Sonobuoy preparation on warship

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Little h
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Sonobuoy preparation on warship

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I have seen a number of surface ship deployable instruments/equipment types but never Sonobuoys. Indeed it was my belief until happening upon the image below, that the said equipment type (Sonobuoy) was delivered/deployed from an airborne platform.

DDG-51-USS-Arleigh-Burke-055 sailors prepare sonobuoys during exercise Joint Warrior 11-2 - Atlantic Ocean - September 2011 seaforces.org.jpg
Source; seaforces.org

Every day is a learning day.

From the deck up my guess is that each array includes:- a) transducer b) cable c) power source/float d) pole/antenna(?) e) radar reflector f) markers and/or lights (?)

belated edit; note that each of the examples in the image are configured slightly differently above their respective radar reflectors ....

It'll be interesting to uncover the actual configuration though.
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Little h
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Little h
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Re: Sonobuoy preparation on warship

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Ship launched Sonobuoy(s) .... 1941 style ! ! !


THE EVOLUTION OF THE SONOBUOY FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE COLD WAR
Roger A. Holler
Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation
Warminster, PA 18974
(Received November 5, 2013)

RCA delivered the first models of its ship-deployable buoy in less than three months. These 60-pound sonobuoys were
tested in September 1941, at Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. They worked well enough to prove the concept, even though the
first models were noisy and leaked. The Navy decided to pursue higher priority efforts, and work on the sonobuoy was
officially stopped. In February 1942, the U.S. Navy’s Coordinator of R&D requested the National Defense Research
Council (NDRC) to develop an expendable radio sonobuoy for use by lighter-than-air craft, and development was begun
at the Columbia Underwater Sound Lab.

Contrary to the official stop work order, the RCA buoys had been cleaned up, repaired, and put on the shelf. Within
weeks of the Navy’s request, the practicability of using a radio sonobuoy in aerial ASW was demonstrated on 7 March
1942, in an exercise conducted off New London with the S-20 submarine and the K-5 blimp, which monitored two
refurbished RCA ship-launched sonobuoys. The buoys detected the sound of the submerged submarine’s propellers at
distances up to three miles, and the radio reception aboard the blimp was satisfactory up to five miles.

Source; PDF a597432 a very interesting, easy to read document.
Little h
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Little h
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Re: Sonobuoy preparation on warship

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Ship launched Sonobuoys

After a lot of searching .... I offer the following tannoy announcement/general broadcast:-

Sonobuoy handlers ... 'Standby - Standby - Standby --- Launch (or) Deploy (or) Release ..." not now but later today" ;)
Little h
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Little h
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Re: Sonobuoy preparation on warship

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Ship launched Sonobuoys - (Continued)

Little h wrote: Sun Apr 07, 2019 2:51 am Ship launched Sonobuoys

After a lot of searching .... I offer the following tannoy announcement/general broadcast:-

Sonobuoy handlers ... 'Standby - Standby - Standby --- Launch (or) Deploy (or) Release ..." not now but later today" ;)



"Standby - Standby - Standby --- Launch (or) Deploy (or) Release"

USS Donald Cook DDG-75

USS Cook DDG 75 16085033728_67d90a0881_o Flickr.jpg
taken 12th Jan 2015

150112-N-JN664-144 THE BLACK SEA (Jan. 12, 2015) Sonar Technician 2nd Class Victor Trejo, from San Benito, Texas, launches a sonar buoy into the ocean during an anti-submarine warfare exercise aboard USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) Jan. 12, 2015. Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Karolina A. Oseguera/Released)

Source; Flickr
Image copied under Creative Commons Licence Attribution-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0)

------------------------------------------------------------------


USS Howard (DDG 83)
1000w_q95 USS Howard (DDG 83) 29th June 2017.jpg
taken 28th/29th June 2017(?)

06.28.2017
Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Preston
U.S. Navy
170629-N-AX638-0016 WATERS OFF GUAM (June 29, 2017) Sonar Technician (Surface) 3rd Class Krystal Harrison, from Texas City, Texas, launches a sonar buoy from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83). Howard is currently deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. The U.S. Navy has patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific routinely for more than 70 years promoting regional peace and security. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Preston/Released)

Source; DVIDS Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
Copied in compliance with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

Note the dates!!! caption dated 28th June 2017 -v- photo taken 29th June 2017
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Last edited by Little h on Sun Apr 07, 2019 3:34 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Little h
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Little h
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Re: Sonobuoy preparation on warship

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Ship launched Sonobuoys - (Continued - 1)

Nearly omitted this 2016 photo
"Standby - Standby - Standby --- Launch (or) Deploy (or) Release"

