Technology and Operations
This forum is for discussing technological & operational matters pertaining to U-boats.
RE: technological differences?
Posted by:
Rainer Bruns
()
Date: June 27, 2000 03:27PM
Hi Les,
You really know how to stir the pot, don't you. This subject is provocative enough to get the juices flowing. In order to maintain a resemblence of objectivity we should try not to compare apples with oranges and keep in mind for what theater and purpose the individual types were designed.
1)Bear in mind that IJN considered their subs as an extended arm of the battle fleet (a tactical and strategic blunder). Thus the larger subs had surface cruising speeds in excess of 20kn and endurance commensurate with Pacific distances in mind. Their designs since WW1 have been consistent counters to what the USA had been producing, I.e. US building sub-cruisers, IJN follows with slightly faster but at the expense of armaments. The same pattern follows with the fleet boats and improved fleet boats (Baleo) and the later IJN designs. My impression of the design of these big Pacific boats:
American designs had the edge. Archilles heel on all of them: Comparatively slow dive times and shallow operating depths. Few of them would have survived depths German subs were routinely using to evade their hunters.
2) Contrary to above all German designs except Type IX, XXI
and their later derivatives were basically designed for service in the eastern Atlantic and fringe seas. From the start the designers choices were: Manouverability over size and endurance, armament and survivability over speed (and never mind minimum livability for the crew :-)).
On types IX and XXI manouverabilty took a backseat to size with more armaments, endurance.
Summation: The winners at the time of their deployment were:
VIIC40 = best against NA convoys
Baleo Class = best long distance raider
XXI = in a class by itself. Best design actuall built of WW2. Basically the first of a generation of post WW2 designs.
Other noteworthy designs not actually built are German Type XXIC (18 torp tubes) and XXVII (if you scratch the dangerous
Walter turbine and replace with a reactor, you got the grand-
father of a nuke hunter/killer.
Now others can have a go at it. Cheers, RB.
You really know how to stir the pot, don't you. This subject is provocative enough to get the juices flowing. In order to maintain a resemblence of objectivity we should try not to compare apples with oranges and keep in mind for what theater and purpose the individual types were designed.
1)Bear in mind that IJN considered their subs as an extended arm of the battle fleet (a tactical and strategic blunder). Thus the larger subs had surface cruising speeds in excess of 20kn and endurance commensurate with Pacific distances in mind. Their designs since WW1 have been consistent counters to what the USA had been producing, I.e. US building sub-cruisers, IJN follows with slightly faster but at the expense of armaments. The same pattern follows with the fleet boats and improved fleet boats (Baleo) and the later IJN designs. My impression of the design of these big Pacific boats:
American designs had the edge. Archilles heel on all of them: Comparatively slow dive times and shallow operating depths. Few of them would have survived depths German subs were routinely using to evade their hunters.
2) Contrary to above all German designs except Type IX, XXI
and their later derivatives were basically designed for service in the eastern Atlantic and fringe seas. From the start the designers choices were: Manouverability over size and endurance, armament and survivability over speed (and never mind minimum livability for the crew :-)).
On types IX and XXI manouverabilty took a backseat to size with more armaments, endurance.
Summation: The winners at the time of their deployment were:
VIIC40 = best against NA convoys
Baleo Class = best long distance raider
XXI = in a class by itself. Best design actuall built of WW2. Basically the first of a generation of post WW2 designs.
Other noteworthy designs not actually built are German Type XXIC (18 torp tubes) and XXVII (if you scratch the dangerous
Walter turbine and replace with a reactor, you got the grand-
father of a nuke hunter/killer.
Now others can have a go at it. Cheers, RB.
