Question about navigation chart

[Marcantilan]

Hello to all and happy new year,

Could I ask if the navigation chart on brit subs is hidden? Anyone can take a look at it (specially when engaged in covert ops or patrol areas near not-friendly waters)? I read somewhere that Aussie oberons had a curtain hiding it.

Going further, the average submariner knows where is the sub at all times? Or knows in a need-to-know basis?

Thanks a lot and regards,

[Fingers]

The crews of Boats on patrol all have a reasonable idea of where the patrol in being operated.They are fully briefed as to where they are going and the reason for doing so.The finer details are kept on a need to know basis as they won't affect the way the boat is operated.
As regards the Navigation Charts as I recall they could be viewed without too much trouble but most didn't bother as it wasn't always clear what part of the world the one on show was actually depicting.The curtains around an O Boats navigation table were to keep light shining on the chart away from the eyes of the person on the periscope when dived not to hide the chart from prying eyes though it probably amounted to the same thing.

[Talent]

In SSBN's it was need to know and only a few did know. Navigator and Missile1, maybe they told the skipper ). Also a few of the navcentre crew would probably know but I never heard them talk about it.
In conventional boats on sneakies the charts were not on the chart table, only a blank plot sheet. You could tell by the water temperature if you was far north, a bit hit and miss.
On a regular transit or exercise anyone could look at the charts as long as you didn't get in the way.
I reckon a lot of it these days is on computer screen and digitally stored.

[Marcantilan]

Thanks a lot for the answers, so few people in any sub really know about the whereabouts.

Interesting...

Regards!

[Lofty]

 Marcantilan.

I assume your conclusion is based on modern SSN & SSBN? Otherwise over the years since WWII I don't think you are correct, but I will desist from spinning yarns from about 60 years ago in the early and dodgy days of the Cold war when we usually knew where we were going, if not always why.

I have done a lot research into the early "Mystery Trips"  ( say 1955 onwards ) and certain aspects  got more secret as the COLD WAR developed with more and more electronic spying on the Red Navy bases, with compact semiconductor listening gear appearing in the sixties. One Chief RA (retired ) told me he often bought kit from outside the usual service sources and went out to sea for a day to check it all out before the actual trip( He didn't go !!).

I guess details of listening positions were very secret as it gave the Soviets some idea of the NATO listening capabilities -- just assumption on my part. But the crew  couldn't miss the extra "riders" and their kit and that the destination was somewhere beyond Norway and what else would anybody want to know?

Diesel boats going under the ice happened to try gear out , but otherwise not very practical.

 Lofty