Historically, how hard was it to hear a uboat with hydrophones?

Pillar · 11-28-09, 07:40 PM

I'm curious what passive sonar technology was capable of in WW2 on the destroyers and destroyer escort vessels. If a Type VII or IX was operating at slow speeds, say 3 kts, in otherwise calm conditions how close would a destroyer need to get to hear the uboat?

Does passive sonar at this time rely on human ears or do they have any kind of electronic detection of sound assisting them? How big a bonus is an electronic broadband? (Obviously, technology detecting specific frequencies, i.e., narrowband, is a huge step forward.)

Anything that can be said about passive sonar vs WW2 era submarines would be helpful and interesting, please share your thoughts and wisdom.

Thanks!

11-28-09, 07:40 PM	#1
Pillar Electrician's Mate Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 138 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Historically, how hard was it to hear a uboat with hydrophones? I'm curious what passive sonar technology was capable of in WW2 on the destroyers and destroyer escort vessels. If a Type VII or IX was operating at slow speeds, say 3 kts, in otherwise calm conditions how close would a destroyer need to get to hear the uboat? Does passive sonar at this time rely on human ears or do they have any kind of electronic detection of sound assisting them? How big a bonus is an electronic broadband? (Obviously, technology detecting specific frequencies, i.e., narrowband, is a huge step forward.) Anything that can be said about passive sonar vs WW2 era submarines would be helpful and interesting, please share your thoughts and wisdom. Thanks!