Introduction to CMANO: The Silent Service

An introduction to gameplay in The Silent Service featuring scenario three - Snoopy, 1969

The Briefing

An introduction to Command: Modern Navy and Air Operations (CMANO) DLC – The Silent Service. The Silent Service DLC can be played as a stand-alone game (i.e., you do not need to own CMANO to play this) or as DLC for CMANO. The Silent Service game mechanics are exactly the same as in CMANO, so experience in this game will transfer to that title.

By the way, take what I say about submarine driving with a grain of salt! I have no experience, outside of gaming, regarding submarine operations. However, I hope you enjoy the ride!

The AAR is from gameplay in The Silent Service third scenario – “Snoopy, 1969”.


The description of the scenario, its difficulty and complexity rating is detailed in the load dialogue.


Upon entering the scenario the briefing is presented.

Scenario Start

The scenario starts with our submarine, the USS Whale, in a safe zone north of the Soviet coastline.


The Throttle and Altitude dialogue is invoked via F2. The depth selection shows the location of “the layer”, a critical piece of information for submariners. On the image above I have selected the initial course using F3 – the grey line zig-zagging south. Note in the lower middle of the screen is the first of the radar installations. In the right hand panel are a number of blue hyperlinks that provide information on the various weapon systems, electronic devices (RADAR, Sonar, ECM) and other information.

Contact

Note in the image below “CAV” in orange below our submarine. This means our propeller is cavitating, which is very noisy. The deeper a submarine travels, the higher its speed can be before cavitating occurs. This is why transiting submarines usually do so in the deep.



At 01:06 Zulu time the passive General Acoustic Intercept identifies our first contact. Select Contact Report to invoke the contact data panel. Select the General Acoustic Intercept hyperlink to display it’s Database Viewer entry – data highlighted in green. The contact is given the code SKUNK #12 and is coloured yellow – unknown side. The Contact Report indicates that Low Frequency (LF) and High Frequency (HF) emissions were detected.

Low frequency (longer wavelength) sounds - generally in the 1-5 kHz range - tend to propagate the furthest distance, and require a large sonar dome to maintain gain (directionality).

High frequency (shorter wavelength) sonar can be broadly associated with short, direct path ranges in the surface layer. Medium frequency sonars can be used to detect targets below the surface layer, and can sometimes exploit the bottom bounce technique. Low frequency sonars, meanwhile, have the potential to achieve convergence zone (CZ) detections.

In recent years, the distinctions between frequency classifications and capabilities (as well as the boundaries of the frequencies being achieved) have blurred as technology has pushed the boundaries of what sonar can do. It is also important to realize that the ocean environment (including such variables as temperature, salinity, depth, and even geographic location) plays a huge role in affecting sonar performance.

The game manual has a good introduction to depth bands, the thermal layer and convergence zones.

More contacts!

One hour later two more contacts have been identified. A commercial tanker has been classified as neutral (green) and SKUNK #14. Our sub is above the layer (-30m) and travelling at 8 knots, below cavitation speed at this depth. Being above the layer enhances the chances of our passive sonar identifying contacts in the surface layer. Of course, this works both ways, it gives our adversaries travelling in or on the surface layer a better chance of finding us! SKUNK #12 is selected below. The yellow line around it indicates the zone where it might be located. The last time we made contact with it was 46 minutes ago.

Our sensors

About 0300Z SKUNK #15 turned up and even though I slowed down to reduce self-noise I had problems keeping the contact. At 0319Z I decided to have a look under the layer and our AN/BQQ-2 identified an unknown submarine travelling at 271 degrees at 5 knots. Note that the AN/BQQ-2 provides: underwater search, range, speed and heading information.



Our brief is to avoid contact and not fire first. First concern is have I blown the mission already! The unidentified SSN #16 looks like it is sailing on an intercept course. I intend to change course to 135 degrees (reduce profile towards SSN #16), go above the layer (make it harder for him to make contact) and see if SSN #16 changes course – i.e., he has me in his sensors!

Going above the layer is a double edged sword, SSN #16 will find it more difficult to detect me but it is highly probable I will lose contact with him, so a few tense minutes while this sorts itself out. Just as I went back to the game he turned north prompting me to try 225 degrees. A bit of luck maybe, as my original plan would have put him on an intercept course.

Their sensors

A short time later SSN #16 was identified as a PLA-627A November [Kit]. The green ring surrounding the November indicates its underwater weapons range, the outer light green ring its sensor range. Note that it has been identified as unfriendly, not hostile because we are not at war.



At 0400Z the November was turning to the east (90 degrees) at the upper edge of the layer. Bit of luck again being behind the November and in its baffles. I dropped into the layer to limit my chances of being detected and set a course so he was just out of my port baffles, my intention was to get out of his sensor range.

At 0500Z I checked above and below the layer but no further contact with the November. Suspect it is in the layer, perhaps as part of its role in the exercise mentioned in the briefing, bit of luck for us again!

Zubovka

0600Z – 15nm from the Soviet coast. The briefing mentioned the Soviets will aggressively prosecute submarines within 12nm of their coast. Given the amount of traffic I’ve seen to date I am going to move westward and then make a run along the coast of the peninsula that Zubovka is located.



After a long ingress we finally capture the data from Zubovka at 12:29Z. As I closed on the radar zone I reduced speed and moved above and below the layer checking for Soviet patrols.

From a previous attempt I know that contact FFL #25 is a Grisha patrol boat and is about 4.5nm from our current location. A section of its Database entry is displayed below. What can we learn from this data?

Grisha

Our contact report indicates that LF and MF emissions were detected.



This suggests that the Grisha’s Bull Nose (LF) and Foal Tail (MF) sensors are the issue. Both provide underwater search, range, speed and heading data. We would prefer to keep the Grisha 15nm from us to avoid the Bull Nose (LF) sonar. This is generally limited to the surface layer search, so if we stay in or below the layer we should be able to avoid this. Our mission brings us into the likely patrol area of a Grisha so this limits our options to travelling in or below the layer. The Foal Tail (MF) is a below the layer search sensor with a range of 4nm. Presuming this is typical of Soviet MF sensors of the time, we need to keep any contact at least 4nm from us and be deep in the layer or below it.

The Grisha has standard depth charges and the RBU-6000 rocket depth charge which has a range of 2.5 nm.



Despite my new found knowledge of the Grisha’s sonar performance it got a sniff of something and sped towards our location at about 1300Z. I had the sub depth set as deep as possible at 5 kts. Definitely could not run so opted to stop and hope our return would diminish with the floor clutter. The Grisha continued to sniff around but obviously did not have a good read on our position. After about 40 mins of playing doggo I set the speed to 1 kt and am looking to get 4nm from the Grisha before resuming normal operations.

Conclusion

So there you go, a taste of The Silent Service and life aboard SSN 638 - Whale! The advantage of approaching the Command series of games via The Silent Service is that you only have to learn how to operate one unit, i.e., a submarine. Surface ship and air operations are not much different as far as interactions with the interface are concerned. The mechanics of the game are relatively straight forward, but like all games it does have a learning curve. Initially, CMANO may seem intimidating but in the above I only used: F2 – Speed and Altitude, F3 – set course, and the database function. Hardly a challenge for a keen gamer!

Good luck and I hope you give the game a try.