Submarines Towed Array Sonar Systems (and Ships)
I have always been fascinated by the beamforming abilities of passive acoustics towed systems. Hundreds of proverbial microphones singlarly detecting sounds from a finite direction — collectively building the big picture for human interpretation.
Originally trained in these system in the Royal Navy, United Kingdom I was equally amazed at how rapidly my peers to visualize the environment around them… while seemingly “best guess” such guesses were almost alway accurate. Since I firmly believe, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit”, I put to habit that which my peers possessed.
On returning to Canada, I had the privilege of working with an experimental towed array system called Experiemental Submarine Integrated Sonar System (ESISS) that was to be be trialed first on the Acoustic Research Ship CFAV (Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel) Quest, and then HMCS/m Onondaga. While only an experimental system it was (in my honest opinion) a truly revolutionary approach to passive acoustics.
Fig 1.1 Towed Array Passive Acoustics - Towed Integrated Active-Passive Sonar
Today, TIAPS is the “new thing”.