Submarines

Of the 52 US Navy Submarines lost during WW2, fifty were lost in the Pacific and only two were lost in the Atlantic Oceans (both by accidents). The two Atlantic US Submarines lost were the USS Dorado and USS R-12. The Submarine DORADO was sunk by friendly fire (US Aircraft) and the Submarine R-12 was sunk during a diving accident.

The United States was the first country to build a nuclear submarine, and that boat was named the USS Nautilus.

The submarine, or the Unterseeboot (U-Boat), was an underwater vessel that was very successful at blockading Britain from United States trading vessels. They helped turn public opinion in the US against the Germans, due to their sinking US merchant ships without a warning. They were very vulnerable on the surface, so they couldn't board supply vessels or give any warning.

The link I added states that Black sailors were, in fact, allowed to serve as mess stewards on submarines. That was their official title until 1947. However, anybody who served aboard a submarine had to pass the same qualification tests. Therefore, although officially only in food service work, in practice the Black sailors might perform almost any other duties aboard as well.

On the afternoon of 31 May 1942, three Japanese submarines appeared some thirteen kilometres out from Sydney Harbour. Each one launched a midget submarine, aimed at the American heavy cruiser, the USS Chicago, which was anchored in the harbour. One midget was detected at about 8:00pm, but was not precisely located until it became entangled in the net; the two-man crew of the submarine blew up their own vessel to avoid capture. When the second midget was detected after 10:00pm, a general alarm was sounded. The third midget was damaged by depth charges, and the crew also committed suicide to avoid capture.

The second submarine then returned fire, hitting the naval depot ship HMAS Kuttabul. Nineteen Australian men and two British sailors on the Kuttabul were killed. The submarine is believed to have then returned to its mother ship, known as I-24.

the oldest submarine was made in 1620.

Added:

Currently as of May 2010, the oldest working submarine in the US Navy is the USS Philadelphia SSN 690. The keel was laid down in August of 1972, and was commissioned June 25, 1977. She is a Los Angeles Nuclear Attack Submarine. In a formal ceremony in her homeport at the Groton Naval Base on June 25, 2010 the USS Philadelphia SSN 690 will be decommissioned after serving 33 years.

**Finish Strong**

Germany was fairly effective in its use of submarines in World War II. Only by continuing to destroy the U-boats and their support systems did we turn the tide. That and by building merchant marine shipping vessels (the Liberty ships) and the war materials they transported faster than the Germans could sink them were we able to gain a tactical advantage and win the war. The German use of the U-boat caused the conflict to stretch on longer than it might have otherwise.

Germany mis-used their submarines. Over a million US servicemen reached Europe to defeat the Germans. The German subs never sank ONE troop carrying ship! They had their chance to sink Americans before they even reached the trenches. To make matters even worse...the Germans couldn't do it in TWO WARS! They never sunk ONE US TROOP SHIP in either war! If they had been smart...US troops would never have reached Europe...they'd been torpedo'd. Someone had pulled the wool over some historian's eyes.

Comes down to three countries, Germany, U.S. and Russia. Germany is always on top of military technology, however new Virginian class and new Borei class take the cake. Their technology is too classified for a clear comparison, yet both are the quetest sub's ever made. As far as pay load, well Russian sub's equipt with ballistic missiles, know no boundaries or effective counter meassures. As well as super sonic cruise missiles which can take out fleet's (Only Russia and India have those).

Rumors has been circulating for years about Russia selling (old )clocking technology to Chinese. It is how Chinese were able to surface a submarine in the middle of U.S./ South Korea war game. Did I meation it was completely unditected.

I would say Russia, unlike it's 30 surface fleet Russian submarines have been the forerunners of innovation. Although U.S., Germany and Russia all have advanced submarines, no has such ballistic capabilities as Russian subs.

Basically, because they were desperate.

Germany had had a dreadful 1916, fighting simultaneously the battles of Verdun and the Somme, while having to rescue Austria from Russia's Brusilov offensive. Their attack on the British fleet at Jutland had achieved nothing. As far as could be seen, 1917 promised the same only worse, as both the British and Russian armies were likely to be better trained and equipped than the previous year. As Germany had barely survived 1916, it was likely that 1917 would see her defeat.

