<p>Sonar and radar are not without their faults. Consider how sound travels. You can sometimes pick up an AM radio station from Chicago in my town in Gerogia, yet, I can’t pick up the local station 45 miles away. The story mentions that there was fog, rolling seas, and a blizzard and the sub was traveling on the surface. Sound in water travels great distances but the exact direction is sometimes difficult to ascertain. </p>
<p>Go to military.com and search the blogs for the Greenville and other incidents. There are some great discussions about sonar and radar and the fact that it isn’t foul proof. </p>
<p>It was a gutsy call, one to transit on the surface and instinct to make the right emergency call. </p>
<p>Keen judgement is crucial in extremis situations. I was on a USN ship when the OOD wanted to second guess a Soviet merchant instead of following the rules of the road. The conning officer eventually had the OOD call the CO to the bridge so the OOD wouldn’t direct the wrong move. The CO asked what the Rules of Road dictated, what the conning officer’s intent was, concurred and all went well. In extremis, instinct from proper training has its benefits.</p>
<p>Check out the military.com site and you’ll be amazed what you learn before you take Acoustics and Sonar as a Mid.</p>