subs, a very scary thought] (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jim Choate)
Thu Jan 21 22:06:36 1999
From: Jim Choate <ravage@EINSTEIN.ssz.com>
To: cypherpunks@EINSTEIN.ssz.com
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 20:49:16 -0600 (CST)
Reply-To: Jim Choate <ravage@EINSTEIN.ssz.com>
----- Forwarded message from Anonymous -----
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 00:21:42 +0100
From: Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>
Subject: Re: CDR: Re: [Fwd: C-Subs, a very scary thought] (fwd)
>Or, if the sonar is that sensitive, and the hiding submarine is sitting on
>the floor, it will look like a suspiciously long, cylindrical "rock".
In order to do that, the searching submarine will have to be pinging away. I
don't recall whether submarines can actually identify the precise class of
vessel from active sonar. I know they can from passive.
Actually, these days with wire guided torpedos they could launch a torpedo
and take it off-beam, say 2000 yards to the starboard bow of the hiding
submarine, and have it just sit there. When the USN sub comes up and starts
pinging away, the torpedo is activated. The snapshot will probably be sent
off that way and never find the hiding sub, since it's just a big "rock"
1500 yards off the starboard bow.
And since submarines rarely use active sonar for obvious reasons, it's more
likely that they'd see the torpedo, shoot a snapshot the wrong way, and that
would be all she wrote.
My question: With wire-guided torpedos, why *isn't* this kind of (cheap)
tactic used? If current torpedos don't support it, it's probably fairly easy
for a team of weapons engineers to add this functionality.
----- End of forwarded message from Anonymous -----
If you want to do an active sonar search you use sonar buoys. The sub
then sits out there looking for echo's. The other is to use existing
(correct geography) or perhaps lay new SOSSUS lines (if enough time) This has
been the standard tactic for several decades now.
You can't just have the torpedoe sit there. It will either sink or
float depending on type. Without positive forward motion the torpedo can't
keep even keel. There is also the issue of battery life or steam charge as
well. Several hundred pounds of torpedoe equates to short battery life.
The signals going down the wire would be detectable.
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