High-Altitude Torpedo Launch

In article ,
wrote:


Bill, I had a 5 day trip on the USS Boston as a 'field trip' to answer
that question for our staff - even at a fairly good SOA, the crew of
the SSN could plot and avoid sonobuoy splashdowns, to the point that
they aimed their boat between passive buoys or steered completely
around them.

Interesting. Was this at all sea-state dependant? Did a choppy
surface make it tougher?

The sonargirls could also hear each 'mark on top',
whether it was a fixed wing or helo, but I didn't hear them call S-3
passes and I gathered they were harder to detect.

Big props flailing the air do create vibrations! ;-)

There was no problem
at all hearing the H-3, and it showed up on their sonar displays so it
wasn't just a matter of "Sparks" squeezing his headphones together and
yelling, "Cap'n! We got company!" A helo in a dip was easy to hear -
at least as easy as surface craft. I never felt comfortable in a dip
after that excursion.

I'm not so surprised about a helo. I am surprised about a standard
sonobouy.

I can vouch for Gordon's experiences, as I have heard to buoy splashes
listening to acoustical tapes from subs.



Of course, if the sub can hear a 'bouy splashing down that gives the
aircraft a deception opportunity by "shotgunning" an area with a
'bouys and decoys. That could be an effective tactic in some
circumstances.


Yes, them hearing a buoy splash is helpful to them but not necessarily a
pass from destruction. They can't be sure of the splashes they may nhot
have heard...and when the helo goes into dip, the crew in the helo
already knows the sub knows we're there. At that point, we do not so
much care. They can run all they like, but two or more leap-frogging
helos with active sonar (and a good crew of AW's) will very likely be
some of the last sounds they hear (next to the torps).



--Mike