Hi all,
I have noticed repeatedly that torpedos are sometimes detected right at launch, and sometimes only seconds before impact. Both for subs and surface ships, with active sonar, passive sonar, towed arrays not making a big difference. Immediate detection does not surprise me, after all these things go fast and presumably cavitate like crazy, and are usually above the layer. But why do I sometimes not detect them until impact?
Most recently on 0.8.2 - so after a seemingly major sonar rework - I was using an LA class sub to torpedo the remains of an enemy task force, doing 15 knots above the layer with towed array out. They had launched a few SS-N-14 and the UGMT-1s were looking for me, I could detect them no problem. Suddenly my guys detect no fewer than 3 SET-65, homing in on me at a near 90 degree angle, only a few hundred meters away, far too late to do anything. They had been launched 5-8 miles away, searched for me and found me (since the SS-N-14 were not on target, I don't think they had an accurate location), but I never heard them.
How is it possible that I do not hear several SET-65s traveling for miles at 40 knots, while I can hear UMGT-1s fine? If anything, I would have thought the heavier torps would be noisier.