[REL] Hydrophone Tracker

[UberTorpedo]

Perhaps this should be relocated to the Mods Section?

[gutted]

OK... new version is up. Version 1.1b (final version i promise).

It's a minor update:
Mainly to add support for units other than meters. Also added a "Minutes" label next to the Time Interval entry window to remove any confusion on what it expects.

Anyway, I don't foresee myself doing anything more with this for the time being. It does what it was supposed to do. Any more time spent on it will be more work for no real gain. The version of it that will be in Solution Solver 2.0 may (or may not) be enhanced somewhat both in UI & functionality. But as for this standalone version...I'm closing it's project file and packing it away. No more updates for it (unless there's a bug).

I could probably make the numeric up/down controls alittle less wonky, but thats a .NET framework thing. And it doesn't really bother me. I'll probably override their behaviour in the version for SS2.0.

[reaper7]

Cheers, and love the included PDF really explains everything.Now I've no excuse not to practice Hydrophone use and triangulation.
Maybe i'll even learn some maths along the way .

[kylania]

Originally Posted by UberTorpedo

Perhaps this should be relocated to the Mods Section?

It's not a mod, it's an external program.

[gutted]

I'd like to hear about your success's (or failures) using it.

I've only been in one situation where i could really use it.. .but It has already netted me a Queen Elizabeth Battleship.


I was in the southern blockade area of "Total Germany". Night time, medium fog. Decided to stop and listen and heard some very faint contacts. Sound man said they were closing so it was the perfect oppurtunity to try it (Long range and closing). 20 minute intervals was enough to get nice bearing spacing. The first bearing was done by ear, but I let the soundman report nearest contact for the rest of the beearings.. because it turned out to be a group.. and i couldn't distinguish which one it was myself,

After triangulation.. the estimated speed was 19kts!! wow... program must be fuxed i thought. I was not in a good position after triangulating the 4th bearing to reach a target that fast. So i drew an intercept and ran to it. As i neared the plotted course, the watch crew called out task force sighted.

Sure enough some escorts and two Battleships were about 3000 meters away coming through the fog. I Turned into what i figured was a 90 degree angle on them.. set speed on TDC to 19 knoots, 90 Starbboard AOB. Adjusted the scope till the gyro read 0.. and fired a salvo of 4 G7a's with a 3 degree spread once the first BB crossed the wire.

3 Hits on the BB. Several hours later she shunk.

So far every other contact in this patrol was either spotted visually, or was already too close on the hydrophone to use this, or was moving away when 1st heard. It's definately a situational tool.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by gutted

Sure enough some escorts and two Battleships were about 3000 meters away coming through the fog. I Turned into what i figured was a 90 degree angle on them.. set speed on TDC to 19 knoots, 90 Starbboard AOB. Adjusted the scope till the gyro read 0.. and fired a salvo of 4 G7a's with a 3 degree spread once the first BB crossed the wire.

3 Hits on the BB. Several hours later she shunk.

Don't you love those adreanaline rushes.

[gutted]

Finally was in another situation to use it again.

Cimmaron Class tanker.. Long range on hydrophone & closing. It was so faint of a sound that the sonar guy couldn't hear him. He didn't hear him till i was about to take the 3rd reading lol.

Anyway, after an hour of listening.....
Estimation: 60 degrees @ 8kts.

I arrived at a spot 4000m away from where i thought hed' be, but it turned out he would pass more like 1500m in front of me. So i knew his course was slightly less.

My visual observations for the solution:
55 degrees @ 9kts

Fired two, One near the front.. other near the center. They both hit near the rear. Real target speed must have been 10kts.


Much better than just running around blindly chasing after the sound. I was actually waiting for him well in advance.

[gutted]

That same night (actually eaaarrly in the next morning) i repeated the process against another tanker that was coming up the coast of ireland. This time i snapped pictures as i did it.



First bearing was taken at 5:28am. 15 minutes later he moved a decent number of degrees.. so i figured 15 minute intervals would suffice. Here's the program after all three bearings have been entered:


Note how i forgot to change the timer interval from 20 (the time i used for the last target) to 15 minutes... this snafu will rear its head later. I only noticed it after i wondered why my torpedo's hit the rear of the ship.


Here's the plotted B4 and estimtated target course:



After another 15 minutes, i find his real location...



Then transposed his course to the correct location... and measured the distance to it from my initial location.



Enter that range.. and get the esitmated target Speed (Note: i still forgot to change the timing interval to the actual 15 minutes i've been using):



Had i changed the timing interval to 15 his speed would have been slightly faster.

Heading to my chosen intercept location:



After some time waiting in that location.....




TDC Settings (with the scope at 000):
90 Port AOB
Range ~2000m
Speed 9kts (should have been faster, due to my error earlier)




With the scope at around 11 degrees.. the gyro is zero. So thats my desired shoot bearing:




continued.....

[gutted]

Getting closer.....




Almost time to shoot....



Los!!!



Watching the fish...




What the hell.. i hit the rear?? LOL Target must have been going faster than expected (remember the error in the last post??? DOH!!)



Time of first hydrophone reading: 5:28am
Time of Torpedo's striking: 6:44am



Finished him off with the deck gun... complete with hollywood explosions LOL




Location of kill:




So in three uses so far... I've been able to find and kill the target without much fuss. I expect that sooner or later i'll enter some bad data though, and be off.

So far the esitmated course and speed (when i didn't screw it), were well within tolerances to get you where you needed to be. I defianately would not rely on it 100% of the time for TDC inputs. But i guess when the visibility is crap... its better than nothing.