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Old 09-05-05, 09:25 AM   #8
Amizaur
Sonar Guy
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Poland
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Well... based on all I know, I'm afraid that you are wrong in both cases.

First, very modern submarines are VERY quiet when silenced. Subs like 688I, Akula2 and Seawolf are said to have detection ranges comparable to hull size under some conditions, tracking each other in peace time becomes dangerous because of collision hazard. US Navy admitted that when brand new Akula 2 subs slows down under 4kts, the 688I boat can't track it anymore - probably because detection range (at least by sphere sonar) becomes so small that any target maneuver can move it outside detection range and by the time you react by maneuver the target is gone and you don't know where to look for it. Fortunately for US noise level of new Akula is said to quicly elevate with time by several dB, probably because of lack of funds on proper maintenance.
So a Han with supposedly not the best sonars probably wouldn't detect you further than 500yds in real life if you were slow and quiet on 688I. And maybe even closer. Nobody knows for sure exact numbers, it is possible that ranges are not THAT close, but generally they are close between very modern subs.
On the other hand, old submarines are VERY noisy in comparison with modern ones, with good sonar can be tracked on tens of miles, and civilian surface ships are so noisy that you can detect them HUNDREDS of miles away sometimes. Just the noise levels scale is so wide - very noisy Supertanker is nearly 200dB when quietest subs may be around 120dB - it's 100.000.000 times quieter !!!
So between modern submarines knife fights are very probable... and many real submariners said that - long-range torpedo duels like in the game is fiction.

As for torpedo CMs, search here on the forum and you'll find some discussion about this issue. Generally everybody agree that torpedos are contact fused or triggered by magnetic influence fuse, BUT there is no dropped CM capable of generating magnetic field strong enaugh to detonate a torpedo fuse, only great mass of steel in form of submarine hull in proximity can do that.
And if someone supposed that enemy can have such CMs, I think he would simply disable magnetic fuse and leave only contact ones in his torpedos :-)
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