What happens when your navigation systems fails

[zboss]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but the Iranians definitely have the technology to "spoof" GPS and cause a plotter to think it is somewhere other than where it really is. It's possible they got tired of these guys constantly going by their island just 50 yards outside the limits. A little GPS spoofing could have lured them into the no-go zone and created an incident just like this.

I seriously doubt that all the GPS units on 2 boats stopped working at the same time...

I was thinking the same thing. Especially given that they captures one of our reapers.

[cgilley]

Speaking of celestial navigation, my son is an Abrams tank commander (hopefully in a year he'll be zipping around in rotary wing a/c). He was home on leave telling me that his tank company put themselves through a crash course in CN.

Me, the dummy just had to say, "What happened to your GPS?"

Apparently, the tanks are so worn out and in need of a complete overhaul that most of the cabling is shot. No cable between antenna and unit, no position.

And he said, "Dad, you've never been really, really lost when all you can see is sand as far as the eye can see."

I thought it was a cool story.

[colemj]

Given the widespread ubiquity of GPS capability in wrist watches, phones, cameras, children's toys, radios, fitness bands, pill-sized trackers, and countless other things - not to mention palm sized actual GPS units - it is difficult to believe the army finds itself needing celestial navigation to bring its tanks in from the desert. Particularly a "crash course" in celestial.

While I don't think this is a lie, I suspect it was more of a mind training, teamwork, or time killing exercise than a navigation one of necessity.

Mark

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by colemj

Given the widespread ubiquity of GPS capability in wrist watches, phones, cameras, children's toys, radios, fitness bands, pill-sized trackers, and countless other things - not to mention palm sized actual GPS units - it is difficult to believe the army finds itself needing celestial navigation to bring its tanks in from the desert. Particularly a "crash course" in celestial.

While I don't think this is a lie, I suspect it was more of a mind training, teamwork, or time killing exercise than a navigation one of necessity.

Mark

I infer that you had no military experience under or similar to the severe budget limitations and personnel cuts currently imposed on our armed forces. It does affect many things in many different ways. This was not intended to be political, but a very basic truth.

[colemj]

So what you are telling me is that the military has enough money to buy quality sextants, accurate time pieces, and celestial calculators for its personnel, but not $50 GPS units?

I understand your concerned view on cuts, but you are twisting your logic to fit it.

Mark

[TrentePieds]

@seasick #29:

Closer to the truth than many would prefer to think, methinks :-)! Vide #26.

A little stunt like that saves the Iranians the trouble of setting up an equivalent to the Bureau of Ships, doesn't it? And when you think of it, it was the Japanese nicking the designs of Detroit and improving on them that necessitated the American taxpayer coming to the aid of the Big Three some years ago. Just like the Americans in 1945/6 glommed the German research on ballistic missiles. Seems to me that Sun Tzu taught us this stuff 6K years ago

Interesting to compare these "riverine assault craft" to the current Scowegian coastal defence craft, such as the Norwegian "Skjold" ( = "shield") class. Even the terminology speaks volumes, though I can't for the life of me figure out who it is the Norwegians are afraid of. Or the Swedes for that matter.

But I do wish that we Canucks, who've let the RCN go to wrack and ruin, would take a leaf from their books!

[Steve1944]

Originally Posted by jackdale

That would be one heck of a coincidence.

Gee! Do you possibly think those US Sailors lied?

[bob_77903]

Maybe I missed it, but haven't read anyplace, or heard where it states if the boats were released?

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by colemj

So what you are telling me is that the military has enough money to buy quality sextants, accurate time pieces, and celestial calculators for its personnel, but not $50 GPS units?

I understand your concerned view on cuts, but you are twisting your logic to fit it.

Mark

You ever heard of a $50.00 military GPS? I now know you have no military experience whatsoever, even high school ROTC.

[kas_1611]

Compass, Map and 3 point bearing?

If in doubt keep several miles away from possible infringement of "unfriendly" waters.

Failing that and with an engine failure resort to Ch16 and Mayday?

[colemj]

Originally Posted by buzzstar

You ever heard of a $50.00 military GPS? I now know you have no military experience whatsoever, even high school ROTC.

So nobody in the military has a cell phone? And you think the military can source navigation quality sextants, astro calculators and accurate time pieces cheaper than gps's?

Even my high school logic courses can see through this argument - no ROTC required...

Mark

[TrentePieds]

@ #54

Rhetorical question, of course? Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the sailors were sent home. Red of face one assumes, but the boats were not released.

TrentePieds

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

@ #54

Rhetorical question, of course? Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the sailors were sent home. Red of face one assumes, but the boats were not released.

TrentePieds

"It turned out to be the international crisis that wasn't.

Less than a day after 10 U.S. Navy sailors were detained in Iran when their boats drifted into Iranian waters, they and their vessels were back safely Wednesday with the American fleet."

Source: US Navy Sailors Released Unharmed by Iran in Less Than a Day - ABC News

Multiple other sources reporting both crew and vessels released.

[nortonscove]

Sounds like a load of BS told by the government to gingerly allow both parties to back away with no damage to recent improved relations. The navy effed up and the Iranians did what they had to do. The diplomats straightened it all out and this statement was the device used to placate all the rest.

[cshrimpt]

Don't believe the failed gear story for a second. They got caught snooping around and got slapped for it.

Don't worry though, the US Navy will get their payback one way or another!

-C