Can a modern submarine detect a sailing yacht through sonar or any means other than periscope?
Posted: under Sailing.
Tags: Lightweight Materials, Military Ships, Presence, Sailing Yacht
Andy asked:
I wonder… can a modern military submarine (like US or Russian nuclear attack subs) detect a sailing yacht on the surface via sonar or any means other than sticking the scope up and looking around? A sailing yacht is relatively small (no more usually than 40 feet), built of lightweight materials (mostly composite plastic, rarely aluminum or wood or steel) and usually is under sails, using its engine mostly to enter and exit ports. So the only sound it makes is the sound of the hull moving through water. Can modern passive sonars pick it up and distinguish from other sounds of the sea?
OK, one more thing I probably didn’t make clear - I was considering mostly passive sonar, with active sonar that is certainly possible but subs routinely avoid using active sonar as it reveals their presence to other military ships.
Aiden
I wonder… can a modern military submarine (like US or Russian nuclear attack subs) detect a sailing yacht on the surface via sonar or any means other than sticking the scope up and looking around? A sailing yacht is relatively small (no more usually than 40 feet), built of lightweight materials (mostly composite plastic, rarely aluminum or wood or steel) and usually is under sails, using its engine mostly to enter and exit ports. So the only sound it makes is the sound of the hull moving through water. Can modern passive sonars pick it up and distinguish from other sounds of the sea?
OK, one more thing I probably didn’t make clear - I was considering mostly passive sonar, with active sonar that is certainly possible but subs routinely avoid using active sonar as it reveals their presence to other military ships.
Aiden
Comments (3)
Sep 03 2009