Wyatt earp
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- Apr 21, 2012
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The Only Underwater Submarine-to-Submarine Kill in History
There were a number of obstacles that stood in the way of World War II submarines trying to hunt each other down in the depths of the world’s oceans. First of all detecting the other submarine was still a challenge. Hydrophone technology was still very primitive and while they could give advanced warning of a surface vessel pushing its way through the waves above, a submerged submarine made less noise and so was less detectable. The sea did more than keep a submarine hidden from view as well. Sound waves don’t travel very well in colder waters making the passive hydrophone system less effective in hearing the enemy sub. ASDIC, an early form of sonar, sent out a sonic pulse to detect an object but again low temperatures hindered its effectiveness. Unsettled water also disrupted the pulse degrading its strength but the biggest problem with ASDIC was that while it could give a direction it couldn’t give a depth.
Even if a submarine could detect another submarine engaging it in combat presented its own problems. Firstly the torpedoes themselves had to be set to a neutral buoyancy rather than their usual run depth which in World War II was just below the waterline of a ship. If this wasn’t achieved then the launched torpedoes would rise upwards rather than straight on towards the target. By World War II the first primitive targeting computers were being installed in submarines for aiming the torpedoes but these were designed for attacking surface based targets. They therefore operated in a two-dimensional capacity (forward and to the left/right of the attacking submarine) as opposed to the three-dimensions required for fighting below the surface (forward, left/right and above/below the attacking submarine).
Given all these factors it is no wonder that only once has a successful attack on a submerged submarine by another submerged submarine been carried out in military history.
The Only Underwater Submarine-to-Submarine Kill in History
There were a number of obstacles that stood in the way of World War II submarines trying to hunt each other down in the depths of the world’s oceans. First of all detecting the other submarine was still a challenge. Hydrophone technology was still very primitive and while they could give advanced warning of a surface vessel pushing its way through the waves above, a submerged submarine made less noise and so was less detectable. The sea did more than keep a submarine hidden from view as well. Sound waves don’t travel very well in colder waters making the passive hydrophone system less effective in hearing the enemy sub. ASDIC, an early form of sonar, sent out a sonic pulse to detect an object but again low temperatures hindered its effectiveness. Unsettled water also disrupted the pulse degrading its strength but the biggest problem with ASDIC was that while it could give a direction it couldn’t give a depth.
Even if a submarine could detect another submarine engaging it in combat presented its own problems. Firstly the torpedoes themselves had to be set to a neutral buoyancy rather than their usual run depth which in World War II was just below the waterline of a ship. If this wasn’t achieved then the launched torpedoes would rise upwards rather than straight on towards the target. By World War II the first primitive targeting computers were being installed in submarines for aiming the torpedoes but these were designed for attacking surface based targets. They therefore operated in a two-dimensional capacity (forward and to the left/right of the attacking submarine) as opposed to the three-dimensions required for fighting below the surface (forward, left/right and above/below the attacking submarine).
Given all these factors it is no wonder that only once has a successful attack on a submerged submarine by another submerged submarine been carried out in military history.
