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icon5.gif  Mine Sweeping: Methods and Terminology Wed, 05 November 2003 13:00 Go to previous message
overworked is currently offline overworked

 
Lt. Junior Grade

Messages: 403
Registered: November 2002
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

 Had a discussion the other day with Leit about sweeping minefields. So I of course made the "sweeping" Laughing generalization that there were four general sweeping tactics.

Term "sweeper" can refer to a single ship or a group of ships that can be of similar or mixed designs.

(1) Slow or "safe" sweeping
Sweeper is entering the minefield at a safe speed with no chance of a hit being generated.

(2) Infiltration sweeping
Sweeper moves into the field with special orders *not* to actually sweep mines. Generally done with a heavily cloaked ship at a speed that is safe or close to safe. Upon reaching the center, or at the appropriate time, the sweeper changes orders and clears the field - and possibly "clearing" the minelayer as well.

(3) Penetration sweeping
Sweeper sent into the field at an unsafe speed with the intention of hopefully transiting close enough to the center (or target waypoint) to clear the field. Using multiple separate sweepers per field is more efficient since it increases the chance at least one sweeper making it to the desired waypoint. This differs from "crash" sweeping since mine hits by the sweeper(s) are usually *not* a desirable outcome.

(4) Crash sweeping
Sweeper sent into the field at an unsafe speed with the intention and desire to reduce the field by obtaining an actual mine collisions. Obviously more efficient when a single field is "attacked" by many ships at once. Classic case is the well-described "chaff sweeping" tactic.

Feel free to discuss. One reason I put this up is to see whether or not these terms are worthy and capable of becoming "common" terminology.

[Adding a few historical notes from a Google search of the rec.games.computer.stars archive.

Art Lathrop's "Tricks of the Trade" article in August, 1999 lists an equivalent of "Penetration Sweeping" as an intermediate level tactic. Referred to as "Rapid Sweeping".

"Crash Sweeping" is there as well as "Chaff Mine Sweeping". Defined as an advanced tactic.

First reference I found to the tactic itself was a posted message by Martin Demody in February of 1999.

William Bulter posted some numbers on how many collisions were required to clear a field in 1999 as well in a thread titled "Collision Sweeping". <I think there's been some later testing of this that refined the calculations - the revised numbers are the basis of the calculation utility that's available.]

Looking at this information I still think "Penetration Sweeping" is an accurate term for tactic #3 above. "Chaff Sweeping" is in fairly common use for #4; though "Crash" or "Collision" sweeping is perhaps a more accurate term to use.

- Kurt

[Updated on: Thu, 06 November 2003 14:25]

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