Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) was the original name for a submarine detection system based on passive sonar developed by the United States Navy to track Soviet submarines. The system's true nature was classified with the name and acronym SOSUS classified as well.

Just over 66 years ago, one of the Navy’s most secretive communities began. Its members went by the code word SOSUS, which means “Sound Surveillance System.” A new front line in the Cold War, they had one mission: FIND SUBMARINES.

SOSUS, the classified name, was established in 1952. The system became an exemplary Cold War tool. SOSUS arrays, along with nuclear submarines optimized for ASW and long-range maritime patrol craft, became the dominant tools in the U.S. Navy ASW posture in …

The SOSUS system was very successful in detecting and tracking the noisy diesel and then nuclear Soviet submarines of the Cold War. The sailors operating the early SOSUS arrays also detected some sounds whose sources were at first unknown.

Feb 5, 2025 · Origins of SOSUS. The modern era of sonar began in the 1920’s when there was a steady advance in applying underwater sound to practical needs. During this period, depth sounding by ships was...

The SOund SUrveillance System (SOSUS) provides deep-water long-range detection capability. SOSUS enjoyed tremendous success during the Cold War tracking submarines by their faint acoustic...

The Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) is a multibillion-dollar network of hydrophone arrays mounted on the seafloor throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The SOSUS system takes advantage of the sound channel that exists in the ocean, which allows low-frequency sound

Utilizing the unique properties of sound transmission in water, during the 1950s, the United States Navy developed the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS).

• The SOSUS system is a highly complex passive multi technology acoustic surveillance system that has evolved with the evolution of technology. It played a major intelligence gathering role during the cold war providing accurate knowledge of the location of Soviet submarines.

Jun 12, 2014 · Development on the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) began in 1949 as a tactical, long-range means of countering the emerging Soviet submarine threat, most of which were still running on easily...