looks safe

Interesting picture. Looks like they made some serious modifications - more or less. As far as i can tell they changed the sail, modified part of the hull. What for? The chinese maybe have a strange way of doing their stuff, but i dont think they are doing it for fun...

I'd imagine the 2000 yards is the closest point of approach. Though I am certainly correctable on this. To me, sonar was just an signature on the qual card.

TLAM, I think Platapus may be on to something. The limber holes line up perfectly for the Song class and the top of that sail looks like a refit.

Nice eye Platapus.

Is that scaffolding at the bottom of the tower?

There are three variants of the Song class. The Type 039 was the first (Hull 320 that Platapus mentioned was the sole sub of this class) this has the stepped sail we all know from Sub Command:
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/6622/song2w.jpg

The Type 039G and 039G1 are the other two variants, they do not have the stepped sail (plus have more up to date gear, anechoic tiles etc):
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5604/3163272007.jpg

The 039G can be considered the "Production" model and the 039G1 the "Flight 2"

The sub in the 1st picture is most likely of the 039G or 039G1 class because I don't believe the 039 got the 039G sail as a refit. (if someone knows otherwise let me know)

This was 42 years ago

Boomers are Fleet Balistic Missile boats FBM's and they trail a wire behind them that floats to to the surface fed out from the sail.

To turn too quick is cut the wire and lose contact with CTC in Colorado

200' in a termal layer near North Africa near shipping lanes can hide long range contacts

The sonar was superb in those days as in today with even more hydrophones, hindsight sonar, fwd looking sonar, triangling sonar, passive sonar, waterfall sonars and torpedo sonars, all much better today.

The sonarman is the key and all he can do is report what he see's. It's up to the conn to react.

I don't want to find out who's the best after a war ... before is better and that takes professionals dedicated to their job of staying alive :yep:

Yes... :03:

Then I'd have thought it suggested she was running either surface trials or moving to a yard for more work to be done :hmmm:

BQQ3? Wow you're really dating yourself there... :03:


In any case that song definitely looks roughed up... Maybe she got run over by something? :>