[R-390] OT: Submarine navigation

[Norman Ryan via R-390]

Good question.  A quick Google yielded this:


Until after World War II, submerged submarines were navigated
with a simple magnetic compass, supplemented by periscopic sextant shots
and observation of the shoreline. Most periscopes could not be used at depths
greater than 9 m (30 ft). Improvements in gyroscopic navigational aids ultimately
led to the development of modern inertial navigation systems capable of
providing accurate guidance without the need for frequent external "fixes." 


On Tuesday, September 9, 2014 9:01 AM, Roger Gibboni <rgibboni at lmdulye.com> wrote:
 

>
>
>Directional gyro that was reset with star sightings when they could surface.  The longer between star or sun shots the more th DG drifted.  Same as in an airplane.  Enen today the only true north pointing instrument in an airplane is the wet compass.  
>
>Roger Gibboni
>845-987-7744
>
>> On Sep 9, 2014, at 8:40, Blair Batty <blairbatty at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Sorry for the off topic, but I know there are lots of ex-military types
>> here; I don't know where else to ask.
>> 
>> How did a submarine navigate during WW2? Did a compass work underwater
>> inside an iron tube? Did they just look thru the periscope to see where
>> they were going? Dead reckoning? Or were they mostly a surface vessel.
>> 
>> I suppose today they have all sorts of magic, electronic gps devices, so
>> they can travel for months without every surfacing. But what was available,
>> say in the 60's-70's?
>> 
>> Sincerely
>> /b
>> 
>> Questions inspired by a cold war submarine movie last night...
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