I read an article not so long ago on the Seawolf class attack sub. (There are--or soon will be--three of them?) I generally find that articles on current military hardware aren't very reliable; the obvious reasons being that the DoD is usually trying to 'promote' the given weapons system in the eyes of the public (hence they're always ready to cooperate with a potentially sympathetic journalist), and, of course, so much information remains classified. But...

One claim about the Seawolf attack submarine struck me, and that is that the Navy claims it has 'silent speed' of up to 21 knots. I.e. if 'press releases' are to be believed, it can move at that rate and stay undetected, without compromising its passive sonar.

However...

I've also recently been reading a few articles on just how potentially grave a threat diesel-electric boats could pose, not just to US surface groups but to US nuclear submarines. (Thanks again to Robert M. for some choice links here...) It seems that in naval exercises diesel-electrics score 'kills' with a disturbing frequency.

Well, before I write a novel here, my question is this: just how much louder are nuclear submarines to diesel-electric boats? We can only postulate here, of course, but is technologically feasible to make nuclear boat as quiet?

Er, query two, is there any evidence that diesel-electrics (virtually undetectable through passive means, I understand) can be defeated with effective ASW tactics and existing technology?

Any feedback greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Robert