ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Autolycus (submarine detector)

Okay kiddo, let's talk about the autolycus submarine detector. So, when we want to find something under the water, like a submarine, we need to use special tools called sonars. Sonars work by sending out sound waves that bounce off objects in the water and then come back to the sonar. Autolycus is a type of sonar that was used by the Navy to detect submarines during the Cold War.

Autolycus is like a big ear that listens to the sounds in the water. It listens for the sounds that submarines make, like their engines or other machinery running. Autolycus can tell where these sounds are coming from and how far away the submarine is. It can even tell how fast the submarine is moving and what direction it's going in.

Using all of this information, the Navy can figure out where the submarine is and send their own ships and submarines to either monitor or track it. This was really important during the Cold War when the US and Russia were trying to figure out what the other was doing and if they were up to anything sneaky.

So, in summary, autolycus is a special tool that helps the Navy find submarines by listening to the sounds they make in the water. It's like a big ear that can hear things really far away and tell us where they're coming from.