dfkling@june.cs.washington.edu (Dean F. Kling) (04/21/89)
From: dfkling@june.cs.washington.edu (Dean F. Kling) In article <5760@cbnews.ATT.COM>, talon@blake.acs.washington.edu (Steve Hamblin) writes: > From: talon@blake.acs.washington.edu (Steve Hamblin) > > Federal and State officals are considering the possible release of > oil leases off the coast of the Olympic Penninsula in Washington > State. This would lead to the placement of drilling platforms in > the vicinity of the Straights of Juan de Fuca. > > Submarines stationed at Bangor must travel through the Straights > to get to the ocean. > > [My question] > > Do offshore drilling platforms provide a sonar "shadow" significant > enough to hide a Soviet submarine? > > If so, it would appear that we will be creating a nice set of > listening stations for the Soviets to keep track of what we have > going out to sea. > > Does this raise any eyebrows? > Not really, for a couple of reasons. Drilling platforms are like any other loud point-source (e.g. merchants, trawlers, fish-processers and the like) in the ocean, save they don't move around and can be accurately charted. A good skipper will consider their potential to shield himself or a potential adversary, they are just one more factor to consider when evaluating your passive sonar effectiveness. Also, the mouth of the Straight of Juan de Fuca is *big*, (even considering the U.S. half). The oil platforms would be dozens of miles away. Dean F. Kling ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dfkling@cs.washington.edu