Wartime hydrophone ranges?

Rockin Robbins · 05-19-10, 01:14 PM

Well, the US subs had two things that the Germans didn't: active sonar and ultrasonic sonar. Both were vitally important to making the US sub more deadly.

Sonar range is also incredibly dependent on local listening conditions. The same sonar good for 50 miles one day won't be good for 200 yards the next.

I don't know if any direct comparisons between US and German WWII sonar capabilities exist, but I would predict no clear winner, with each better in some categories and worse in others.

treblesum81 · 05-19-10, 01:26 PM

What I'm trying to get at is whether or not the 15000m max range applied to US hydrophones is at all accurate. Because conditions vary greatly due to surface weather etc., if 15000m is a starting point and then its degraded from there, I'm wondering if this is putting an overly heavy handed limitation on hydrophone detection range?

I guess the best question to ask is whether or not the game simulates hydrophone range degradation in poor weather conditions or not?

Rockin Robbins · 05-19-10, 02:09 PM

Well it certainly does for enemy escorts. In TMO if you attack in daylight smooth water you're just serving them dinner. But if you have a nice rough surface it's amazing what you can do!

Since I do very little long-range sonar searching and rely on my radar and 9 knot speed to find targets much more efficiently, I can't really answer your question about sub sonar.

05-19-10, 01:14 PM	#1
Rockin Robbins Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 8,900 Downloads: 135 Uploads: 52	Well, the US subs had two things that the Germans didn't: active sonar and ultrasonic sonar. Both were vitally important to making the US sub more deadly. Sonar range is also incredibly dependent on local listening conditions. The same sonar good for 50 miles one day won't be good for 200 yards the next. I don't know if any direct comparisons between US and German WWII sonar capabilities exist, but I would predict no clear winner, with each better in some categories and worse in others. __________________ Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks, Slightly Subnuclear Mk 14 & Cutie, Slightly Subnuclear Deck Gun, EZPlot 2.0, TMOPlot, TMOKeys, SH4CMS

05-19-10, 02:09 PM	#3
Rockin Robbins Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 8,900 Downloads: 135 Uploads: 52	Well it certainly does for enemy escorts. In TMO if you attack in daylight smooth water you're just serving them dinner. But if you have a nice rough surface it's amazing what you can do! Since I do very little long-range sonar searching and rely on my radar and 9 knot speed to find targets much more efficiently, I can't really answer your question about sub sonar. __________________ Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks, Slightly Subnuclear Mk 14 & Cutie, Slightly Subnuclear Deck Gun, EZPlot 2.0, TMOPlot, TMOKeys, SH4CMS

05-19-10, 01:26 PM	#2
treblesum81 Frogman Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 308 Downloads: 71 Uploads: 0	What I'm trying to get at is whether or not the 15000m max range applied to US hydrophones is at all accurate. Because conditions vary greatly due to surface weather etc., if 15000m is a starting point and then its degraded from there, I'm wondering if this is putting an overly heavy handed limitation on hydrophone detection range? I guess the best question to ask is whether or not the game simulates hydrophone range degradation in poor weather conditions or not?