Sunk submarines of World War II. Harsh life on American submarines during World War II

The five best submarines built in the 20th century were chosen by experts from the American Military Analytical (NI). To compile its rating, the publication asked experts the following questions: was this or that submarine for its time the best in terms of efficiency-cost and how innovative the design was.

German Predators in the Atlantic

In the first place, NI puts the German submarines of the U-31 type from the First World War. The construction of these boats was carried out at the Germania shipyard in Kiel (11 in total). The submarines were laid down in 1912-1913 and launched in 1914.

Boats of this type actively participated in the hostilities. During the service, out of 11 built boats, eight were lost. At the same time, the U-31 type submarines themselves damaged or sent to the bottom of 856 ships with a total tonnage of more than 2 million tons. These boats changed the idea of the importance of the submarine fleet and became a formidable weapon capable of paralyzing shipping with the mere news that they went on another campaign.

Among this series of submarines, three submarines are most famous - U-35 under the command of Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier, the most productive submariner of all time, U-39 Walter Forstmann and U-38 Max Valentiner.

The undisputed leader is the submarine U-35, which destroyed 224 merchant ships with a total displacement of more than half a million tons.

However, the U-31 type submarines were more of an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary stage in underwater shipbuilding. They did not fundamentally differ from their predecessors and successors. Nevertheless, U-31 boats brought Britain to the brink of exiting the First World War. Only the entry into the conflict of the United States, combined with the development of innovative convoy tactics for the United Kingdom fleet, created difficulties in German submarine warfare. The three surviving U-31s were captured by the Allies after the end of World War I.

Living Americans in the Pacific

Experts put American Balao-class submarines in second place among outstanding submarines. These submarines were built in 1942-1947. In total, the US shipyards transferred 122 such submarines to the country's Navy. They fought during World War II in the Pacific against the Japanese Empire.

At that time, Japanese industry was very dependent on access to the natural resources of Southeast Asia. Stopping the delivery of these materiel to the Japanese islands meant, in fact, winning the war in the Pacific. And although the US military submarine fleet was relatively small, operated without a clear understanding of the great future of submarines in this theater of operations, was armed with poor torpedoes, in the end, the submarines built already during the war destroyed almost the entire Japanese merchant fleet.

The war in the Pacific required long range submarines and, accordingly, better crew living conditions than in the relatively small North Atlantic. Like their Gato-class predecessors, the Balao submarines were less maneuverable than the German VII-series submarines, but they made up for this with a strong hull and generally very high quality construction. But most importantly, in comparison with the German submarine of the VII series, the Balao-class submarines had a longer range, larger-caliber artillery, more torpedo tubes and a higher surface and underwater speed. On the other hand, the Balao boats operated in much more favorable conditions than the German submarines. The anti-submarine defense of the Japanese was weaker.

Balao's biggest victory in the Pacific was the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano with a displacement of 58,000 tons by the Archerfish submarine.

Only 11 out of 122 Balao boats were lost during the Pacific War, two already as a result of accidents and disasters in the post-war period. After World War II, this class of submarines was transferred to several US-friendly navies and continued to serve for many more decades. One of them, the former American Tusk, is still partly used by Taiwan under the name Hai Pao.

Advanced submarines of the Third Reich

In third place, American specialists put the German submarines of the XXI series. It was a submarine with a revolutionary design for its time, which had a significant impact on the entire post-war underwater shipbuilding.

Between 1943 and 1945, Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, AGWeser in Bremen and F. Schichau in Danzig launched 134 submarines of this type. Of these, the shipyards delivered 119 to the fleet, and another 15 remained unfinished.

Some of the innovations of this project have become revolutionary.

Submarines XXI were the first in the world to receive an electromechanical system for loading torpedo tubes, a sonar system that allows attacking without visual contact, larger batteries, a rubber coating on the hull that makes it difficult for enemy sonars to work, and a bubble screen device.

The frames of these boats were for the first time taken out of the strong hull, which made it possible to increase the space inside the boat and simplify all kinds of communications and equipment placement. For the first time, submarines were designed for scuba diving during the entire autonomous trip.

The Type XXI ocean-going submarine was the first submarine capable of greater underwater speed than surface speed. She abandoned the deck gun in exchange for speed and stealth. Boats of the XXI series developed underwater speeds up to 17.5 knots - almost twice as much as conventional submarines. It was planned that they would operate almost exclusively submerged.

A boat of this type could go full speed under water for four hours in a row, overcoming 65-70 miles (instead of 12 miles for 1.5 hours of underwater travel on eight knots of boats of the IX series). This was quite enough to attack an enemy convoy and reliably break away from the pursuit of anti-submarine defense ships.

The Allies in the anti-Hitler coalition captured the surviving German XXI series boats, using them both as models for their own projects and in order to develop more advanced technologies and methods of anti-submarine warfare.

The German submarine of the XXI series became the basis for the Soviet submarine project 613.

It also became the basis for a large flotilla of Chinese submarines.

Washington's Atomic Arguments

In fourth place among the outstanding submarines of all times and peoples, experts put American submarines of the "" type. This is the first ever project of nuclear submarines equipped with ballistic missiles. Five submarines of this type were transferred to the US Navy from 1959 to 1961.

When creating the George Washington boats, they took the Skipjack nuclear torpedo boat project as a basis. This approach of converting a submarine from one class to another, which also took place in the Soviet submarine fleet, made it possible to reduce construction time and save money. A 40-meter missile compartment was inserted into the hull of the submarine behind the wheelhouse, in which 16 missile launchers were placed.

Today it is taken for granted that the most common form of modern nuclear deterrence is a nuclear submarine with ballistic missiles capable of hypothetically destroying a dozen cities on any continent. These SSBNs make up the most secure part of the nuclear deterrent triad, as it is very difficult to find and destroy a submarine before it launches its ballistic missiles.

Until 1967, the George Washington submarine and the American submarines of the same type were the only ones in their class. “Their clumsy Soviet counterparts carried only three missiles and were forced to surface to launch a missile,” writes The National Interest.

The overall layout of the George Washington-type boats with vertical shafts located behind the wheelhouse turned out to be extremely successful and became a classic scheme for submarine strategic missile carriers.

On the basis of this scheme, project 667A was built in the USSR, which, by analogy with the "prototype", was called "Ivan Washington" in the Soviet fleet.

The lead submarine of Project 667A entered service in 1967. The first British submarine of the same class, Resolution, was delivered to the fleet in 1968, and the French Redoutable in 1971. China eventually followed suit by the rest of the nuclear powers, although the first truly modern missile submarines have only recently entered service with the Chinese navy. India's first missile submarine, the Arihant, is scheduled to be handed over to the fleet next year.

Hollywood boats for special operations

In fifth place, experts placed the Los Angeles multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the US Navy. These nuclear-powered submarines were built in the most massive series. In total, 62 submarines of this type were transferred to the US Navy. The first of her series entered service on November 13, 1976, the last (USS Cheyenne) on September 13, 1996. The ships were built by Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat Division.

There are currently 41 Los Angeles-class submarines in service. They still form the basis of the US submarine fleet. The boat "Los Angeles" is immortalized in the novels "The Hunt for "" and the film of the same name with Sean Conerry.

Among the list of tasks of these multi-purpose submarines is the fight against enemy submarines and surface ships, strikes, mining, search and rescue operations, reconnaissance and special operations, including the transfer of special forces.

In 1991, during the Gulf War, two Los Angeles-class boats fired a salvo of sea-launched cruise missiles at enemy coastal targets for the first time in history. The submarine, by launching Tomahawk missiles, demonstrated a completely new means of warfare at the disposal of the United States.

The last Los Angeles-class boats are expected to be retired in the 2020s, although the date may be delayed. By that time, the new submarines will significantly exceed the capabilities of the Los Angeles type boats. Nevertheless, these nuclear-powered ships formed the basis of the submarine forces of the most powerful navy for almost five decades.

Consolation prizes for the USSR

In addition to the five prizes, American experts decided to establish incentive awards. The nominees included three Soviet submarines, two American, two British, one Japanese and one German.

First of all, the Soviet nuclear submarine of project 941 Akula, a heavy strategic missile submarine, deserved attention. These are the largest submarines in the world.

American specialists also paid attention to the Soviet nuclear-powered submarines of projects 705, 705K "Lira" - small high-speed boats with a titanium hull. These submarines were unparalleled in terms of speed and maneuverability and were designed to destroy enemy submarines.

They also recalled the modern Russian diesel-electric submarines of Project 636 Varshavyanka, one of which last year was marked by a volley of Kalibr missiles from the Mediterranean Sea, as well as its predecessors, the boats of the Soviet Project 877 Halibut.

Among the consolation nominations are American Ohio-class missile carriers - a series of 18 third-generation American strategic submarines that entered service from 1981 to 1997. Since 2002, this is the only type of missile carriers in service with the US Navy. Each boat is armed with 24 Trident intercontinental ballistic missiles, equipped with multiple warheads with individual guidance.

At the bottom of the list are the Japanese Type I-201 submarines, also known as Sen Taka, a series of fast Japanese diesel-electric submarines from World War II. Designed in 1943-1944, they became one of the fastest submarines of their time. In total, it was planned to build 23 boats in the series, the first of which was laid down in March 1944, but the construction of most of them was canceled. The construction of only eight ships of this type was started, of which three were completed before the end of the war. Due to their late introduction, none of these submarines saw action.

The German Type VII U-boats of World War II became the largest-scale type of U-boat in history. Of the ordered 1050 submarines, 703 boats of seven modifications entered service.

Submarines dictate the rules in naval warfare and force everyone to meekly follow the established order.