The German Navy offered a way to break this deadlock. Britain was heavily dependent on imported food and raw materials, and if she could be starved into surrender by Summer 1917, Germany would then be in a position to defeat her other enemies.

This was a high risk strategy, as unrestricted u-boat warfare might well bring the United States into the war on the Allied side. However, the Navy argued that this wouldn't really matter, since the u-boats could sink any troop transports from the US, while in any case an American army large enough to matter could not arrive in Europe before 1918, by which time the war would be over - one way or the other. Their view prevailed, and USW was declared on Jan 31, 1917.

Ironically, it was declared just as Germany was about to get a reprieve. In March 1917 the Tsar was overthrown, and though Russia did not leave the war until December, its army became increasingly ineffective. A few weeks later, the French army was all but paralyzed by a series of mutinies, following the unsuccessful Nivelle offensive. The Allies might well have been obliged to make peace, had US intervention not given them new hope.

The Germans were correct in their expectation that the US Army could not play any major role in 1917, but mistaken in assuming that the war would end that year. The Russian Revolution averted German collapse, whilst the submarine campaign did not live up to expectations. This was for a number of reasons. Firstly, US intervention provided Britain with additional destroyers for use as convoy escorts, and allowed her to begin introducing the convoy system. This greatly reduced her losses to the u-boats, which initially had been horrendous, (in April 1917, every fourth merchantman sailing had been sunk). When Admiral Sims arrived in London, he learned that Admiral Jellicoe and others thought that if present trends continued, Britain would be starved into surrender by November. In particular, the Royal Navy was in danger of being crippled by shortage of fuel oil. However, by September 1917 the crisis was essentially over.

In addition to the convoy system, US intervention helped defeat the U-boats in other ways. Several South American and other countries entered the war along with America, and German ships trapped in their ports (40 in Brazil alone) passed into Allied hands. Also, neutral merchantmen in Allied ports, refusing to sail fo fear of u-boat attack, could now be seized, as without US support, the remaining neutrals were too weak to object, and had essentially no one left to trade with except the Allies. Finally, US shipyards produced 800,000 tons of merchant shipping in 1917 (more than double the 1916 figure) and 2.6 million tons in 1918, so that losses to u-boats could now be replaced.

It is interesting, if futile, to speculate on what might have happened had Germany followed the advice of Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg, and proclaimed unrestricted warfare against armed merchantmen only. This would have been acceptable to President Wilson, and almost certainly have averted war with the US, while, since most Allied merchantmen were already armed or in process of being, would have made little difference as far as Allied shipping was concerned. However, the Navy objected because they wished to frighten neutral ships away from Allied ports. In the event (see above) this aim completely backfired.

In short, unrestricted u-boat warfare made a degree of sense at the time, but in the end brought Germany to defeat.

In 1620 Cornelius Drebbel designed a type of towed diving bell that was almost a submarine

The first military submarine was the Turtle (1775), single man, hand-powered egg-shaped device. Submarines were used and operated in the War of 1812 and during the American Civil War (by both sides)

you can us wood or some paper you can us wood or some paper and shape it like a submerine

Zig-Zagging was used in older ships to keep any tracking submarine from gaining a viable target solution, which is vital information required for the torpedo settings prior to shooting. It takes time to calculate specific targeting solution information, and if the ship changes course often enough it makes it extremely difficult for the submarine's tracking party to effectively gain a proper solution for firing.

There are 3 things required for a solution:

1. Target Angle on the Bow (the angle its bow is facing)

2. Target Speed

3. Target Range

1 & 2 are easily obtained by visual and sound methods. However, range is an estimate, and is only calculated after the target has been tracked for a certain amount of time on a steady course and the submarine changes its course. This gives the attacking submarine a known variable in the equation for range.

