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Passive sonar is the non-active kind, meaning the sonar operator just listened and didn’t actively transmit. He was able to identify the source of the noise by listening to the sound of the propellers, or using invaluable intelligence from SSNs,† which recorded the signatures of Soviet ships and submarines. The sonar operators were able to instantly classify the vast majority of sounds, be they a merchant vessel, oil tanker, fishing vessel or Soviet submarine. As passive sonar doesn’t transmit sonically, its only major drawback is that it is extremely difficult to work out the range of a contact, as it’s not getting a ping back from the target. Silence was paramount to evade detection, so active sonar was only ever used in sea-training exercises.

The data from the sound room detailing the craft’s bearing and movement was then transferred to the control room, and from this information the tactical systems team (including myself) were able to work out firing solutions relating to the enemy’s course, speed and range, which the XO and the captain could use or modify, depending on their own calculations.