Example – In *The Hunt For Red October*, Petty Officer Jones can tell where submarines are and what they’re doing just be listening to sonar. So how do submariners do this, especially since there aren’t any viewscreens or windows on the boat? Like how did Jones know that USS *Dallas* just inbetween *Red October* and the Soviet sub to distract the torpedo?
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The front of the sub has an array of very sensitive underwater microphones (hydrophones). Just like you can hear where someone is walking around you with your eyes closed, they can use the sonar array to determine which direction the other sub or ship is. All subs make some noise, whether it’s the propeller, the machinery, the cooling pumps for the reactor, or just the crew talking. The sonor operator can try to pick up these sound.
*Dallas* and many other subs also have a towed sensor that allows them to hear behind them unhindered by the boat’s own propeller(s). Soviet subs at the time didn’t have that, and were essentially blind behind them. By staying behind *Red October* (“in their baffles”) *Dallas* was effectively hidden. The “Crazy Ivan” turn was so they could check this blind area behind the ship. It also risked running into any NATO sub that was shadowing them.
The above is referred to as passive sonar. Subs also have a powerful sound emitter, or active sonar. By emitting a pulse (“ping”) of sound, they can more accurately get direction to another sub. And by measuring the time the sound takes to return, they get the range as well. However, the sound can be detected a long way away, announcing the presence of the sub to anyone listening.
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