Those stubborn ones who dare to neglect the rules of the game will face a quick and painful death in cold water, among floating debris and oil slicks. Boats, regardless of the flag, remain the most dangerous fighting vehicles capable of crushing any enemy.

I bring to your attention a short story about the seven most successful submarine projects of the war years.

Boats type T (Triton-class), UK
The number of submarines built is 53.
Surface displacement - 1290 tons; underwater - 1560 tons.
Crew - 59 ... 61 people.
Operating immersion depth - 90 m (riveted hull), 106 m (welded hull).
Full speed on the surface - 15.5 knots; in the underwater - 9 knots.
A fuel reserve of 131 tons ensured a surface cruising range of 8,000 miles.
Armament:
- 11 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm (on boats of sub-series II and III), ammunition load - 17 torpedoes;
- 1 x 102 mm universal gun, 1 x 20 mm anti-aircraft "Oerlikon".

HMS Traveler

A British submarine Terminator capable of knocking the crap out of the head of any enemy with a bow-mounted 8-torpedo salvo. The T-type boats had no equal in destructive power among all submarines of the WWII period - this explains their ferocious appearance with a bizarre bow superstructure, which housed additional torpedo tubes.

The notorious British conservatism is a thing of the past - the British were among the first to equip their boats with ASDIC sonar. Alas, despite their powerful weapons and modern means of detection, the T-type boats of the high seas did not become the most effective among the British submarines of the Second World War. Nevertheless, they went through an exciting battle path and achieved a number of remarkable victories. "Tritons" were actively used in the Atlantic, in the Mediterranean Sea, smashed Japanese communications in the Pacific Ocean, and several times were noted in the cold waters of the Arctic.

In August 1941, the Taigris and Trident submarines arrived in Murmansk. British submariners demonstrated a master class to their Soviet colleagues: 4 enemy ships were sunk in two campaigns, incl. "Baia Laura" and "Donau II" with thousands of soldiers of the 6th Mountain Division. Thus, the sailors prevented the third German attack on Murmansk.

Other famous T-boat trophies include the German light cruiser Karlsruhe and the Japanese heavy cruiser Ashigara. The samurai were “lucky” to get acquainted with the full 8-torpedo salvo of the Trenchent submarine - having received 4 torpedoes on board (+ one more from the stern TA), the cruiser quickly capsized and sank.

Boats of the "Cruising" type of the XIV series, the Soviet Union
The number of submarines built is 11.
Surface displacement - 1500 tons; underwater - 2100 tons.
Crew - 62 ... 65 people.

Full speed on the surface - 22.5 knots; in the underwater - 10 knots.
Surface cruising range 16,500 miles (9 knots)
Submerged cruising range - 175 miles (3 knots)
Armament:

- 2 x 100 mm universal guns, 2 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic;
- up to 20 minutes of barriers.

... On December 3, 1941, German hunters UJ-1708, UJ-1416 and UJ-1403 bombarded a Soviet boat that tried to attack a convoy near Bustad Sund.

Hans, do you hear that creature?
- Nine. After a series of explosions, the Russians sank to the bottom - I detected three hits on the ground ...
- Can you tell where they are now?
- Donnerwetter! They are blown. Surely they decided to surface and surrender.

The German sailors were wrong. From the depths of the sea, a MONSTER rose to the surface - a cruising submarine K-3 of the XIV series, which unleashed a barrage of artillery fire on the enemy. From the fifth salvo, the Soviet sailors managed to sink U-1708. The second hunter, having received two direct hits, smoked and turned aside - his 20 mm anti-aircraft guns could not compete with the “hundreds” of a secular submarine cruiser. Having scattered the Germans like puppies, K-3 quickly disappeared over the horizon at 20 knots.

The Soviet Katyusha was a phenomenal boat for its time. Welded hull, powerful artillery and mine-torpedo weapons, powerful diesel engines (2 x 4200 hp!), high surface speed of 22-23 knots. Huge autonomy in terms of fuel reserves. Remote control of ballast tank valves. A radio station capable of transmitting signals from the Baltic to the Far East. Exceptional level of comfort: shower cabins, refrigerated tanks, two seawater desalters, an electric galley… Two boats (K-3 and K-22) were equipped with Lend-Lease ASDIC sonar.

But, oddly enough, neither the high performance nor the most powerful weapons made the Katyusha effective - in addition to the dark one with the K-21 attack on the Tirpitz, during the war years, only 5 successful torpedo attacks and 27 thousand br. reg. tons of sunk tonnage. Most of the victories were won with the help of exposed mines. Moreover, their own losses amounted to five cruiser boats.

K-21, Severomorsk, today

The reasons for the failures lie in the tactics of using the Katyushas - the mighty submarine cruisers, created for the expanses of the Pacific Ocean, had to "stomp" in the shallow Baltic "puddle". When operating at depths of 30-40 meters, a huge 97-meter boat could hit the ground with its bow, while its stern was still sticking out on the surface. Severomorsk sailors had a little easier time - as practice has shown, the effectiveness of the combat use of the Katyushas was complicated by the poor training of personnel and the lack of initiative of the command.

It's a pity. These boats were counting on more.

"Baby", Soviet Union
Series VI and VI bis - 50 built.
Series XII - 46 built.
Series XV - 57 built (4 took part in the fighting).

TTX boat type M series XII:
Surface displacement - 206 tons; underwater - 258 tons.
Autonomy - 10 days.
Working depth of immersion - 50 m, limit - 60 m.
Full speed on the surface - 14 knots; in the underwater - 8 knots.
Cruising range on the surface - 3380 miles (8.6 knots).
Submerged cruising range - 108 miles (3 knots).
Armament:
- 2 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 2 torpedoes;
- 1 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic.

Baby!

The project of mini-submarines for the rapid strengthening of the Pacific Fleet - the main feature of the M-type boats was the ability to be transported by rail in a fully assembled form.

In pursuit of compactness, many had to be sacrificed - service on the "Baby" turned into a grueling and dangerous event. Difficult living conditions, strong "chatter" - the waves ruthlessly threw a 200-ton "float", risking breaking it into pieces. Shallow diving depth and weak weapons. But the main concern of the sailors was the reliability of the submarine - one shaft, one diesel engine, one electric motor - the tiny "Baby" left no chance for the careless crew, the slightest malfunction on board threatened the submarine with death.

The kids quickly evolved - the performance characteristics of each new series differed several times from the previous project: contours were improved, electrical equipment and detection tools were updated, diving time was reduced, autonomy was growing. The “babies” of the XV series no longer resembled their predecessors of the VI and XII series: one and a half hull design - the ballast tanks were moved outside the pressure hull; The power plant received a standard twin-shaft layout with two diesel engines and electric motors for underwater travel. The number of torpedo tubes increased to four. Alas, the XV series appeared too late - the brunt of the war was borne by the "Babies" of the VI and XII series.

Despite their modest size and only 2 torpedoes on board, the tiny fish were distinguished by simply terrifying "gluttony": in just the years of World War II, Soviet M-type submarines sank 61 enemy ships with a total tonnage of 135.5 thousand gross tons, destroyed 10 warships, and also damaged 8 transports.

The little ones, originally intended only for operations in the coastal zone, have learned to fight effectively in open sea areas. They, along with larger boats, cut enemy communications, patrolled at the exits of enemy bases and fjords, deftly overcame anti-submarine barriers and undermined transports right at the piers inside protected enemy harbors. It's just amazing how the Red Navy could fight on these flimsy boats! But they fought. And they won!

Boats of the "Medium" type of the IX-bis series, the Soviet Union
The number of submarines built is 41.
Surface displacement - 840 tons; underwater - 1070 tons.
Crew - 36 ... 46 people.
Working depth of immersion - 80 m, limit - 100 m.
Full speed on the surface - 19.5 knots; submerged - 8.8 knots.
Surface cruising range 8,000 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 148 miles (3 knots).

“Six torpedo tubes and the same number of spare torpedoes on racks convenient for reloading. Two cannons with a large ammunition load, machine guns, explosive equipment ... In a word, there is something to fight. And 20-knot surface speed! It allows you to overtake almost any convoy and attack it again. Technique is good…”
- opinion of the S-56 commander, Hero of the Soviet Union G.I. Shchedrin

The Eskis were distinguished by their rational layout and balanced design, powerful armament, and excellent running and seaworthiness. Originally a German design by Deshimag, modified to meet Soviet requirements. But do not rush to clap your hands and remember the Mistral. After the start of serial construction of the IX series at Soviet shipyards, the German project was revised with the aim of a complete transition to Soviet equipment: 1D diesel engines, weapons, radio stations, a noise direction finder, a gyrocompass ... - there was not a single boat that received the designation "IX-bis series". bolts of foreign production!

The problems of the combat use of boats of the "Middle" type, in general, were similar to the cruising boats of the K type - locked in mine-infested shallow water, they could not realize their high combat qualities. Things were much better in the Northern Fleet - during the war years, the S-56 boat under the command of G.I. Shchedrina made the transition across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, moving from Vladivostok to the Polar, subsequently becoming the most productive boat of the Soviet Navy.

An equally fantastic story is connected with the S-101 “bomb catcher” - over the years of the war, over 1000 depth charges were dropped on the boat by the Germans and the Allies, but each time the S-101 returned safely to Polyarny.

Finally, it was on the S-13 that Alexander Marinesko achieved his famous victories.

Torpedo compartment S-56

“The brutal alterations that the ship got into, bombing and explosions, depths far exceeding the official limit. The boat protected us from everything ... "

- from the memoirs of G.I. Shchedrin

Boats like Gato, USA
The number of submarines built is 77.
Surface displacement - 1525 tons; underwater - 2420 tons.
Crew - 60 people.
Working depth of immersion - 90 m.
Full speed on the surface - 21 knots; in a submerged position - 9 knots.
Surface cruising range 11,000 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 96 miles (2 knots).
Armament:
- 10 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 24 torpedoes;
- 1 x 76 mm universal gun, 1 x 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon;
- one of the boats - USS Barb was equipped with a multiple launch rocket system for shelling the coast.

