Submarines the Attraction for Undertaking

Submarines

The attraction for undertaking underwater exploration had remained with man for thousands of years, but it took till the nearly the middle of the twentieth century for submersible vessels to be commonly used. Ancient Athenians are believed to have used divers in covert military operations and there are tales that Alexander the Great using a primitive diving bell descended into the sea. Several and talented inventors tried their hand at submersible boat designs but their success was severely limited. It took until 1900 for the advent of the submarine into the U.S. Navy. (Submarine Development: A Short History) This paper attempts a brief study of the role of the submarine from the First world War through to the Second World War and the developments that were seen during this period, with reference to American and German capabilities in submarines, which gave a greater understanding of the might of these submersible vessels especially at the time of hostilities.

Role and the Developments of the Submarine in the First World War:

The entry of the United States in a combative role in the First world war was delayed until 1917. The United States deployed twenty four diesel powered submarines off the United States East Coast and overseas in the Azores and Ireland. The role of these submarines were mostly to escort Allied merchant shipping and counter the threat present in the form of German submarine threats. The submarines of the United States failed to sink any of the German submarines. Still the number of attacks that they manage to repulse by near misses demonstrated the capacity of the submarine to be an effective in an anti-submarine role. The German skill in the use of submarines called U-boats during First world War demonstrated the vital role that submarine would have in future global conflicts. (Part 6: World War Two Subs)

The submarines of the U.S. Navy saw hardly any action during the First World War. The skills for the production of submarines, as well as the design of submarines were fields in which a lot of development was seen. The Germans were mainly at the forefront in these developments and this scenario was to continue till the defeat of Germany in the Second World War. The developments that took place were initiated by Germany, where the U-Boats were installed with improved diesel engines, underwater sound gear, advanced ordnance and more effective periscopes. The role of the submarines was divided into two new themes in naval warfare namely Unrestricted Submarine Warfare and Anti-Submarine warfare, which would develop as two critical strategies in naval warfare in times ahead. (Submarine History)

Some of the developments seen with respect with the capabilities of German submarines included the development of a submarine that was ninety five meters long and could be used as a merchant vessel as it was capable of carrying seven hundred tons of cargo and could travel at a speed of twelve to thirteen knots on the surface and seven knots under water. Compared to this submarine the standard submarine measured only about sixty meters. This vessel showed the capacity to get past the British naval blockade and towards the end of the First World War armed with torpedoes and guns was deployed for war operations. The Germans also mounted the normal guns and torpedoes on three other variants of combat submarines. The other skill that the Germans demonstrated was the modification of submarine to carry mines and carry out mine laying operations at the entrances to enemy ports and harbors. (a Brief History of Submarines Up to the 1950s)

Role of the Submarine in the Second World War:

The Second World War saw the submarine warfare really come on its own. The effectiveness of the German submarines did almost turn the tide of the war in favor of the Germans. Developments of anti-submarine warfare skills and aids for the allies coupled with the Hitler not showing too keen an interest in advancing the research on submarines and a case of too little too late for the German U-boats made the German submarines unable to choke off the Allied supply lines and take heavy punishment from air and naval action of the Allies. There is speculation that the German submarines may have caused a different end to the Second World War, had Hitler given Admiral Doenitz the three hundred submarines he had wanted to choke off allied supplies, at the start of the war. (German Submarine Research and Development during the Inter-War Years)

In the case of the United States the submarines played a critical role in the Pacific Theater in starving the Japanese war machine of essential supplies. The submarines of the United States by themselves were responsible for the sinking of half the ships in this part of the war as they went about their task of hunting down valuable merchant traffic, tankers and supply ships, even though they formed a small part of the American Navy. (Submarine History) Thus the main role played by the submarines during the Second World War was in sinking merchant vessels that carried much needed civilian and military supplies. The German submarine performed this role mainly in the North Atlantic in an attempt to choke supplies to Europe, while the Americans returned the favor in the Pacific Ocean by choking off supplies to Japan, the ally of the Germans. (a Brief History of Submarines Up to the 1950s)

Developments in the Submarines Before and During the Second World War:

Between 1919 and 1939 the submarine was tried out in a variety of roles. From the heavy gun mounted submarine to pose a threat to commercial vessels to the anti-aircraft gun mounted submarine to pose a threat to the aircraft patrolling the sea and finally to the aircraft/seaplane carrying submarines to increase the capability for surveillance. During this period the United States built the largest conventional type submarine in the form of a hundred and sixteen meter long submarine that displaced 2,710 tons. This design went on to be the basis of two classes of American submarines that saw action in the Second World War. The submarine program of the Germans had it received adequate support and allowed the three wartime German submarine designs to come out earlier, may have changed the outcome of the Battle of the North Atlantic. (a Brief History of Submarines Up to the 1950s)

The three German submarines were firstly the VHF design that could re-supply submarines at sea with torpedoes, spares and personnel. The next was the Type XXI, which was believed to be the ultimate in diesel electric technology for a submarine at that time and was seventy five meters long displacing one thousand six hundred tons. This submarine was equipped with the snorkel device that enabled it to breathe and recharge batteries under water and thus could travel at a speed of seventeen and a half knots under water for an hour, at six knots for two days and four days at lower speeds, without the need to surface. It could go operate at depths of two hundred and sixty meters and this was twice the depth of other submarines at that time. The third was a submarine that used a revolutionary Hellmuth Walter technology for running its diesel engines under water using oxygen from hydrogen per oxide. This design was to become the fore runner of the submarine technology used in some of the submarines even today. This submarine during trials in the early forties, showed the capability of traveling at a maximum speed of twenty five knots under water in brief spurts and a sustained speed of twenty knots under water for a period of five and a half hours. Unfortunately the number of them made available to the German navy as well as the slow development of the revolutionary submarine made it a too late entry into the war scene and handicapped the German Navy in the role that was planned for the submarines. (a Brief History of Submarines Up to the 1950s)

The snorkel was a Dutch device that was fine tuned by the Germans for use on the submarine to reduce the threat from the air that it was facing. All submarines were vulnerable to air attacks as they had to surface to recharge their batteries, as they then ran on air-breathing diesel engines. The snorkel gave the German submarine the capability to run its engines and recharge its batteries while remaining just below the surface of the water, as the required air for the diesel engine was drawn through the snorkel that could be extended to the surface. Though the snorkel helped in reducing the submarine's vulnerability for detection, it still protruded above the surface and thereby could be detected with the help of radar. (Part 6: World War Two Subs)