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Comment by mrtksn | Hacker News Reader

How much visibility(Visual or sensory) there’s in a submarine? Are there cameras or sensors where you can observe in every direction or is it more like driving really large and old vehicle where you don’t know what’s happening around the vehicle most of the times?

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The navigator would be looking at a screen displaying ECPINS Submarine[1] or similar software.

The inputs they'd be able to use would include:

1. GNSS location (only if surfaced)

2. Passive sonar data (detecting location of electromagnetic signals through water e.g. acoustic noise of another ships propeller)

3. Active sonar data (only if stealth is unnecessary)

4. Radar data (only if surfaced)

5. Bathymetry models/charts[2] (accuracy depends on location in the world)

6. Tide prediction models[3] (availability is location dependent)

7. Inertial navigation sensors (dead reckoning so accuracy drifts over time)

8. Surface Electronic Support Measures sensors (allows geolocation of signals from other ships, aircraft and ground transmitters)

[1] https://osimaritime.com/solutions/software/ecpins-submarine/

[2] https://www.admiralty.co.uk/digital-services/digital-charts/...

[3] https://www.admiralty.co.uk/publications/admiralty-digital-p...

One of these videos gives some good information. And all of them are interesting.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjHf9jaFs8XWoGULb2HQRvhzB...

Sub Brief is another good channel:

- how submarine systems work: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF9K78gj2FP2fDVRu_Bkc...

- sonar acoustic signal analyses: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF9K78gj2FP2D-EIZkYN1...

- overview of sub classes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF9K78gj2FP0hID8jeOp_...

Under the water you've got sonar, which only tells you sound (and sound pressure levels) from a particular bearing.

If you're up at periscope depth you can stick a periscope up to see and other antennas. If you're on the surface you typically send people up into the sail and the boat is commanded from there. (Only a couple people fit up there, so the people actually operating the rudder and navigating are belowdecks).

Overall you generally get a good indication of what's happening, but... it's definitely possible to be surprised.

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