The ocean-going submarines of the Getow type appeared at the height of the Pacific War and became one of the most effective tools of the US Navy. They tightly blocked all strategic straits and approaches to the atolls, cut off all supply lines, leaving the Japanese garrisons without reinforcements, and Japanese industry without raw materials and oil. In the skirmishes with the Gatow, the Imperial Navy lost two heavy aircraft carriers, lost four cruisers and a damn dozen destroyers.

High speed, lethal torpedo weapons, the most modern electronic means of detecting the enemy - radar, direction finder, sonar. The cruising range that provides combat patrols off the coast of Japan when operating from a base in Hawaii. Increased comfort on board. But the main thing is the excellent training of the crews and the weakness of Japanese anti-submarine weapons. As a result, the Gatow ruthlessly destroyed everything - it was they who brought victory in the Pacific Ocean from the blue depths of the sea.

... One of the main achievements of the Getow boats, which changed the whole world, is the event of September 2, 1944. On that day, the Finback submarine detected a distress signal from a falling plane and, after many hours of searching, found a frightened pilot in the ocean, and there was already a desperate pilot . The one who was saved was George Herbert Bush.

The cabin of the submarine "Flasher", a memorial in the city of Groton.

The list of Flasher trophies sounds like a fleet joke: 9 tankers, 10 transports, 2 patrol ships with a total tonnage of 100,231 gross tons! And for a snack, the boat grabbed a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. Lucky damn!

Type XXI electric robots, Germany

By April 1945, the Germans managed to launch 118 submarines of the XXI series. However, only two of them were able to achieve operational readiness and go to sea in the last days of the war.

Surface displacement - 1620 tons; underwater - 1820 tons.
Crew - 57 people.
Working depth of immersion - 135 m, maximum - 200+ meters.
Full speed on the surface - 15.6 knots, in the submerged position - 17 knots.
Surface cruising range 15,500 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 340 miles (5 knots).
Armament:
- 6 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 17 torpedoes;
- 2 anti-aircraft guns "Flak" caliber 20 mm.

U-2540 "Wilhelm Bauer" at the eternal parking lot in Bremerhaven, today

Our allies were very lucky that all the forces of Germany were thrown to the Eastern Front - the Fritz did not have enough resources to release a flock of fantastic "Electric boats" into the sea. If they appeared a year earlier - and that's it, kaput! Another turning point in the battle for the Atlantic.

The Germans were the first to guess: everything that shipbuilders of other countries are proud of - a large ammunition load, powerful artillery, high surface speed of 20+ knots - is of little importance. The key parameters that determine the combat effectiveness of a submarine are its speed and power reserve in a submerged position.

Unlike its peers, "Eletrobot" was focused on being constantly under water: the most streamlined body without heavy artillery, fences and platforms - all for the sake of minimizing underwater resistance. Snorkel, six groups of batteries (3 times more than on conventional boats!), powerful el. full speed engines, quiet and economical el. creep engines.

Aft part of U-2511, flooded at a depth of 68 meters

The Germans calculated everything - the entire campaign "Electrobot" moved at periscope depth under the RDP, remaining difficult to detect for enemy anti-submarine weapons. At great depths, its advantage became even more shocking: 2-3 times the range, at twice the speed, than any of the submarines of the war years! High stealth and impressive underwater skills, homing torpedoes, a set of the most advanced means of detection ... "Electrobots" opened a new milestone in the history of the submarine fleet, defining the vector of development of submarines in the post-war years.

The Allies were not ready to face such a threat - as post-war tests showed, the Electrobots were several times superior in terms of mutual sonar detection range to the American and British destroyers guarding the convoys.

Type VII boats, Germany
The number of submarines built is 703.
Surface displacement - 769 tons; underwater - 871 tons.
Crew - 45 people.
Working depth of immersion - 100 m, limit - 220 meters
Full speed on the surface - 17.7 knots; in a submerged position - 7.6 knots.
Surface cruising range 8,500 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 80 miles (4 knots).
Armament:
- 5 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 14 torpedoes;
- 1 x 88 mm universal gun (until 1942), eight options for add-ons with 20 and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns.

* the given performance characteristics correspond to boats of the VIIC sub-series

The most effective warships ever to sail the world's oceans.
A relatively simple, cheap, massive, but at the same time well-armed and deadly means for total underwater terror.

703 submarines. 10 MILLION tons of sunk tonnage! Battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, enemy corvettes and submarines, oil tankers, transports with aircraft, tanks, cars, rubber, ore, machine tools, ammunition, uniforms and food ... The damage from the actions of German submariners exceeded all reasonable limits - if not the inexhaustible industrial potential of the United States, capable of compensating for any losses of the allies, the German U-bots had every chance to “strangle” Great Britain and change the course of world history.

U-995. Graceful underwater killer

Often the successes of the "sevens" are associated with the "prosperous time" of 1939-41. - allegedly when the Allies had the escort system and Asdik sonars, the successes of the German submariners ended. A completely populist claim based on a misinterpretation of "prosperous times".

The alignment was simple: at the beginning of the war, when there was one Allied anti-submarine ship for each German boat, the “sevens” felt like invulnerable masters of the Atlantic. It was then that the legendary aces appeared, sinking 40 enemy ships each. The Germans already had victory in their hands when the allies suddenly deployed 10 anti-submarine ships and 10 aircraft for every active Kriegsmarine boat!

Beginning in the spring of 1943, the Yankees and the British began methodically bombarding the Kriegsmarine with anti-submarine warfare and soon achieved an excellent loss ratio of 1:1. So they fought until the end of the war. The Germans ran out of ships faster than their opponents.

The whole history of the German "sevens" is a formidable warning from the past: what kind of threat does the submarine pose and how big are the costs of creating an effective system to counter the underwater threat.

Funky American poster of those years. "Hit the pain points! Come serve in the submarine fleet - we account for 77% of the sunk tonnage!" Comments, as they say, are unnecessary

The article uses materials from the book "Soviet submarine shipbuilding", V. I. Dmitriev, Military Publishing, 1990.

Submarines dictate the rules in naval warfare and force everyone to meekly follow the established order.

I bring to your attention a short story about the seven most successful submarine projects of the war years.

Boats type T (Triton-class), UK

The number of submarines built is 53.
Surface displacement - 1290 tons; underwater - 1560 tons.
Crew - 59 ... 61 people.
Operating immersion depth - 90 m (riveted hull), 106 m (welded hull).
Full speed on the surface - 15.5 knots; in the underwater - 9 knots.
A fuel reserve of 131 tons ensured a surface cruising range of 8,000 miles.
Armament:
- 11 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm (on boats of sub-series II and III), ammunition load - 17 torpedoes;
- 1 x 102 mm universal gun, 1 x 20 mm anti-aircraft "Oerlikon".

A British submarine Terminator capable of knocking the crap out of the head of any enemy with a bow-mounted 8-torpedo salvo. The T-type boats had no equal in destructive power among all the submarines of the WWII period - this explains their ferocious appearance with a bizarre bow superstructure, which housed additional torpedo tubes.

After the war, the powerful and perfect Tritons were in service with the Royal Navy for another quarter of a century.
It is noteworthy that Israel acquired three boats of this type in the late 1960s - one of them, INS Dakar (formerly HMS Totem), died in 1968 in the Mediterranean Sea under unclear circumstances.

Boats of the "Cruising" type of the XIV series, the Soviet Union
The number of submarines built is 11.
Surface displacement - 1500 tons; underwater - 2100 tons.
Crew - 62 ... 65 people.

Full speed on the surface - 22.5 knots; in the underwater - 10 knots.
Surface cruising range 16,500 miles (9 knots)
Submerged cruising range - 175 miles (3 knots)
Armament:

- 2 x 100 mm universal guns, 2 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic;
- up to 20 minutes of barriers.

... On December 3, 1941, German hunters UJ-1708, UJ-1416 and UJ-1403 bombarded a Soviet boat that tried to attack a convoy near Bustad Sund.

“Hans, can you hear that creature?
— Nine. After a series of explosions, the Russians sank to the bottom - I detected three hits on the ground ...
Can you tell where they are now?
— Donnerwetter! They are blown. Surely they decided to surface and surrender.

The German sailors were wrong. From the depths of the sea, a MONSTER rose to the surface - a K-3 cruiser submarine of the XIV series, which unleashed a flurry of artillery fire on the enemy. From the fifth salvo, the Soviet sailors managed to sink U-1708. The second hunter, having received two direct hits, smoked and turned aside - his 20 mm anti-aircraft guns could not compete with the "hundreds" of a secular submarine cruiser. Having scattered the Germans like puppies, K-3 quickly disappeared over the horizon at 20 knots.

But, oddly enough, neither the high performance nor the most powerful weapons made the Katyusha an effective weapon - in addition to the dark story with the K-21 attack on the Tirpitz, during the war years, boats of the XIV series accounted for only 5 successful torpedo attacks and 27 thousand br. reg. tons of sunk tonnage. Most of the victories were won with the help of exposed mines. Moreover, their own losses amounted to five cruiser boats.

The reasons for the failures lie in the tactics of using the Katyushas - the mighty submarine cruisers, created for the expanses of the Pacific Ocean, had to "stomp" in the shallow Baltic "puddle". When operating at depths of 30-40 meters, a huge 97-meter boat could hit the ground with its bow, while its stern was still sticking out on the surface. It was a little easier for the sailors of the North Sea - as practice has shown, the effectiveness of the combat use of the Katyushas was complicated by the poor training of personnel and the lack of initiative of the command.
It's a pity. These boats were counting on more.

