The concept of a ship that can submerge for some time under water goes back centuries. Today it is no longer possible to separate historical facts from myths and find out who was the original author of this idea. Submarines are primarily used for military purposes and form the basis of the fleets of many countries. This is due to the main characteristic of submarines - stealth and, as a consequence, stealth for the enemy. The possibility of delivering surprise attacks on enemy ships made submarines an indispensable component of the armed forces of all naval powers.
Early theoretical development
The first relatively reliable references to ships capable of submerging under water date back to the 16th century. The British mathematician William Bourne outlined in his book, Inventions and Devices, a plan for creating such a ship. Scottish scientist John Napier wrote about the idea of ​​using submarines to sink enemy ships. However, no information has been preserved in history about the practical implementation of these early theoretical developments.
Full-size models
The first submarine that successfully passed the test was constructed at the beginning of the 17th century by Cornelius van Drebbel, a Dutchman in the service of the English King James the First. His ship was driven by oars. During tests on the River Thames, a Dutch inventor demonstrated to the British monarch and thousands of Londoners the ability of a boat to submerge, stay there for several hours and then float safely to the surface. The creation of Drebbel made a deep impression on his contemporaries, but did not arouse interest from the English admiralty. The first submarine was never used for military purposes.
The development of science and industry in the 18th century did not have a significant impact on the success of attempts to build and use submarines. The Russian emperor Peter I actively contributed to the work of self-taught inventor Efim Nikonov to create the first submarine. According to modern researchers, the ship built in 1721, from the point of view of technical solutions, indeed, was a prototype of the submarine. However, most of the tests conducted on the Neva River ended unsuccessfully. After the death of Peter the Great, the model of the first submarine was forgotten. In other countries throughout the 18th century, there was also no particular progress in the design and construction of ships intended for immersion into the depths of the sea.
19th Century Application Examples
The first case of a successful sinking of an enemy ship by a submarine was recorded during the civil war in the United States of America. The Hanley rowing submarine, named after its designer, was in service with the Confederate army. She was not very reliable. This was evidenced by the results of several unsuccessful trials, accompanied by human casualties. Among the dead was the submarine designer Horace Lawson Hanley himself. In 1864, the Confederate submarine attacked the enemy sloop Hausatonic, whose displacement exceeded a thousand tons. The enemy ship sank as a result of a mine explosion attached to a special pole in the bow of the Hanley. This battle was the first and last for the boat. Due to technical malfunctions, she sank a few minutes after the attack.
World War I
Mass production and use of submarines in the world began only at the dawn of the 20th century. Submarines had a serious impact on the course of the First World War. German boats showed their effectiveness in the fight against enemy ships, and were also used to attack merchant convoys in order to establish an economic blockade. The use of submarines against civilian vessels caused a wave of indignation and contempt from the UK and its allies. Nevertheless, the German tactics of the underwater blockade proved extremely effective and caused significant damage to the enemy’s economy. The most egregious example of such a method of warfare was the destruction of the Lusitania passenger transatlantic liner by a torpedo fired from a German submarine.
The Second World War
The role of submarines grew more and more as global conflicts of the 20th century developed. During World War II, Germany’s strategy did not undergo significant changes: its submarines were primarily used to cut off the enemy’s sea supply routes. The German submarine fleet was one of the most serious problems for the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Before the United States entered the war, Great Britain was in a critical position due to the blockade. Numerous American warships to some extent reduced the effectiveness of the actions of German submarines.
Post-war period
The second half of the 20th century was marked by a series of revolutionary technological breakthroughs. The discovery of nuclear energy and the creation of a jet engine greatly expanded the horizons of submarine applications. Submarines have become carriers of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The first test run was made in 1953. Nuclear reactors have partially replaced traditional diesel-electric generators. Equipment was invented to extract oxygen from seawater. These innovations have increased the autonomy of submarines to incredible limits. Modern boats can remain submerged for weeks and months. But new technologies also generated additional dangers, primarily related to radiation leaks when using nuclear reactors.
In the era of the so-called Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States competed in the creation of large submarines. The submarines of the two superpowers were involved in a kind of cat-and-mouse game in the vast oceans.
Best submarine
Identifying the absolute leader among submarines is fraught with certain difficulties. They consist in the fact that the global list of submarines is extremely diverse. A wide range of qualities and characteristics of ships does not allow to establish a single assessment criterion. For example, it is very difficult to compare nuclear and diesel-electric submarines. With some degree of conventionality, one can single out the Soviet heavy missile submarine cruiser Shark (according to NATO codification - Typhoon). It is the largest submarine in the history of navigation. According to some experts, the creation of such a powerful vessel played a significant role in ending the Cold War.
Discovery, an American television channel, tried to rank submarines with special characteristics:
- Nautilus (the world's first nuclear-powered ship).
- Ohio (Trident missile launcher).
- "Los Angeles" (designed to hunt for submarines).
- "Pike-M" (Soviet multi-purpose boat).
- Lira (underwater interceptor).
- "George Washington" (atomic missile carrier).
- The Elusive Mike (a boat inaccessible to acoustic detection).
- "Goldfish" (an absolute world record for speed).
- Typhoon (the largest submarine).
- Virginia (one of the most protected boats from detection).
This rating contains submarines created in different eras, which, strictly speaking, should not be compared directly. Nevertheless, the list gives an idea of ​​the most prominent submarines.