# Radar Echoes



## peterh76-86 (Jan 13, 2012)

We were going through a strait somewhere in Indonesia and I had wandered onto the bridge to pass a few minutes. Taking a look at the radar screen there was a small echo quite close on the portside. It looked like clutter but remained after a few rotations. I had a quick look but could not see anything. Borrowing the bridge bins, I went out onto the bridge wing and had another look. I saw something that looked like a small ships wake, moved the binoculars in the direction of the wake and saw a periscope. I gave them a friendly wave (not a lot else you can do on a gas carrier). By the time I had told the 2nd mate it had gone and he thought I was telling porkies.


----------



## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Ha! I remember seeing a periscope and three other masts slide by us off Sydney....very spooky feeling....


----------



## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Old story, probably apocryphal: Transatlantic passenger ship (QM?) spotted periscope and flashed "Bang Bang you're dead!" The sub surfaced and flashed: "You were dead Three hours ago."

John T


----------



## expats (Mar 9, 2013)

trotterdotpom said:


> Old story, probably apocryphal: Transatlantic passenger ship (QM?) spotted periscope and flashed "Bang Bang you're dead!" The sub surfaced and flashed: "You were dead Three hours ago."
> 
> John T


Story, apocryphal:....The old 'Port Jackson' had a story ( joined her in 1965) about her wartime brush with a U-boat...*

The U-boat missed her with it's torpedoes and surfaced to continue the chase firing her gun...

*The story is that the old man (George Hazlewood) had rung 'double full ahead' and was approached by the third mate (who was in charge of the Port Jackson's aft gun)..

"Shall I return fire?",asked the 3/O...
"No!",said the O/M, "You'll only antagonise them!"....*

*The 'real' story is that the Port Jackson's return fire was so accurate that the sub broke off it's attack and dived...


----------



## M29 (Apr 20, 2007)

peterh76-86 said:


> We were going through a strait somewhere in Indonesia and I had wandered onto the bridge to pass a few minutes. Taking a look at the radar screen there was a small echo quite close on the portside. It looked like clutter but remained after a few rotations. I had a quick look but could not see anything. Borrowing the bridge bins, I went out onto the bridge wing and had another look. I saw something that looked like a small ships wake, moved the binoculars in the direction of the wake and saw a periscope. I gave them a friendly wave (not a lot else you can do on a gas carrier). By the time I had told the 2nd mate it had gone and he thought I was telling porkies.


We were heading up Pacific Coast of USA towards LA. One night, we spotted a radar target approaching from port side at some speed. It caused quite a bit of concern until, when it was close, it disappeared. About an hour later, the identical thing happened. The OM was not very happy. The 2/O mentioned it to the LA pilot and he said it was probably a sub practicing attacks. He said they would come in abeam and then pass under the target ship. What we had seen on the radar was his periscope.

Best Wishes
Alan


----------



## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I read somewhere that the most recent built submarines are not fitted with periscopes. They rely completely on their sensors. This means they don't have to come shallow or reveal themselves.

I don't know if this is true, I'm sure there are submariner types out there who will advise me accordingly.


----------



## G4UMW (May 30, 2007)

BobClay said:


> I read somewhere that the most recent built submarines are not fitted with periscopes. They rely completely on their sensors. This means they don't have to come shallow or reveal themselves.
> 
> I don't know if this is true, I'm sure there are submariner types out there who will advise me accordingly.
> Today 13:56


I'm no submariner (other than having been R/O on the mothership of a submersible working in the North Sea oilfields!) but many subs these days use optronic or photonic masts which are basically electronic periscopes that use digital imaging rather than conventional optics and are usually integrated with electronic warfare and other sensors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photonics_mast


----------



## Dex R896650 (Dec 9, 2020)

BobClay said:


> I read somewhere that the most recent built submarines are not fitted with periscopes. They rely completely on their sensors. This means they don't have to come shallow or reveal themselves.
> 
> I don't know if this is true, I'm sure there are submariner types out there who will advise me accordingly.


Hi Bob, I believe the modern submarines can use a periscope but it takes a 360 degree 2 second high definition video of the surface then down again. The crew then analyse the picture via computers etc, which can slow the video down frame by frame to see what's happening on the surface. They can then either blow it out of the water or ignore....


----------



## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

We must have been off the coast of Baltimore or Norfolk, on the 2000-2400 watch, cruising at a sedate speed of 6-7 knots, a speed we never exceeded.
3/O with joy announced we were doing about 10kts, as per the radar bearings.
Being a little sceptical, there was a cluster of lights as if part of the coastline. It was an aircraft carrier very Close inshore, I mean very close going in the opposite direction, practising night time flying. 3/O had taken bearings of the predominate light which when first taking the bearing coincided with a shoreside nav light on the chart.


----------



## septiclecky (Mar 11, 2009)

BobClay said:


> I read somewhere that the most recent built submarines are not fitted with periscopes. They rely completely on their sensors. This means they don't have to come shallow or reveal themselves.
> 
> I don't know if this is true, I'm sure there are submariner types out there who will advise me accordingly.


They are fitted with a periscope of sorts but unlike old types which penetrated the hull for a person look through it at the bottom, new periscopes don't penetrate the hull and use hi-definition cameras with what is seen by the cameras are shown on displays


----------

