Passive Underwater Fire Control Feasibility System (or Study) (PUFFS) was a

passive sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

system for

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s. It was designated AN/BQG-4 and was primarily installed on

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

conventional submarines built in the 1950s beginning with the , and also those converted to

GUPPY The guppy (), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae and, like almost all ...

III or otherwise modernized in the 1960s. It was also equipped on the nuclear-powered . It was also installed on the USS Thomas Edison (SSBN610) but never achieved operational status. Its transducers can be seen on pictures of the vessel. A version known as "Micropuffs" was fitted on s for the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, and as Type 2041 on the ''Upholder''-class for the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. This class still serves in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

as the ''Victoria'' class, where Micropuffs is known as BQG-501. The system was notable for three tall, fin-like domes topside, except on Micropuffs installations. The system was retained on several submarines transferred by the US to foreign navies. It was associated with long-range passive detection of targets for the Mark 45 nuclear torpedo and other weapons. Most submarines backfitted with it were also lengthened 12–16 feet to accommodate additional electronics and plotting rooms. It was also planned for and

nuclear submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...

s, but was not fitted on them except Micropuffs experimentally on and . With the exception of the four Canadian ''Victoria''-class submarines, all PUFFS-equipped submarines have been disposed of or preserved as museum ships.

References

* {{Cite book , last=Alden , first=John D., Commander (USN Ret) , title=The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy: A Design and Construction History , year=1979 , publisher=Arms and Armour Press , location=London , isbn=0-85368-203-8 *''Sub vs Sub'', Cdr R Compton Hall,

Orion Books Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, ...

, 1989 Military sonar equipment of the United States Submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare

See also

References