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Originally Posted by LukeFF
The problem is that the sonar heads mounted on the keel were more for supersonic listening (i.e., picking up pings and such) instead of sonic listening. Sonic listening was the domain of the sonar head mounted on the forward deck:
http://www.hnsa.org/doc/fleetsub/sonar/chap1.htm#1A
Yes, it is true sonic sounds could be picked up on the surface, but that only happened at very slow speeds. Now, given the way it's modeled now, do you want a surface sonar that's too good at picking up sounds (and thus pretty much rendering watch crews irrelevant) or one that's closer to reality? I'll take option B, thank you. |
That's fine, but you should read further where they are speaking about use of the WCA sonar.
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Securing WCA gear
When your submarine surfaces, you will continue searching. While it is running at a slow speed, you will be able to listen efficiently. But at higher speeds the noise becomes so great that you will have to report to the conning officer: "QB, listening conditions poor." Probably you will then be ordered to secure the gear. Here is the way to secure:
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The word "efficiently" means they could expect to find contacts using that method on the surface. Ahead 2/3 at 7 or 8 knots cannot by any means be called "higher speeds." However, in a manual we get no feel whatever for the number of contacts actually developed from the sonar sensors under the hull, only that it was possible and expected. Slightly earlier in the manual it speaks of getting screw counts from these sonar heads. It was a separate operator from the one that you quote in chapter 1 that operated these sonar heads, as the skills were quite different.
So the real question is, are the capabilities of these heads grossly overmodeled in the game? The answer to that question would have to come directly from the sub logs themselves stating "QB contact" or "JK/QC contact" for under hull or "JP contact" for the sonar head on deck. Then a statistical study would have to be made to determine real wartime capabilities based on the evidence. I don't have access to that information.
TATER!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!
In the meantime I'm using Trigger Maru unaltered and not feeling too crippled. I can't imagine too many instances where sonar could outdistance radar, except when I'm submerged. The only important thing we are missing is the ability to ping a target during a surface attack. That is a regrettable loss.
By the way, Luke's link to the sonar manual for WWII submarines is good for killing several hours of fascinating reading. Wonder when PC simulators will be good enough to reproduce even half of that? Anybody think those men of the 1940's were a bunch of simpletons? Read and marvel!