Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 45:59-47:54

Would NATO cover the GIUK Gap with lines of sonobuoys?

The gap's anti-submarine screen combined permanent underwater sensors with mobile aircraft, while ocean-surveillance ships became an additional layer later in the decade.

Giuk GapMaritime Patrol AircraftSosusSurtassUndersea Surveillance
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Question

Would NATO cover the GIUK Gap by dropping multiple lines of sonobuoys for submarine screening?

Short answer

Its enduring barrier was SOSUS, a chain of fixed seabed listening stations supported by patrol aircraft; large SURTASS towed-array ships supplemented that system later, around 1985 rather than in this 1980 scenario.

Notes

The anti-submarine barrier was more durable than a temporary wall of expendable sonobuoys. SOSUS placed permanent acoustic stations on the seabed and routed their detections to shore command posts. Maritime patrol aircraft then helped investigate and track submarines attempting to enter the Atlantic. Large SURTASS ships with long towed arrays arrived around 1985, making them useful context but too late for the scenario's May 1980 order of battle.