Strange bearings in Peter Huchthausen's Hostile Waters
 

In Hostile Waters ( https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Water.../dp/0312169280 ) by Peter Huchthausen, Alan White and Igor Kurdin, there is a part (Chapter 3) where USS Augusta is chasing the K-219.


At one point, we get information from both subs at almost the same time:

• USS Augusta: "Course is two five five." (p. 56)
• K-219: " "Engines all slow," said Britanov as the submarine slipped through the layer and cruised in the deeper, colder waters. "Course one eight zero." [...] "One eight zero." " (p. 57)
• K-219: " "Evaluate as a possible submarine. Bearing zero nine five!" " (p. 57)
• USS Augusta: " Possible contact bearing zero one zero" (p. 58)

For me, these doesn't add up.


If the reported bearings were absolute, then both would be west of the other, so that's not possible. But even if these are relative bearings, they don't make sense: if K-219 is going exactly south, then a 095 bearing would mean Augusta is west from it, and, if going to 255, K-219 would be behind it, more precisely at (15+180+5=) 200... almost exactly the opposite of 010! (Okay, I could accept a slight deviation, as the subs perhaps maneuvered meantime, but this is a drastic difference.)


So my questions are:
1) Is it customary to report relative or absolute bearing? (I was sure in the former, but I'm somewhat confused now... not that it makes sense either way.)

2) Whatever the answer is to the previous question, how is it possible? Hostile Waters is said to be a well-researched, technically accurate book, so I don't think they would just drop in numbers randomly, especially in such a trivial issue.... (Or at least they'd do it in a consistent manner, authors are all experienced naval officers, including submariners.)


Thanks!

Having spoke to Igor Kurdin myself and questioned him on the subject of K219 he has stated she was not involved with a collision, its been a very long time since i have read the book so i cant recall it off my head.

What i do know is Igor and the submarine veterans club successfully claimed damages against the film maker for the portrayal of Captain Britanov and his crew.


https://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/u...8/yankee2.html

Well, I can help with that: in contrast to the film, the book leaves this question open with a very elegant solution. The relevant part goes like this: "We are close - said the sonar operator of the Augusta. We are very... And then they heard the noise" or something like that, so it's really up to the reader to decide.


My question of course has nothing to do with this matter. I totally understand that no one knows the exact bearing and course of the submarines at one specific point in time, especially in a fictionalized work, what I found surprising was that the authors (including Kurdin!) gave numbers that are simply inconsistent with each other. Or my understanding is wrong -that's why I asked it...

I’d have to plot it out but also note the figures are likely inaccurate for many reasons

I did try plotting it and the only way I could sort of get it to work was if the boats were literally on top of one another.