"Baby", Soviet Union

Series VI and VI-bis - 50 built.
Series XII - 46 built.
Series XV - 57 built (4 took part in the fighting).

TTX boat type M series XII:
Surface displacement - 206 tons; underwater - 258 tons.
Autonomy - 10 days.
The working depth of immersion is 50 m, the limit is 60 m.
Full speed on the surface - 14 knots; in the underwater - 8 knots.
Cruising range on the surface - 3380 miles (8.6 knots).
Cruising range in a submerged position - 108 miles (3 knots).
Armament:
- 2 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 2 torpedoes;
- 1 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic.

The project of mini-submarines for the rapid strengthening of the Pacific Fleet - the main feature of the M-type boats was the ability to be transported by rail in a fully assembled form.

The kids evolved quickly - the performance characteristics of each new series differed several times from the previous project: contours were improved, electrical equipment and detection tools were updated, diving time was reduced, and autonomy grew. The "babies" of the XV series no longer resembled their predecessors of the VI and XII series: one and a half hull design - the ballast tanks were moved outside the pressure hull; The power plant received a standard twin-shaft layout with two diesel engines and electric motors for underwater travel. The number of torpedo tubes increased to four. Alas, the XV series appeared too late - the brunt of the war was borne by the "Baby" VI and XII series.

Boats of the "Medium" type of the IX-bis series, the Soviet Union

The number of submarines built is 41.
Surface displacement - 840 tons; underwater - 1070 tons.
Crew - 36 ... 46 people.
The working depth of immersion is 80 m, the limit is 100 m.
Full speed on the surface - 19.5 knots; submerged - 8.8 knots.
Surface cruising range 8,000 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 148 miles (3 knots).

“Six torpedo tubes and the same number of spare torpedoes on racks convenient for reloading. Two cannons with a large ammunition load, machine guns, explosive equipment ... In a word, there is something to fight. And 20-knot surface speed! It allows you to overtake almost any convoy and attack it again. Technique is good…”
- opinion of the S-56 commander, Hero of the Soviet Union G.I. Shchedrin

The Eskis were distinguished by their rational layout and balanced design, powerful armament, and excellent running and seaworthiness. Originally a German design by Deshimag, modified to meet Soviet requirements. But do not rush to clap your hands and remember the Mistral. After the start of serial construction of the IX series at Soviet shipyards, the German project was revised with the aim of a complete transition to Soviet equipment: 1D diesel engines, weapons, radio stations, a noise direction finder, a gyrocompass ... - in the boats that received the designation "IX-bis series", there was not a single bolts of foreign production!

The problems of the combat use of boats of the "Medium" type, in general, were similar to the cruising boats of the K type - locked in mine-infested shallow water, they could not realize their high combat qualities. Things were much better in the Northern Fleet - during the war years, the S-56 boat under the command of G.I. Shchedrina made the transition across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, moving from Vladivostok to the Polar, subsequently becoming the most productive boat of the Soviet Navy.

An equally fantastic story is connected with the S-101 "bomb catcher" - over the years of the war, over 1000 depth charges were dropped on the boat by the Germans and the Allies, but each time the S-101 returned safely to Polyarny.

Finally, it was on the S-13 that Alexander Marinesko achieved his famous victories.

“The brutal alterations that the ship got into, bombing and explosions, depths far exceeding the official limit. The boat protected us from everything ... "
- from the memoirs of G.I. Shchedrin

Boats like Gato, USA

The number of submarines built is 77.
Surface displacement - 1525 tons; underwater - 2420 tons.
Crew - 60 people.
The working depth of immersion is 90 m.
Full speed on the surface - 21 knots; in a submerged position - 9 knots.
Surface cruising range 11,000 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 96 miles (2 knots).
Armament:
- 10 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 24 torpedoes;
- 1 x 76 mm universal gun, 1 x 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon;
- one of the boats - USS Barb was equipped with a multiple launch rocket system for shelling the coast.

The Getow-class ocean-going submarines appeared at the height of the Pacific War and became one of the most effective tools of the US Navy. They tightly blocked all strategic straits and approaches to the atolls, cut off all supply lines, leaving the Japanese garrisons without reinforcements, and Japanese industry without raw materials and oil. In the skirmishes with the Gatow, the Imperial Navy lost two heavy aircraft carriers, lost four cruisers and a damn dozen destroyers.

High speed, lethal torpedo weapons, the most modern electronic means of detecting the enemy - radar, direction finder, sonar. The cruising range that provides combat patrols off the coast of Japan when operating from a base in Hawaii. Increased comfort on board. But the main thing is the excellent training of the crews and the weakness of Japanese anti-submarine weapons. As a result, the Getow ruthlessly destroyed everything - it was they who brought victory in the Pacific Ocean from the blue depths of the sea.

Type XXI electric robots, Germany
By April 1945, the Germans managed to launch 118 submarines of the XXI series. However, only two of them were able to achieve operational readiness and go to sea in the last days of the war.

Surface displacement - 1620 tons; underwater - 1820 tons.
Crew - 57 people.
The working depth of immersion is 135 m, the maximum one is 200+ meters.
Full speed on the surface - 15.6 knots, in the submerged position - 17 knots.
Surface cruising range 15,500 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 340 miles (5 knots).
Armament:
- 6 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 17 torpedoes;
- 2 Flak anti-aircraft guns of 20 mm caliber.

The Germans were the first to guess: everything that shipbuilders of other countries are proud of - a large ammunition load, powerful artillery, a high surface speed of 20+ knots - is of little importance. The key parameters that determine the combat effectiveness of a submarine are its speed and power reserve in a submerged position.

The Germans calculated everything - the entire campaign "Electrobot" moved at periscope depth under the RDP, remaining difficult to detect for enemy anti-submarine weapons. At great depths, its advantage became even more shocking: 2-3 times the range, at twice the speed, than any of the submarines of the war years! High stealth and impressive underwater skills, homing torpedoes, a set of the most advanced detection tools ... "Electrobots" opened a new milestone in the history of the submarine fleet, determining the vector of development of submarines in the post-war years.

Type VII boats, Germany

The number of submarines built is 703.
Surface displacement - 769 tons; underwater - 871 tons.
Crew - 45 people.
Working depth of immersion - 100 m, limit - 220 meters
Full speed on the surface - 17.7 knots; in a submerged position - 7.6 knots.
Surface cruising range 8,500 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 80 miles (4 knots).
Armament:
- 5 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm, ammunition - 14 torpedoes;
- 1 x 88 mm universal gun (until 1942), eight options for superstructures with 20 and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns.

* the given performance characteristics correspond to boats of the VIIC sub-series

The most effective warships ever to sail the world's oceans.
A relatively simple, cheap, massive, but at the same time well-armed and deadly means for total underwater terror.

The entire history of the German "sevens" is a formidable warning from the past: what a threat the submarine poses and how high the costs of creating an effective system to counter the underwater threat.

"Wolf Packs" in World War II. Legendary submarines of the Third Reich Gromov Alex

The performance characteristics of the most common types of submarines

The armament and equipment of German submarines, which had many flaws and often malfunctioned in the first year of the war, was constantly improved, in addition to creating new, more reliable modifications. This was a "response" to the advent of the enemy's new anti-submarine defense and methods of detecting submarines.

Boats type II-B("Einbaum" - "canoe") were adopted in 1935.

20 submarines were built: U-7 - U-24, U-120 and U-121. Crews consisted of 25-27 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 42.7 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 283/334 tons

Maximum speed on the surface - 13 knots, underwater - 7 knots.

Surface range - 1800 miles.

They were armed with 5–6 torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.

Boats type II-C entered service in 1938.

8 submarines were built: U-56 - U-63.

The crew consisted of 25 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 43.9 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 291/341 tons

Maximum speed on the surface - 12 knots, underwater - 7 knots.

Surface range - 3800 miles.

They were armed with torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.

Boats type II-D commissioned in June 1940

16 submarines were built: U-137 - U-152.

The crew consisted of 25 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 44.0 x 4.9 x 3.9 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 314/364 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 12.7 knots, in the underwater position - 7.4 knots.

Surface range - 5650 miles.

They were armed with 6 torpedoes and one 20-mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 80/120 m.

Type VII-A boats entered service in 1936. 10 submarines were built: U-27 - U-36. The crew consisted of 42-46 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 64 x 8 x 4.4 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 626/745 tons

Maximum speed on the surface - 17 knots, underwater - 8 knots.

Surface range - 4300 miles.

They were armed with 11 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one anti-aircraft 20 mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 220/250 m.

Type VII-B boats were more advanced than type VII-A boats.

24 submarines were built: U-45 - U-55, U-73, U-74, U-75, U-76, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-86, U-87, U -99, U-100, U-101, U-102, among them the legendary U-47, U-48, U-99, U-100. The crew consisted of 44-48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 66.5 x 6.2 x 4 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 753/857 tons

Maximum surface speed - 17.9 knots, underwater - 8 knots.

They were armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one 20 mm gun.

Type VII-C boats were the most common.

568 submarines were built, including: U-69 - U-72, U-77 - U-82, U-88 - U-98, U-132 - U-136, U-201 - U-206, U -1057, U-1058, U-1101, U-1102, U-1131, U-1132, U-1161, U-1162, U-1191 - U-1210…

The crew consisted of 44-52 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 67.1 x 6.2 x 4.8 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 769/871 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 17.7 knots, in the underwater position - 7.6 knots.

Surface range - 12,040 miles.

They were armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88-mm gun, the number of anti-aircraft guns varied.

