Category Archives: Navigation

Discussion of Math Associated with MH370 Search

Here are a couple of web sources on how the course of MH370 was determined. CNN Ars Technica Some of these transponder-based, distance analyses reminds me a bit of the Oboe navigation system used during WW2. The Doppler shift work … Continue reading

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World War 2 Submarine Hull Thickness Math

Quote of the Day How are the children? — Masai warrior greeting, intended to ensure that the warriors always keep their number one priority in mind. I was reading a blog post on Gizmodo that did a bit of math … Continue reading

Posted in Military History, Naval History | 2 Comments

A Problem Solved in Excel and Mathcad

I use both Excel and Mathcad in my daily work. Most people would consider me very proficient in both. I frequently get asked, "Which tool is better?" Like all other interesting questions in Engineering, the answer is "it depends".

As an example, I decided to work a simple problem in both Excel and Mathcad. A number of the advantages and disadvantages of both tools can be seen in this example. The key problem with Excel is its cell-oriented approach. While the cell-oriented approach works for small problems, it has major issue with large problem Continue reading

Posted in Ballistics, History of Science and Technology, Military History, Naval History | 2 Comments

Image of a Submarine At Periscope Depth

If you have ever wondered what a submarine looks like at periscope depth, here is a photo of the USS Key West (SSN-722). Source is the Wikipedia.

Posted in Naval History, Personal | Comments Off on Image of a Submarine At Periscope Depth

Battleship Rangefinders and Geometry

Quote of the Day Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. — Winston Churchill. Introduction While reading a web page on WW2 naval warfare, I found some interesting material on how naval gunfire was spotted -- … Continue reading

Posted in Naval History, optics | 19 Comments

Distance to the Horizon Assuming Refraction

While doing some reading on lighthouses, I needed a formula to compute the distance to the horizon as a function of height. This formula would give me an idea of how far away a lighthouse could be seen. Continue reading

Posted in General Science, Navigation, optics | 26 Comments

Torpedo on an Aruba Beach

I have read in a number of places about torpedoes being found on beaches during wartime, but I have never seen pictures of one on a beach. While researching possible diving locations, I ran across this excellent excellent web article … Continue reading

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Aiming Torpedoes from a PT Boat

I read quite a bit of World War 1 (WW1) and World War 2 (WW2) naval history. Recently, I have tried to specialize my readings on torpedo launch platforms. One area where I have never seen much information is on how torpedoes were used from PT boats during WW2. I am particularly interested in how torpedoes were aimed and launched. While doing some history-related searches on Youtube, I discovered this video that does an excellent job of showing how torpedoes were launched from PT boats. Continue reading

Posted in Ballistics, History of Science and Technology, Military History, Naval History | 25 Comments

Photo Showing Ship On the Horizon

Quote of the Day Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education. — Bertrand Russell (1872-1970). I see lots of problems with this quote, but there is an element of truth in it. I do think … Continue reading

Posted in General Science, Naval History, Navigation | 2 Comments

Timing Differences Between Battleship Guns During a Salvo

Quote of the Day The better person you become, the better person you attract. — Pinterest. This is also true for management. I was looking at this picture (Figure 1) of the USS Missouri firing a six-gun salvo and I … Continue reading

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