The distance to underwater objects can be calculated from the known speed of sound in water and the time it takes for the sound waves to travel to the object. If an ultrasound wave travels from the sh...The distance to underwater objects can be calculated from the known speed of sound in water and the time it takes for the sound waves to travel to the object. If an ultrasound wave travels from the ship to the submarine and back again in 2 seconds, what is the distance from the ship to the submarine? The sound wave travels from the ship to the submarine in just 1 second, or half the time it takes to make the round trip.