However, if the target changes course at random intervals, it resets the tracking solution to the beginning. While using Radar (many US boats had Radar capability in WW2) can give you range, you have to be surfaced to use it, and if you're running a submerged attack, that's not an option. Also, WW2 submarines, both Allied and Axis, and today's submarines, employ Radar detection to determine if Radar is being used. This means that anyone using it can also be detected.

Most of the public only know WWII ships using solid colors for their exterior paint, but the reality was that most ships transiting hostile waters had camouflage paint schemes that made it more difficult for an attacking submarine to determine range and AOB.

Older torpedoes were "John Wayne" style - point and shoot while leading the target. Simplified, but essentially correct, though they in fact used a lot of math to get the proper settings for the torpedo. Range was the most vital element in the solution - too short or too long and you'd miss, giving away your position in the process.

Modern torpedoes are not only wire guided, they use active/passive sonar to find, lock on and track down their targets. Range is still a factor, as all torpedoes have a range limit. However, with today's torpedoes, you merely need to get it close. If the torpedo misses and the wire is still intact, Fire Control can manually steer the torpedo to the target. Its Sonar though, is its best asset in finding and running down a target.

Even today, all modern submariners involved in tracking solutions are required to learn how to do a solution manually using the old methods, in the event the computers aren't available or are damaged. I had to learn it myself, as have thousands before me and after me.

The reality is that if a modern torpedo gets an active sonar lock on its target, the chances of evading it successfully are slim and none. If you ever saw Red October, you've seen a homing torpedo simulation and how it works, but the reality is they aren't that easily fooled with countermeasures.

But Hollywood and reality aren't usually on the same page.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first sitting President to dive on board a nuclear submarine. On September 26, 1957, he took a 15 minute dive aboard USS Seawolf (SSN-575).

Jimmy Carter was a submarine officer, before he was president and saw active duty on them from 1948 to 1952 including service on one of the first nuclear subs.

The first president reported to travel in a submarine was Teddy Roosevelt, but I do know if he was president then or if the submarine submerged with him on board.

The first operational nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus(SSN-571), was developed by the United States. The idea of a submarine dates far back in history, but the technology required to actually build an operational undersea boat is relatively new. Applying nuclear power to this concept is newer still, and it had to wait until nuclear power could be harnessed in the form of a safe and reliable nuclear reactor. A link can be found below for more information.

1944 to 1945, Admiral Rickover.

They caused anxiety and sink ships.

it isn't useful in any way IT POLLUTES THE WORLD now give us all a favour and start protesting against nuclear power stations

the first true submarine.

German submarines sank an enormous amount of British and Commonwealth shipping in the Atlantic and for a time in 1916 food stocks in Britain were down to about six weeks' supply. German submarines aslo sank some neutral ships and by sinking American ships they brought the U.S. into the war.

The submarine was invented in 1624 by Cornelius van Drebbel. However, Leonardo da Vinci drew out the basic concept of a submarine over one hundred years before. Da Vinci kept his plans secret because he didn't want to make war any more terrifying than it already was.

Drebbel, a Dutch inventor and engineer employed by the British navy built a leather- covered rowboat from which oars protruded through watertight seals. Drubbel's ship could stay underwater for a few hours, but it only went about fifteen feet under the surface.

In 1578 William Borne began drawing plans for a submarine, but it was never built. His submarine worked by using extra tanks which could be filled so the submarine would submerge. The tanks would be emptied for the submarine to surface.

Doesn't matter what the whole depth is. You mean three feet above ground? Doesn't matter how thick the wall is either. Depends on how it is constructed. Why use bricks anyway? You are still going to have to line it. Look at some books on pond construction.

No. People get into verbal conflicts all the time, calling each other names or even threatening someone is not grounds for legal action, including slander, liable, defamation of character and so on and so on. For authorities to become involved the incident would have to be of a physical nature and/or damage to property.

1906 Germany launches U-1, the first U-Boat (for Unterseeboot). This modified Karp was 139 feet long, displaced 239 tons, and had a range of 2,000 miles, a surface speed of 11 knots, and a submerged speed of nine knots. It was joined in 1908 by a twin, U-2.