NavList:

   

Reply

On 2015-04-14 14:46, Bill B wrote:
>
> Borrowing from submariner terminology it makes communications/notations 
easier for me to use "Angle of the bow" or "AOB" noting port or starboard 
when necessary.

Unless terminology has changed since WW2, "angle on the bow" doesn't
mean relative bearing in submarines. Well, actually it does, but it's
the relative bearing from target ship to sub, increasing port and
starboard from the target's bow. For instance, port 90 angle on the bow
means the sub is on the target's port beam, regardless of the relative
bearing *to* the target.

http://archive.hnsa.org/doc/attack/index.htm#chap01

That meaning is also made clear by former fleet boat skipper Edward
Beach in his classic war novel "Run Silent, Run Deep". If you've seen
the movie you'll hardly recognize the book, which puts less focus on
interpersonal drama and more on technical detail.

It even has some navigational stuff, such as the factors that affect the
time you come to the surface in enemy waters. Right after sunset is best
for the executive officer (the navigator on submarines) to get a sharp
horizon for his star shots. That's important when you've been running
submerged all day without a fix, says "Richardson", the novel's
narrator. On the other hand, waiting till it gets dark makes you less
vulnerable to attack.

Other than in subs, "angle on the bow" has been used for relative
bearing from own ship. For example, see one of the most authoritative
British texts of its era (Martin, 1899):

http://books.google.com/books?id=NP0nAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA58&focus=viewport
(near bottom of page)

   

Reply