Reply #12: Nope, they navigate by charts

[jmowreader]

Sea charts are like maps that show things like the depth of the ocean at various points. Rent the movie "The Hunt for Red October" and watch the way they navigate--a guy with a chart, a compass (to tell which way the boat is going), a speedometer and a stopwatch can drive all over the ocean without needing a window or anything else.

This boat ran aground in the tsunami area--where the charts, thanks to the tsunami, are no longer valid. (Check back over the threads since the tsunami hit and you'll see reports of 4000-foot ocean depths now being 100-foot ocean depths in places.) Basically, they did everything they were supposed to be doing according to the data they had, but the data they had didn't match the bottom of the ocean.

I'm wondering why Submarine Force Pacific didn't bring everyone in the tsunami area to periscope depth and have them return to base until more accurate charts could be produced.