USS STOUT (DDG 55) DEPLOYMENT 2016
1000w_q95 DVIDS sonobuoy ship launched.jpg

ATLANTIC OCEAN
10.27.2016
Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class William Dodge
U.S. Navy

61027-N-GP524-378
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 27, 2016) Petty Officer 3rd Class David Martinez launches a sonobuoy the guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55). Martinez serves as a sonar technician on board Stout and is responsible for maintaining and deploying sonar systems. Stout, deployed as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Bill Dodge/Released)


Source; DVIDS Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
Copied in compliance with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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Little h
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Little h
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Re: Sonobuoy preparation on warship

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Ship launched Sonobuoys - (Continued - 2)

Opened thread as:-
Sonobuoy preparation on warship

which has morphed into:-
Ship launched Sonobuoys


Seems there has been a considerable design change between the 2011 examples and those being despatched over the side in the 2015; 2016 & 2017 images.
Little h
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Little h
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Re: Sonobuoy preparation on warship

Unread post by Little h »

Little h wrote: Sun Apr 07, 2019 1:31 pm Ship launched Sonobuoys - (Continued)
[/size]


"Standby - Standby - Standby --- Launch (or) Deploy (or) Release"

USS Donald Cook DDG-75


USS Cook DDG 75 16085033728_67d90a0881_o Flickr.jpg taken 12th Jan 2015

150112-N-JN664-144 THE BLACK SEA (Jan. 12, 2015) Sonar Technician 2nd Class Victor Trejo, from San Benito, Texas, launches a sonar buoy into the ocean during an anti-submarine warfare exercise aboard USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) Jan. 12, 2015. Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Karolina A. Oseguera/Released)

Source; Flickr
Image copied under Creative Commons Licence Attribution-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0)

------------------------------------------------------------------[/quote]

It will be seen that the Sonobuoy Refenrence No. AN/SSQ-53F appears on the sonobuoy being thrown/launched over the ship side. Here is some info (commercial) from one manufacturer of this type:-

All Products from Sonobuoy TechSystems

Passive Sonobuoys
Localization, or the precise determination of a submarine’s location, course, and speed, is done with passive sonobuoys whenever possible. In the 1980s, when airborne US Navy searched for submarines, passive sonobuoys typically performed the majority of initial detections. Passive tactics are used because they deny a submarine the knowledge that a tracking aircraft is present. The “A” size sonobuoys discussed below can be air-launched since they all employ a parachute to retard their descent and provide descent stability. They can also be hand-launched over the side of a ship. All employ a battery which is energized upon saltwater contact. Once energized, a mechanism for inflating a float with CO2 gas is activated, suspending the sonobuoy. The sensors are then released to specified depths.

Passive sonobuoys use hydrophones to convert underwater sound into electrical signals which are amplified and frequency modulated for VHF transmission. Some sonobuoys have precision-calibrated hydrophones. Most sonobuoys automatically scuttle within 8 hours of deployment. Sonobuoys are typically shipped in a Sonobuoy Launch Container (SLC) that serves as the shipping, storage, and aircraft launch container or in a gray overpack for pneumatic or free-fall launch.

For the DIFAR (Directional Frequency Analysis and Recording) sonobuoys, the main sensor is a hydrophone that has directional detection capabilities. The latest generation of DIFAR sonobuoys offers various sensor types, electronic selection, and post-launch control.

AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR
The AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR is a directional passive sonobuoy no longer being produced for the U.S., but is still available at competitive pricing by removing features from newer model DIFAR sonobuoys. Basic capabilities include four hydrophone depth selections (90, 200, 400, and 1000 feet), five life selections (0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours), DIFAR, Constant Shallow Omni Sensor (CSO) or a 5 Hz – 20 kHz bandwidth Calibrated Omni (CO) sensor selection capability that is superior to older LOFAR sensors, DIFAR AGC (Automatic Gain Control) On/Off, and the capability to set one VHF transmitter channel out of 96 available channels. Depth, life, sensor, AGC, and channel selection may be set using Electronic Function Selection (EFS) prior to launch and all but depth selection can be changed after deployment via Command Function Select (CFS). RF Power On/Off can also be managed after the sonobuoy is activated. This sonobuoy automatically scuttles after 8 hours.

Download [urlhttps://www.sonobuoytechsystems.com/webfoo/wp-c ... 3/Q53F.pdf]ANSSQ-53F Data Sheet [/url]
Screenshot (4348).png
Note that this Sonobuoy is also easily deployable from the deck of a ship!!!!!

Source; Sonobuoy TechSystems
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