Boats type IX-A were a further development of the less advanced type of submarine I-A.

8 submarines were built: U-37 - U-44.

The crew consisted of 48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.6 x 6.51 x 4.7 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1032/1152 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 18.2 knots, in the underwater position - 7.7 knots.

Surface range - 10,500 miles.

They were armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, a 105-mm deck gun, one 37-mm anti-aircraft gun, one 20-mm anti-aircraft gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type IX-B were in many respects identical to the type IX-A submarines, differing primarily in b about a large supply of fuel and, accordingly, a cruising range on the surface.

14 submarines were built: U-64, U-65, U-103 - U-111, U-122 - U-124.

The crew consisted of 48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.5 x 6.8 x 4.7 m.

The maximum speed in the surface position is 18.2 knots, in the underwater position - 7.3 knots.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1058/1178 tons (or 1054/1159 tons).

Surface range - 8700 miles.

In service were 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one deck 105-mm gun, one anti-aircraft 37-mm gun, one anti-aircraft 20-mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type IX-C would have about Longer length compared to previous modifications.

54 submarines were built: U-66 - U-68, U-125 - U-131, U-153 - U-166, U-171 - U-176, U-501 - U-524. The crew consisted of 48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.76 x 6.78 x 4.7 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1138/1232 tons (often 1120/1232 tons).

The maximum speed in the surface position is 18.3 knots, in the underwater position - 7.3 knots.

Surface range - 11,000 miles.

They were armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one deck 105-mm gun, one anti-aircraft 37-mm gun, one 20-mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type IX-D2 possessed the largest cruising range in the fleet of the Third Reich.

28 submarines were built: U-177 - U-179, U-181, U-182, U-196 - U-199, U-200, U-847 - U-852, U-859 - U-864, U -871 - U-876.

The crew consisted of 55 people (on long trips - 61).

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 87.6 x 7.5 x 5.35 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1616/1804 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 19.2 knots, in the underwater position - 6.9 knots.

Surface range - 23,700 miles.

It was armed with 24 torpedoes or 72 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and two twin 20 mm guns.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type XIV(“Milchkuh” - “cash cow”) - a further development of the IX-D type, were able to carry over 423 tons of additional fuel, as well as 4 torpedoes and a fairly large supply of food, including even a bakery on board the submarines.

10 submarines were built: U-459 - U-464, U-487 - U-490.

The crew consisted of 53-60 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 67.1 x 9.35 x 6.5 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1668/1932 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 14.9 knots, in the underwater position - 6.2 knots.

Surface range - 12,350 miles.

Only two 37 mm anti-aircraft guns and one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun were in service, they did not have torpedoes.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Type XXI boats were the first ultra-modern submarines, in the serial production of which ready-made modules were used. These submarines were equipped with air conditioning and waste disposal systems.

118 submarines were built: U-2501 - U-2536, U-2538 - U-2546, U-2548, U-2551, U-2552, U-3001 - U-3035, U-3037 - U-3041, U -3044, U-3501 - U-3530. At the end of the war, there were 4 boats of this type in combat readiness.

The crew consisted of 57-58 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.7 x 7.7 x 6.68 m.

Displacement (in the surface / underwater position): 1621/1819 tons, fully loaded - 1621/2114 tons.

The maximum speed in the surface position is 15.6 knots, in the underwater position - 17.2 knots. For the first time, such a high speed of the boat was achieved in a submerged position.

Surface range - 15,500 miles.

It was armed with 23 torpedoes and two twin 20mm cannons.

Type XXIII boats("Elektroboot" - "electric boats") were focused on being constantly under water, thus becoming the first project of not diving, but really submarines. They were the last full-size submarines built by the Third Reich during World War II. Their design is maximally simplified and functional.

Launched 61 submarines: U-2321 - U-2371, U-4701 - U-4707, U-4709 - U-4712. Of these, only 6 (U-2321, U-2322, U-2324, U-2326, U-2329 and U-2336) took part in the hostilities.

The crew consisted of 14-18 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 34.7 x 3.0 x 3.6 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 258/275 tons (or 234/254 tons).

The maximum speed in the surface position is 9.7 knots, in the underwater position - 12.5 knots.

Surface range - 2600 miles.

Armed with 2 torpedoes.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 180/220 m.

From the book Portraits of Revolutionaries author Trotsky Lev Davidovich

An experience of characterization In 1913, in Vienna, in the old Habsburg capital, I sat in Skobelev's apartment at a samovar. The son of a wealthy Baku miller, Skobelev was at that time a student and my political student; a few years later he became my opponent and minister

From the book Atomic Underwater Epic. Exploits, failures, disasters author Osipenko Leonid Gavrilovich

The performance data of the U.S. submarine missile carrier Ohio Displacement: underwater 18,700 tons surface 16,600 tons Length 170.7 m Beam 12.8 m Draft 10.8 m Nuclear power plant capacity 60,000 hp Submerged speed 25 knots Submerged depth 300

From the book The Riddle of Scapa Flow author Korganov Alexander

The performance data of the nuclear submarine missile carrier of the USSR (Russia) “Typhoon” Displacement: underwater 50,000 tons surface 25,000 tons Length 170 m Width 25 m Height with cabin 26 m Number of reactors and their power 2 × 190 MW Number of turbines and their power 2 × 45000 hp Power

From the book Steel Coffins of the Reich author Kurushin Mikhail Yurievich

II Tactical and technical data P / L U-47 (Submarine VII In the series) Arrival of U-47 in Kiel. TYPE VIIB Type VIIB boats became a new step in the development of type VII. They were equipped with a pair of vertical rudder (on a feather behind each propeller), which made it possible to reduce the circulation diameter under water to

From the book Aircraft Designer A. S. Moskalev. To the 95th birthday author Gagin Vladimir Vladimirovich

MAIN PERFORMANCE DATA OF THE GERMAN SUBMARINES OPERATING IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD

From the book Requiem for the battleship Tirpitz author Pillar Leon

Flight performance of aircraft designed by A.S. Moskalev (according to the book by V.B. Shavrov “History of aircraft designs in the USSR) Year of manufacture Aircraft Purpose of the aircraft Engine Length of the aircraft, m Wingspan, m Wing area, sq.m. Weight,

From the book Zodiac author Graysmith Robert

From the book "Wolf Packs" in World War II. Legendary submarines of the Third Reich the author Gromov Alex

I. The performance characteristics of Tirpitz Displacement: maximum 56,000 tons typical 42,900 tons. Length: total 251 meters at the waterline 242 meters. Width: 36 meters. Draft depth: from 10.6 to 11.3 meters (depending on from workload). Artillery: caliber 380 mm - 4 towers 2 each

From the book Kalashnikov assault rifle. Symbol of Russia author Buta Elizaveta Mikhailovna

SPEECH CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ZODIAC October 22, 1969, Oakland Police Department - the voice of an obviously middle-aged man. July 5, 1969, 0.40, Vallejo Police Department (conversation with Nancy Slover) - speech without accent; the impression that the text is read from a piece of paper or rehearsed.

From the book Maximalisms [collection] author Armalinsky Mikhail

The first victims of German submarines More and more German boats sank other people's transports. In the world, Kaiser's Germany acquired the image of an "evil aggressor", but was never able to take control of enemy sea communications. May 7, 1915 on the Liverpool - New York line

From Alan Turing's Universe by Andrew Hodges

German Spare Parts for Soviet Submarines It should be clarified that in the 1920s and 1930s, Germany not only ordered components for its submarines, but also sold them abroad, in particular, to the USSR. So, the military historian A. B. Shirokorad (“Russia and Germany. History

From the author's book

The tasks of the German submarines They were formulated by K. Dönitz on the eve of his assumption of the post of commander of the first flotilla of the Weddigen submarines at the end of September 1935. A few years before the start of an unlimited submarine war, he foresaw its possibility:

From the author's book

The role of German submarines in the Norwegian operation This was the first operation of the Reich command, in which all three types of armed forces played an important role - the army, navy (including underwater) and aviation - therefore

From the author's book

Characteristics

From the author's book

The Germans are sinking British ships: Deciphering the call signs of German submarines The surrender at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the end for Germany. The course of the war was reversed. Although in the south and west the successes of the Allies still did not look convincing enough. in African

I will try to avoid technical details and tell readers what will help them understand our actions, I will give only a brief technical information about the submarine, which will help to better understand what is written on the pages of this book.

Role of submarines in military operations 1939–1945

A submarine is a real combat vehicle capable of operating under water, remaining invisible to the enemy. But in general, submarines in World War II were more effective on the surface than underwater. Immersion was a protective measure. However, anti-submarine weapons became more and more advanced, especially after the advent of radar, and the submarine had to operate more and more under water, while losing its offensive quality. By the end of the war, due to the speed of movement under water, the Germans returned to the practice of submarine operations as in the First World War, adding a snorkel to their submarines, through which the air necessary for the operation of the diesel generator was supplied and the exhaust gas was removed, so that it was not required to surface. to the surface.

The nuclear submarine was created in response to advances in anti-submarine technology. After that, the weapons on the boats changed: rather cheap weapons, of which there were a lot on the ship, were replaced by single, but expensive ones, as a result of which the cost of the submarines themselves increased significantly. However, despite the power of the submarine, it cannot be located in different areas of the ocean, and therefore their numbers have always been important to protect the territory.

The World War II submarine was "diving" as it was on the surface of the ocean most of the time. Its success was measured by the tonnage of enemy casualties. It was the most advantageous weapon on both sides. In addition, the boat not only acted against enemy ships and vessels, but was also an active participant in anti-submarine defense. Wanklyn once sank two enemy ships in which more men died than all the ships sunk by our U-boats put together during the Mediterranean campaign.

