GoKawiil2 min read
For much of their history submarines have spent most of their time on the surface, only submerging to make attacks.
But the arrival of nuclear power allowed a submarine to stay underwater indefinitely.
Operation Sandblast demonstrated to the world that submarines could now spend an entire patrol underwater.
In 1960, the U.S. Navy conducted a landmark exercise in the history of submarine warfare. The nuclear powered submarine USS Triton circumnavigated the globe completely underwater, proving that submarines—which until then had spent much of their time on the surface—could now operate completely submerged.
It was all thanks to nuclear energy, which provided unlimited power to submarines.
U.S. Navy via Navsource Older submarines, such as the World War II veteran USS Gato, were designed to operate on the surface. Nuclear power changed that.
One surprising fact about submarines is that for decades they spent more time on the surface of the ocean than underneath. From the earliest subs to those built in the immediate postwar years, submarines were powered by air-breathing diesel engines. Submarines would cruise on the surface, searching for targets, and then submerge and operate off lead acid batteries to make their torpedo attacks. Submarines were built to be faster on the surface of the water than under the surface, typically making 20 knots surfaced and only about 10 knots submerged.
Nuclear power changed everything. Nuclear power didn’t need air to help power the submarine, meaning that a nuclear submarine could operate submerged indefinitely. As a result, the shape of submarines went from the chunky u-boat types subs to smooth, tuna-like hulls that greatly increased hydrodynamic efficiency. The combination of a more efficient hull and nuclear power made for quieter, faster subs capable of traveling three times faster underwater than their predecessors.
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