Countering subs

Your Jan. 12 editorial "Danger sounds" said it would make sense to limit the use of mid-frequency sonar, which the Navy would like to deploy off North Carolina, to a single area where whales and fish could be closely monitored.

Such an illogical decision to stop nearly all current mid-frequency sonar use because of suspected problems with low-frequency sonar would handcuff our Navy ships. These ships use mid-frequency sonar in all oceans, as the best technology to detect today's submarines. I have seen dolphins race from a distance to a ship using sonar, then swim along near the bow.

The proposed sonar range consists of listening devices on the seabed; only the ship in training would use sonar. We can find the best location for a range to train our ship crews, while detecting and avoiding marine mammals.

Germany has completed two Type 212 subs, quieter and harder to detect than any previous ones. They are for export, and China is building similar ones.

Within 20 years after World War I, Americans forgot about the submarine threat. In winter 1942, German submarines sank over 70 ships just off the North Carolina coast, killed hundreds of sailors and nearly brought our Atlantic war effort to a halt.

Should America pretend that there is no threat, and bury our heads in the sand once again? There are countries that want to be able to use subs to spy along our coasts, sink our aircraft carriers and incinerate our cities.

Bill Brogdon

Capt., U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.)

Cape Carteret