Once, during the siege of Malta, when I had a free moment, I calculated that for every 16-pound projectile from the 3-inch gun of our Safari, 10 enemy tons were sunk. The enemy, unlike us, used up much more depth charges, mines and shells, without bringing us any damage. My calculations also showed that the enemy needed five times more ammunition than we did to hit the target. The amount of fuel they had to use while hunting us, compared to the modest consumption of our diesels, was astronomical.

Submarines, especially during the Second World War, were a versatile weapon. Submarines were used as torpedo boats, gunboats, minelayers, amphibious transport ships, mother ships, tankers, navigation beacons, surface ship guides, aircraft rescue stations, reconnaissance vessels, escort convoys, anti-submarine ships, power plants to supply electric current.

But their main task was to reduce enemy supplies by sea, which was achieved by sinking ships. In my opinion, due to the fact that a torpedo attack was the most effective way to sink enemy ships and ships, a submarine in World War II was exclusively a submarine. The Germans and Americans sank most of the enemy's watercraft from the surface at night on the high seas, preying on large convoys and relying on the fact that the small silhouette of the submarine was almost invisible in the dark. The British, operating in the well-defended waters of the European continent and North Africa, very rarely used artillery and mostly attacked from a submerged position.

The great advantage of a submarine is that it can operate against the enemy for a long time without entering its base and not depending on it. The only thing that was bad on the submarine was that, unlike the aircraft, which to a certain extent played the same role as her, she could not quickly leave the scene of the attack. She always had to get her portion from a reciprocal enemy attack.

Submarine hunting

Escape from persecution largely depended on the application of your experience and skill. You could gather some information about the location of the enemy and his actions by listening to the work of his propellers using a sonar station, in the direction finding or echolocation mode. When the enemy spotted your boat, you knew that he had detected you and a depth charge attack would follow very soon. But mainly the enemy relied on extremely sensitive hydrophones, which easily picked up the noise of your propellers or the slightest noise of auxiliary mechanisms. In order to avoid detection, the general rule to follow was to go at the slowest speed at which the noise of the electric motor and the rotation of the propellers became almost undetectable by the sonar.

After you are discovered, you should change your speed dramatically, knocking the enemy off the trail, as well as change the course and depth of the dive. You should not have done this until the attack began, and especially if you were being pursued by several enemy ships, which will easily determine your location by noise. You should wait for the enemy to release their charges, and only then increase the speed and change course to get out of the fire. This maneuver requires calculation, especially if you are in a shallow area of the sea. To elude pursuers, use the density of sea water and changes in water temperature and salinity, which can help drown out radar. You can also use the surf or the noise of the ships you sunk, but it's best to escape to the sound of depth charges falling on you.

The captain of the boat during the pursuit has no time to be frightened. For the crew, it seemed to me, this situation looks more terrible, although most of them at this time are constantly busy managing the boat, since the commander constantly gives orders to turn, accelerate and stop movement. Nevertheless, they did not lose their spirits and often expressed critical remarks about those guys who dropped bombs on them from above. Their expressions were not always parliamentary, and their main essence was the desire to stop the protracted bombing.

I don't think anyone could have liked the depth charge attack, but they eventually got used to it. When you hear the splash of a bomb aimed at your boat, everyone closes their eyes for a few seconds and there is silence on the submarine, during which the crew waits to see if it hits their boat or explodes somewhere in the distance.

If the explosion does not reach the target, the team rejoices. If the bomb exploded so close to the boat that it must inevitably cause damage, everyone would deem it his duty to make a critical analysis of enemy equipment.

Immersion

A submarine cannot sink or resurface, stabilize or change its depth without great care and skillful control. All ships are like women, and the submarine among them is a very headstrong lady who must always be in a good mood.

In order to make it really manageable, you must constantly look after it. The fate of a submarine depends on the strength of its hull. It is a very strong steel tube in the shape of a cigar, containing all the necessary mechanisms, living quarters, as well as torpedoes. Some boats had torpedo tubes located outside the pressure hull, but controlled from the inside, as well as internal torpedo tubes. "Sealion" and "Safari" had six torpedo tubes located in the bow compartment, three on each side; in addition, there were six more spare torpedoes, which brought the total number of torpedoes to twelve. Outside the solid hull were located: conning tower, artillery gun, horizontal and vertical rudders, propellers and periscopes.

Even when the boat was on the surface, a very small part of the strong hull rose above the waves. This was the steel plating of the strong hull, called the light hull. It has a lot of holes that make it easy to go under the water. To some extent, the submarine would be more efficient without add-ons; the fewer superstructures, the easier it is to control the boat underwater. But when you have to operate on the surface, you need to have some kind of superstructure above the main body in order to watch the sea and not be washed away. The conning tower was connected to a solid hull through an impenetrable hatch. And so even if the conning tower flooded, which could happen from an artillery shell hit, depth charge damage, or a collision, you could count on the strong hull of the boat to remain watertight. The gun house was similar to the conning tower, but inferior to the latter in size.

Outside the pressure hull were the main ballast tanks installed on both sides. All of them, with the exception of tank number 1, were boolean, made of light metal and welded to a strong hull.

They were filled with water when the submarine was submerged and full of air when the boat surfaced. While diving, you opened the valves of the main ballast tanks. These valves were called air valves because air escaped through them and water was pumped in. The main ballast contained enough water to sink to the bottom at a faster or slower rate. To surface, air was blown through the main ballast, the air valves closed, high pressure air forced the water out of the tanks, allowing your boat to float.

The more buoyancy your submarine had, the longer it took to fill the tanks and the more time it took to dive. In any case, the ballast tanks should not have been completely emptied, and compared to surface ships, the submarines had very little buoyancy. The "S" type boat, under favorable circumstances, was submerged under water in about fifty seconds. If the weather was stormy, a strong wind blew on the bow, then more time was required to dive, since the tanks were not filled so quickly. Being in enemy waters, it was possible not to completely fill the main ballast tanks in order to keep only one conning tower on the surface, that is, to go in a cruising position. In submarine warfare, everything depends on the balance of the actions of the crew. If you balance correctly, you have nothing to fear.

As I said above, the fate and safety of the boat depends on your dive. Very often it was necessary to dive in a hurry, so the main task that stood before you was the ability to properly trim the boat.

Every day, even every hour, the displacement of a submarine changes. Your boat may have been filled with torpedoes, fuel, and fresh water. You may have used up some of your supplies on your last dive. Also, your holds could be dry or have water that has seeped through the rudder or hull mount seals.

In order to compensate for fuel consumption and trim the boat, sea water was supplied to the fuel tanks, so the fuel rose and entered the engine. Being heavier than the fuel, sea water remained at the base of the fuel tank and mixed with it very rarely even in stormy weather.

For greater stability and controllability when diving, there were auxiliary ballast tanks inside the boat. The first officer calculated how much water needed to be placed in them in order to properly distribute the ballast and ensure that the boat sank at the right time. In addition to this, he had to balance the boat so that it was not overloaded at the bow and too light at the stern. The weight had to be strictly balanced.

If the first officer makes a mistake in the calculations and there is not enough ballast, you will not be able to get away from an enemy destroyer coming at you at a speed of 30 knots, or an aircraft taking off from under the clouds. If the ballast is too large, then you will have time to dive, but will be unable to stop the dive, even if you start blowing the ballast. In this case, it is possible to hit the bottom, this is very bad. In contact with a steep and rocky bottom, the boat may be damaged or holed, in a sandy and even bottom, it may get stuck and never get out. The deeper the depth, the more dangerous the dive will be for you. When diving, for every two feet of depth, the pressure increases by almost one psi. Since the hull of a submarine is very large, the pressure may soon become critical when diving.

Each boat has a specific diving depth. For Sealion it was 200 feet, for Safari it was 350 feet. On the Sealion, during one depth charge attack, I went down to a depth of 300 feet, causing the hull of the boat to crack and creak in alarm. On the Safari during the attack, I regularly dived to a depth of 450 feet, but the hull withstood the pressure. I saw an S-type boat, a Struborn, which went out of control and sank to a depth of 500 feet. Her skin began to crack at the seams, and although it held out, the frames of the boat protruded like the ribs of a racehorse. She needed a major overhaul. The hulls of the Sealion and Safari were riveted, and when the boats sank to dangerous depths, they began to creak, which told us that we needed to surface. The welded hull of the later boats, although able to withstand more pressure, could not warn you of danger. It could burst suddenly, but, needless to say, I can't talk about it without experience.

On the one hand, the rivets are more vulnerable during a deep attack, but on the other hand, thanks to them, it was possible to go to a depth where the bomb would have less effect on the hull. But in any case, you dive into the depths to take advantage of the jump in water density, increase the distance between you and enemy ships. It was the usual good risk calculation. To dive, it was necessary to "weight" the boat. But due to the pressure acting on it, it became smaller, therefore, it displaced less water, and to compensate, it had to be pumped out of auxiliary ballast tanks.

From the foregoing, it follows that no one demanded absolutely accurate ballast calculations from the first assistant. It was always better to take more, because in war it is better to take too much than not to take it, otherwise you will be sunk before you begin to sink. It was enough to make rough calculations, and the boat went under water, and at the same time you could use the front and rear horizontal rudders in order to control the dive. Of course, in the calculation you could make a serious mistake, and the boat began to sink too quickly, but when you are being hunted, you need to go under the water as quickly as possible. Therefore, to control the boat, the first assistant used various methods: either he let water into the tanks, or he pumped out the excess, gradually reducing the sinking speed to the least possible. In order for the boat to sink properly, all the rudders (horizontal) of the boat had to be engaged.

