What is the role of bearing in the navy?
Bearing is a direction. The bearings are typically based upon
the ship's navigational gyroscope, though if the gyros are not
working, the magnetic compass can be used. The ship's course is
given as a bearing that is to be steered. Contact information is
based on a bearing from the ship. By tracking the bearing of a
contact and the range, you can determine the contact's course and
speed. Something that is at a 'Constant Bearing' is going to be
very close, if not hit, the ship. "CBDR" was something you hated to
hear, Constant Bearing Decreasing Range meant that you were going
to have to work out course and speed and make recommendations to
the Captain as to how to avoid based on Rules of the Road, etc.