"Thales announces significant Sonar 2076 upgrade"

http://www.thalesgroup.com/assets/0/249/650/976/3f3f5d48-23c6-4e53-8525-af3b205ba677.pdf?LangType=2057

 

Oh God, that's it -we're doomed.

 

"Sonar 2076 has the power equivalent to approximately 400 PCs" whats was wrong with 2001 it had the processing power of a "Spectrum 64" on a good day.

 

Mmmmm, it worries me that with a name of 'Topstop', you know all about my baby. OK smarty pants, original or Phase III? Remember the chemicals, huh? :lol:

 

Fixer and developer: for some strange reason, in my time on boats 60s/70s, they had a Crab pattern no - 14N/3313 or 3314, as did the crystals. :? :? :? :?

 

Setting up the mirrors inside, sat on the CRT box right hand side and the EHT lead came off burnt my arse jumped up smacked my swede sat down and repeated several times. Steve Horrocks switched off and dragged me out.

Was LCEM and stayed as a sonar bender as a LWEM(O) untill I was forced kicking and screaming down the Bombshop [was at Collingrad at the change over].

 

My old and bold chief had a perfect test photo, which he kept safe in the cab space until pre-seas, then used to insert it in the projector, then call he TASO in to accept the set as ready for sea! Only did one trip with it before it was ripped out, horrible bit of kit. Enjoy the bomb shop?

 

Was OK but not as "interesting" as the Sound House. But glad when they finished with the chemicals, the trays and the snakes nest of the procesers pipes and sprays were a sod to clean and even worse to refit after.

 

I wass the sonar bender on P and O boats and went from POCEL to POWEM(o) which meant I was to go up the front end as a TI yea right!! So when the inboard WEO asked me to sign on I told him to ........No!

 

So I left the mob and became a Program Manager for Plessey on the 2054 project and........a few years down the line we became Thales!!!!!

 

2001BC...PEEeewwwwDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDIDdididididididididididididididididididididididi..................Hi everybody we're over here....the only thing it didn't have was a hydraulic mode.

 

Harry Skips - Chief, stand by for a single ping.

Me - oh shit

Harry Skips - ping

Me - (it failed to ping) Stand by Sir, ping in 10 seconds (fingers crossed)..............8.........6.......3.....2....1...Pingggggggg

Harry Skips - Back to passive Chief


Happy days!

 

Now it's just 'Standard settings...make the Captain his tea' 'Break the Captains knee roger'...PPPhhheeeooooo'...BRRRrrrAnnnnngggggg (reverbs) oh those reverbs...'got anything Sound Room'...Me...'yeah my fillings just came out'..... :dontknow:

 

What's wrong with the 2076?

The last time I heard, it gave the most 'stand easy' time ever :lol:

 

Oh a blue badger expert!! Tell us more!

 

On a serious note guys, as the Ferranti project manager on the S&T sonar 2020 project (anybody remember 'Mouse' ?) and the O Boat sonar suite 'Triton' 10 year lease of life project, then the author of the complete 2076 sonar suite Stage 3 handbook set, I would be very interested to hear any Sonar Controller/Operator/Maintainer views on these ALWAYS BEING MINDFUL OF SECURITY, SO NOTHING SPECIFIC PLEASE (maybe keep it humorous to be safe!). By the way, THALES Underwater Systems Ltd (TUSL) has been the result of a most interesting evolution, starting with the sad collapse of Ferranti when they bought an American company with fictitious contracts (and persued competition with IBM, etc, making PCs!) - French company Thompson CSL bought the Ferranti Sonar Systems Group (in Stockport and Church Crookham) and called it Ferranti-Thompson Sonar Systems Ltd (FTSL), then Thompson CSL became THALES. Yes, 2076 is supplied by a Frog company. The absorbtion of Plessey, Templecombe, etc (previous prime on 2020, Triton and 2054) into this formula is another story and this one is long enough!).

 

So where were you eclipsetbs? I was at Templecombe going thru all the take overs you started to talk about.
We started out as Plessey Marine
Plessey Naval Systems
GEC Naval Systems
Thomson Marconi
Then I left and it became Thales.
I worked on 2054 as a Program Manager and the bunch at Church Crookham built our Hydrophones whilst the mob at Cheadle built our Processor cabinets etc etc

 

Hi Polycell. Cheadle (now the head for TUSL). I started the Ferranti Sonar Systens Group on 2020 with another PM on 2016 (surface). I was PM of 2020 and Triton with A. R. A. at Plessey and D J. T at GEC Marconi (know 'em?). As on 2054 for SSBNs, we supplied the Narrowband, DP and Display systems for 2020 on the SSNs. On Triton for the O boats, we supplied the Narrowband/Towed array, DP and display systems and the integration, A.R.A. , as Prime, supplied the Active and Broadband sonars and D.J.T. supplied the Intercept sonar and Trials. Church Crookham supplying outboard systems was Ferranti. The processor cabinets were made at Plessey Newport. I can tell you that politics (face didn't fit) pushed me sideways in 1992 (with a 4-year out-of work, before writing the 2076 Stage 3 handbook over the next 5 years), despite being a UK pioneer of sonar and PERT techniques, so don't get me going.
I'm retired and really I'm interested now to hear from peers on their views of the evolution of 2076 from 2001, 2001 palliatives, 2020 and 2074, etc and experiences with the O boats/Triton. 'Mouse' was a well-known submariner in the 2001/2020 era, now sadly passed away. The fabulous SSNs are more sonar-bound of course than the SSBNs (they protect them - and sort out the 'Belgranos' of this world, hence the importance of the world-beating 2076).