In a submerged position, the main helmsman controlled the stern horizontal rudders, and the second helmsman controlled the horizontal rudders of the bow of the boat. To keep the submarine at depth, especially when at sea, and to perform maneuvers at the same time, considerable dexterity and skill were required from the helmsmen. An experienced helmsman in calm weather can balance the boat so that it is able to come to a complete stop and hover. Raising the periscope displaces several gallons of water, and this can cause you to surface. Lower it and you will start to sink. Therefore, any maneuvers always require a very precise trim.

On a submarine, everything is too slow, and it takes a long time to accelerate or stop a nearly thousand-ton S-type boat. If you intend to maintain complete control over her, you need to foresee everything in advance and begin to take measures to keep the headstrong lady until the moment when she starts to act up.

periscopes

Our submarines had two periscopes: a large aperture periscope (H.P.) and a commander's, or small, periscope. Both are approximately 34 feet long.

The H.P. periscope was bifocal and gave us a sixfold or one and a half times increase in viewing range. Due to the loss of part of the image in numerous prisms and lenses, a magnification of 1.5 times gave us the same picture that we could see with ordinary vision. To determine the distance to the object, one had to have a lot of experience.

It was possible to increase the viewing range of the periscope using a special lever; however, it was necessary to apply the appropriate force, since it was worth a little overzealous, as an error occurred in determining the distance to the target, which could lead to a collision.

A sixfold magnification gave a much more detailed picture with good visibility, but also a much narrower one. You could only watch one thing at a time. Through lenses of lower magnification, a larger picture could be seen.

Periscope

With the H.P. periscope, you could turn the eyepiece and look at the sky. When the periscope was in an inclined state or located against the wind, its lenses were covered with drops of water, which greatly worsened visibility. In addition, in an inclined position, the lenses could reflect the sun's rays, and glare would be seen on an enemy vessel or ship.

I never let out the periscope as much as possible and always believed that if there was an airplane nearby, in no case should the periscope be used. My big periscope on the Safari had a special lens to look at the sky. It did not fog up as much and glare in the sun, so the periscope was not too noticeable. Everyone wants to watch the sky above them, but I believe that I outlived many of my comrades because I learned to do without watching the sky.

Most H.P. periscopes were 91? inches, but their last four feet narrowed to 4 inches. Each commander painted the periscope at their own discretion, but I always thought that it was better when it was dirty. The rest of the periscope shone bronze, as it usually did not protrude beyond the hull.

The commander's periscope had a diameter of 71? inches and a much smaller top window. It tapered to about 2 inches and was almost invisible above the water. At the same time, with its help it was more difficult to observe the enemy, so it was used when they approached the enemy for an attack. In practice, you used a large periscope as far as you dared, believing that you would not be seen. I used a large periscope at a distance that no one else dared to do this, namely about 4000 yards in calm weather. I really want to see everything very clearly. I always resisted this point of view, therefore, when I approached the enemy, I did not raise a small periscope above the waves. In my opinion, the art of using the periscope was the ability to see the situation in a short period of time and draw accurate conclusions. My rule of thumb was: when near an anti-submarine ship, be careful and it is better to lose the opportunity to observe than to impersonate yourself with a periscope. The fate of the boat and the crew largely depended on this.

Usually the periscopes were in the lowered state, their "eyes" in the lower position were located almost at the keel. They were raised hydraulically until the "upper window" was above the water. To do this, one had to be at a depth no less than the height of the periscope, that is, 34 feet. If you were below, it was called below "periscope depth".

Periscope stands and net cable

Our periscopes were bronze, which gave them some advantages, but they did not have the strength that they would have if they were made of steel. And when they were submerged, they had to be supported so as not to break. British boats therefore had periscope legs, or bollards, from the bridge about 10 feet short of periscope depth. The pedestals also served as a support for the network cable. It was a heavy, serrated steel cable stretched from bow to stern, necessary to prevent anti-submarine nets from snagging the gun, bridge, or other parts of the boat.

Underwater attack

Everyone tends to bring an aura of superstition into their profession, and I am not without sin either. In 1914–1918, an underwater attack, due to the not too high level of technology and equipment, was very complicated. The lack of money for the development of our submarines led to the fact that their torpedo attack was not much different from that of their ancestors during the First World War. The difference was that now we had to deal with improved enemy ships, which, fortunately, also had flaws. In confirmation of my words, I can cite the fact that a handful of German submariners in the First World War inflicted such huge damage on the opponents that we could not inflict with our entire coalition. The Germans invented special calculation machines and special torpedoes that chose their own course, freeing submarine commanders from calculations. The Americans went further and developed a really wonderful computer and supplemented it with a radar system. The attack, which was often used in the First World War, was significantly developed, having achieved significant success in the Second World War, the British.

Nature may have endowed the British with a special marine vision, the ability to use it to draw conclusions based on the insignificant information that appears before their eyes, and they are able to do this in conditions far from comfortable.

In those days when the deeds of the Sealion and Safari were all over the headlines, my attacks were called "rapid." It could hardly have been a more inappropriate name for an attack made from a boat traveling at three knots or less.

I had the honor of being Commander of the Submarine Force after the war when Churchill opened the Underwater Memorial in Westminster Abbey. I remember that when he spoke of us, he mentioned our "compassion in moments of danger." I may not have fully possessed this quality, but I believe that it is necessary for the commander of a submarine, so swiftness in action was characteristic of those who did not care too much about their own fate.

In order to avoid detection, our speed was limited during the attack. Aiming torpedoes takes approximately four minutes for every 90 degrees of your turns, but could take longer if the enemy ships were out of formation or in a broken line.

At 2000 yards, your target crosses the crosshairs much faster than the boat can turn, so it was often necessary to attack on a collision course, because in many cases it was very difficult to catch up with the enemy.

The ideal attack position was abeam within 600 yards, although 500 to 1500 yards was also very dangerous for the enemy. Outside this range, you had to rely entirely on your calculation of the enemy's movement and speed, as well as on your torpedoes, which had twice the range of the Americans or Germans and hit a target up to 10,000 yards away. At best, the torpedo goes almost without deviating from the desired course, at worst, you may well hit yourself, and not the enemy. From 2,000 yards away, there was an element of luck in your attack, and the further this distance increased, the more your chances decreased. Shots from a long distance could sometimes bring success, but in most cases they were fired not at a single target, but at a cluster of ships.

The enemy course was determined by eye, and it was not such a difficult matter. For the calculation, you needed to see the contours of the masts, pipes and sides of the enemy ship. An experienced commander could calculate a course within 5 degrees, being in relation to the enemy at 45 degrees. If this angle increased, then the calculations became more complicated. It was more difficult to calculate the course of some ships - either the camouflage coloring interfered, or the ship was sailing in complete darkness.

It was extremely difficult to assess the speed of the enemy. First of all, it was necessary to find out the type of vessel in order to know how fast it could go.

Bow ship waves were misleading, they depended on the wind, sea waves and the shape of the hull. The ship's stern waves, if you could see them, were able to help you. A ship traveling at high speed leaves behind small waves. The wave from a destroyer will be higher than its quarterdeck. But in any case, these approximate readings will not allow you to make an accurate calculation.

It was possible to calculate the speed of the enemy by the operation of his engines. The sonar is able to determine the rotational speed of the propellers. Having learned this frequency, the commander should have calculated what type of vessel could develop such a speed. The difficulty was that there were many types of engines. In addition, all your calculations depended on the accuracy of the sonar readings.

The most accurate method was to plot the enemy's course in advance and determine the speed at which he was moving. This required knowing certain parameters. The periscope had a device through which you could observe two images of the target at once and separate one from the other. When you combine these two images so that the waterline of the first passes over the upper masts of the second, you can calculate the coordinates of the shot.

If your target was along the coast, then you could determine the speed by measuring the sections that the enemy passed in a certain time.

Finally, you could estimate the coordinates of the enemy by eye. Before going to the surface and attacking, the submariner always measured the distance through the periscope, then figured out where the enemy would move when the boat surfaced. For an experienced officer, this was not difficult.

Having received the course and speed of the enemy ship, the commander transmitted this data to his subordinates - the assault group, so that it would clear the calculations of possible errors. After that, the commander set the coordinates on the periscope and attacked. The enemy rarely changed course, but sometimes it did. And the worst thing is that you couldn't do anything about it. Zigzag movement is a recognized and highly effective, and therefore regularly used during the war, method of confusing an underwater attack. You could never be sure of the accuracy of your calculations until you fired.

These calculations were only a minor part of the whole attack, although they meant a lot and should always be at your fingertips. The main difficulty was in taking the right position to attack - at the right time and at the right angle. You had to do all this at low speeds, because if you increased your speed, enemy ships could track you. In addition, the periscope could only be used to a limited extent. It was not necessary at this moment to constantly give instructions to the first mate and helmsman, who were already having a hard time steering the boat. Having taken a position, it is also necessary to be able to hold it if the sea is restless.

Your target is always moving much faster than you, and your movement is largely dependent on its path. If the boat was far away from you, all you could do was follow it at top speed and fire at it from the shortest distance you could get. Then you had to wait until it became clear how correctly you determined the enemy's course and speed and whether the torpedoes would find their target. You had to shoot from afar, and in this case, the escort could notice the trace of your torpedo and your target could be warned, after which it most often changed course.

Great dexterity and skill were not required for the attack, and if you hit, then, of course, you were glad, but at the same time you did not feel pride in your skill, since success depended entirely on luck. Oddly enough, the attack was the most dangerous. It was like hunting a big animal. In it, as in your attack, the one who shot not for sure rarely survived. To attack under these conditions required endurance to pursue a target for many miles and courage to get through the enemy's sonar. But if you do this, then you are safe and shoot at the target from where the enemy is not waiting for you. In addition, the noise of your shot merges with the noise of enemy propellers. Your attack will most likely succeed, and you will be able to evade pursuit without any problems.

