Re: Where is that enemy U-Boat?

[Tommaso Ravaglioli <tomrava@tin.it>]

At 18.08 05/03/99 -0000, you wrote:
>How does one express relative positions in the 3d space beneath the
surface of >the water? Do the military use an absolute or relative x,y,z
system, or do >they refer to an object as being 'off the starboard quarter
and down a bit'? >Perhaps they say 'Starboard, 4 O'clock!' 

A target's position is expressed by the normal cardinal signs (N,S,E,W)
and, when the contact has a good definition by a bearing that varies
between 0 and 360 degrees:
0 deg North
90 deg East
180 deg South
270 deg West
360 deg North again

The depth is expressed as depression/elevation in meters relatively to the sub

Example (in the italian navy), an enemy submarine at left:
"Bridge, here is sonar, we have a new contact: sub contact (or surface or
unknown), bearing 278, depression 40 (meters! Italy, thanks to God, is
metric!). Distance 30000 (again meters) heading 178 speed 12 (knots).
Sub type Alfa class, unit name unknown.
New contact called Sierra 1."



>Maybe they just point and shout 'Over there, Captain!'.

Only on surface (Das Boot film, for example)

>I'm sure all of these work, but is there a standard method?
>
>Seb Hunt (an Aquarian)
>England

Tommaso Ravaglioli (Aquarian)
Italy



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