GoldenRivet
11-21-07, 12:06 PM
My thought process took me down this road... dont know how.
but i thought about an anti submarine device and wondered if it would have worked back then at all?
A bomber flies overhead on an attack run on a U-boat. among the falling bombs is a powerful magnet that activates when dropped. connected to the magnet is a 30 - 50 meter chain attached to a bright orange bouy, this bouy would be equipped with a small homing device.
on the off chance that the bomber's little "magnet marker" scored a hit or came close to the u-boat and attached itself, the u-boat would tow the bouy along under the water.
As the bomber circled overhead, and the u-boat went deep the bouy dissapears from view and the u-boat evaded the bomber, immediately upon surfacing though, nearby bombers would detect the homing signal and head for it at high speed.
surely by now the U-boat is on the surface, and has brought out the cutting torches to cut the heavy steel chain and remove this barnacle of death from their boat.
But aircraft engines roar on the horizon, even if the boat manages to clear 30 meters depth by the time the bombers arrive, all they have to do is target the bouy and the waters around it.
tactically speaking, when a u-boat evades an aircraft, the u-boat could stay submerged for many hours... but the aircraft could only loiter for 10 - 15 minutes and return to base. the U-boat contact is lost, and the u-boat escapes. but with this device, the aircraft, nearby aircraft, or nearby warships could detect the surfaced u-boat from many miles around once it surfaced... this would give the allies a quick means of re-establishing contact with the u-boat which had previously given them the slip.
Second to that... why not have a magnetic device that is launched from a depth charge rack... it does not explode, but instead attaches itself to the U-boat. the device creates a siren like sound which automatically shuts off at 600 meters. also much like a bold canister, it activates when it makes contact with a large metallic object.
if the device falls below 600 meters, the siren stops - indicating a miss. but if the siren continues for many many minutes, and the active sonar return intinsifies (bold like device active) the attacking destroyer knows exactly where the boat is.
the only way to shut it off is to surface the boat and remove it, OR sink past 600 meters.
but i thought about an anti submarine device and wondered if it would have worked back then at all?
A bomber flies overhead on an attack run on a U-boat. among the falling bombs is a powerful magnet that activates when dropped. connected to the magnet is a 30 - 50 meter chain attached to a bright orange bouy, this bouy would be equipped with a small homing device.
on the off chance that the bomber's little "magnet marker" scored a hit or came close to the u-boat and attached itself, the u-boat would tow the bouy along under the water.
As the bomber circled overhead, and the u-boat went deep the bouy dissapears from view and the u-boat evaded the bomber, immediately upon surfacing though, nearby bombers would detect the homing signal and head for it at high speed.
surely by now the U-boat is on the surface, and has brought out the cutting torches to cut the heavy steel chain and remove this barnacle of death from their boat.
But aircraft engines roar on the horizon, even if the boat manages to clear 30 meters depth by the time the bombers arrive, all they have to do is target the bouy and the waters around it.
tactically speaking, when a u-boat evades an aircraft, the u-boat could stay submerged for many hours... but the aircraft could only loiter for 10 - 15 minutes and return to base. the U-boat contact is lost, and the u-boat escapes. but with this device, the aircraft, nearby aircraft, or nearby warships could detect the surfaced u-boat from many miles around once it surfaced... this would give the allies a quick means of re-establishing contact with the u-boat which had previously given them the slip.
Second to that... why not have a magnetic device that is launched from a depth charge rack... it does not explode, but instead attaches itself to the U-boat. the device creates a siren like sound which automatically shuts off at 600 meters. also much like a bold canister, it activates when it makes contact with a large metallic object.
if the device falls below 600 meters, the siren stops - indicating a miss. but if the siren continues for many many minutes, and the active sonar return intinsifies (bold like device active) the attacking destroyer knows exactly where the boat is.
the only way to shut it off is to surface the boat and remove it, OR sink past 600 meters.