Approaching the enemy

Air patrols were out of your control, so to avoid detection, you had to go as deep as possible underwater, that is, about 50 feet below periscope depth, and do not increase speed until you were completely invisible to the enemy. If there was a significant distance to the target, then you had to walk blindly most of the way. The enemy, meanwhile, could freely change course and thus thwart your plans. Under certain circumstances it was better to launch an attack from a long distance than to pursue the enemy for a long time and go blindly.

The air escort of the object of your pursuit did not pose a great danger to the boat. The most important thing in pursuing the enemy is not to give yourself away. In very many cases, the success of the attack depended on luck. It was possible to notice the boat only during the attack, when it was at periscope depth and after launch, the torpedoes left a trail of air bubbles on the surface. This is how I was twice discovered by enemy aircraft: the first time on the Sealion, when we were almost not sunk, and the second time on the Safari, when we were shaken well. But there's nothing you can do about it, you have to put up with it.

An escort could accompany your target from the beginning to the end of the journey, which made the task very difficult. Almost always you were discovered because of your own mistakes, but usually you did not have the operational space to avoid detection.

Escort ships sail approximately 1500-3000 yards from the escorted vessel. If the ships were sailing at a distance of 3000 yards, it was not so difficult for you to attack the enemy. In this case, you had about nine minutes left to get into position for a shot, given that the attacked ship is moving at a speed of 10 knots. If the escort was at a distance of 1500 yards, things became more complicated and often had to be content with fire from outside the escort ships. In this case, the escort ships could warn each other of the danger and change course. At 3,000 yards, you will always have time to hide from the enemy by going to the bottom, and then rise again and shoot. As shown in fig. 1, which shows a typical escort scheme of seven ships and the course of the boat's approach to attack the target, escort ships 1-5 do not pose any particular danger to the submarine. The real danger is ship 6. It is usually a thousand yards from the position from which the boat launched the torpedoes, and therefore you will have no more than a minute to shoot and hide. It is not very pleasant in this case to understand that as soon as you fired a shot, the enemy took you at gunpoint. Therefore, the choice of position should be approached very carefully.

When your boat slowly passes through an enemy escort, its stern and bow are too small a target for him to notice, especially after she leaves the escort's position.

Unfortunately, very often escort ships changed their course. On fig. 2 shows the predicament that a submarine gets into if the ships change course while the submarine is about to pass through the escort convoy. While they are going north, the submarine is free to pass between ships 1 and 2. After they pass, she needs to turn and attack, which is not too difficult. But the ships suddenly change their course to the northeast. Vessel 2 will then notice the boat if it passes over it or if it increases speed. In this case, she will have to dive to the bottom. At the same time, the submarine does not have much time to perform the maneuver, since if it increases its speed, it will most likely be noticed. If the escort ship is located as shown in Fig. 1 at number 4, then it will also pose a danger to the submarine and interfere with its maneuvers when it tries to turn left and increase speed. The target will also turn to the right in this case and will go much further from the course you were counting on. In such a case, the submarine must maneuver very quickly if it intends to take up a convenient firing position.

Even if your target is moving at a constant and slow speed, it is not easy to hit it when you are 600 yards away. At 400 yards, it is almost impossible to change the direction of the torpedoes, so they can freely pass under your target without even hitting it. This situation is illustrated in Fig. 3. We will assume that on the day in question the submarine is traveling at a speed of 3 knots, approximately 100 yards per minute, in deep, light seas.

Our submarine expects the target from point T1 to travel at 12 knots and about 2000 yards to intersect with it. At 12 knots (she's going 400 yards per minute), she'll need five minutes to reach T2. During this time, the submarine will travel 500 yards and reach point S2, taking up a position that will leave 600 yards to the target.

But all these calculations are based on your personal estimates, and they may not be correct. They could be affected by poor visibility and an incorrect estimate of the size of the target. Your target is probably only making 9 knots and is 2400 yards away, so it travels 300 yards per minute, taking it eight minutes to reach T2, which is three minutes longer than you calculated. In those three extra minutes, the submarine will travel an additional 300 yards and end up at point S3, which is 300 yards from the target, which is too close for a torpedo attack.

And the last. The submarine commander can make a miscalculation in determining the enemy's course. In this case, the target will pass more to the left than your calculations suggest. And before the submariners realize what has happened, they will be threatened with a collision, and they will have to cancel the attack and go into the depths.

Keep in mind that things don't always go as planned, so constant adjustments should be made. But unfortunately, this is not always so easy to do, so your boat can end up in a very difficult situation. If your goal is accompanied, in addition to ships, by aviation, then your affairs may become more complicated. In this case, you should refuse to penetrate the enemy guard and shoot from a distance of 2000 yards. The enemy may not notice your torpedoes, and in any case, in a minute and a quarter you will know the result of your shot.

The problem with this attack is that a three-knot error in your calculation will cause the torpedo to pass 400 feet from the target if you fire from 2000 yards. If you shoot at 600 yards, then your miscalculation is 120 feet. It is always necessary to know that a ship with a displacement of 7000 tons has a length of 400 feet.

If the target makes a turn or changes course, you constantly have to make new calculations. When a target is constantly turning, and you watch its maneuvers for a long time, you can predict its next movements. However, you should not rely on the enemy in war, as your predictions may be wrong. It is best to attack the enemy in between his turns. Sometimes you can even anticipate the actions of the enemy, especially when he goes through a narrow channel covered with minefields. In this case, observing the work of minesweepers, you can easily guess the course of the enemy target.

There are many ways to attack. An example of the worst attack is shown in Fig. 4. It depicts one of the Sealion attacks, which will be discussed below. Fortunately, in that case, she sank another target, located more favorably, because the escort protected her main target. Unfortunately, the Sealion was not able to successfully attack the main target, but that's another story.

On fig. 4, our submarine in position S1 is very conveniently located to attack the target at point T1. When the target reaches T3, the submarine will be in S3, ready for a good shot. Unfortunately, our submarine, when the target reached point T2, changed course and turned to the left, which should have led to the fact that at point S3 we had to collide with each other.

Something had to be done immediately. If we could go backwards, things would be much easier. The submarine is capable of submerging when reversing, but the control of the boat in this case is very difficult and not good enough to take risks in combat. And in this case, of course, the launch of torpedoes is almost reduced to zero.

The best way out of this situation would be for our submarine to start diving, pick up speed, pass the enemy ship, turn around and attack it from the starboard side. If the target were moving at low speed, our submarine would be able to do this, but then she would have to shoot at the starboard side in the stern area, which greatly complicates the accuracy of the shot. This is shown in fig. 5.

A submarine located at point S1, in order to attack a target located at point T1, must change course and turn left. To do this, she must gain speed, cross the enemy's course, and position herself at S2 to attack her target when they are at T2. The torpedo will pass along line S2 to T3, where it will meet the target. The Sealion could not do this because an enemy escort was passing through point E, which did not allow it to quickly gain speed and not be seen.

The way out of this situation is shown in Fig. 6. You need to turn around to the target and go a little to the left, then turn right to shoot at the stern of the target when it is at T2, the torpedo will go when the enemy ship is at T3. In fact, it is very problematic to perform this maneuver. Your target could very quickly get away from you. In the case of the Sealion, we were lucky because there was an alternative target on the course P1 - P2, and it was this vessel that we attacked. As a result, we certainly had no chance to turn around and attack the main target.

If it was not possible to do anything at all, then you can go deep to avoid a collision with the target, and shoot using the sonar readings. In this case, you, of course, still have chances of success, but they are very illusory.

Accumulator battery

Another device the submarine commander had to think about during an underwater attack was the battery. It had a limited action and set the electric motors in motion when the boat was sinking. To charge it, it was necessary to rise to the surface and start the diesels for charging.

At full speed while submerged, you could only go for an hour, covering just over 8 miles in that time. At low speed, say two knots, you could go under water for about a day and a half.

The battery of a submarine is a very bulky thing. On the "S" type boat, it was located in two compartments, and each part of it weighed about 50 tons. When the battery was running low, the diesels had to run at full power to recharge it.

Without a battery, you are helpless. The constant concern of the commander was to save resources by choosing the appropriate speed. It was always necessary to have a supply of amperes in order to use it for salvation at the right time.

Moving at night, I constantly had to consult with mechanics to figure out how fast to go and how long to charge the battery. For normal patrols, it took about six hours a day to spend on charging the battery.

The battery was constantly mentioned in operational calculations, because the entire life of the submarine depended on it.

Diesel generators and propulsion motors

The driving force of the submarine is two diesel engines that drive the propeller shafts; electric propulsion motors were mounted on the same shafts behind the main diesels, connected by a coupling known as the Bomag coupling. Behind each propeller motor was a propeller shaft coupling.

By rotating the clutch, an electric motor set the diesel engines in motion. If the propeller shaft coupling rotated, then the propeller rotated. Usually, this is how they floated to the surface when the main electric motor was disconnected and it rotated freely on the shaft, like a flywheel.

The main electric motors could equally well be used as DC generators. In this case, they were connected to batteries, and the main diesel engines set in motion a DC generator that charged the batteries. If it was required to charge them quickly, the diesel coupling should have been released. The engines did not have enough power to simultaneously drive the propellers and quickly charge the battery. However, given enough time, you could slowly charge the battery and move on.

In order to power the main electric motors when diving, you had to disconnect the diesel coupling, leaving the propeller shaft coupling to work, and then your propellers would work using battery power.

"Safari" could go on the surface at a speed of approximately 15 knots, her engines had a power of about 2500 horsepower. At 12? knots, which was normal cruising speed, you can also charge the battery.