Submarine+Warfare

Submarine Warfare

 By Jenna Markovich






Submarine warfare was a common method of warfare during World War I. Many countries used this method of submarine warfare during that time few including Germany (who used them first) then the United Kingdom and finally the United States of America. Submarine warfare was used because it gave the Navy of World War l the ability to approach the enemies while completely submerged which ultimately led to a surpise attack and the sinking of the enemies ships. Though the Germans sank over 11 million tons of ships, the submarine offensive failed to stop trade with Britain due to the introduction of protected convoys of merchant ships by the Allies, and the availability of merchant vessels from neutral countries to help replace losses. The threat of submarine attack did interest the U.S. Navy to defend its troopship convoys across the Atlantic, which was a task accomplished without loss.
 * History of Submarine Warfare**

The use of unrestricted submarine warfare was offically stated on January 9th of nineteen seventeen. Germany turned to the tatic of submarine warfare because the war was not going well for Germany, but they believed that if this tactic worked and they won, that America would be to scared to enter the war therefore, leaving them the ultimate winners of World War I.

Submarines are designed to use at deep depths. They have rigid, double-walled hulls which allow the passengers to live normally as long as the air supplies last. They have a rudder on the right of the submarine and on the left which are used to steer, and a propeller used to move the submarine forward. "The submarine’s ability to either sink or float lies in a special property of air. Unlike water or metal, air can be squashed into a tiny space. While the submarine is sinking, its air is compressed. Water fills the compartments called the ballast tanks. The combination of water and metal, with just a little bit of air in the centre for the crew to breathe, is more dense than the surrounding ocean water, and so the submarine sinks. Once the submarine is underwater, air is pumped into the ballast tanks. The new combination of metal, water, and air is just as dense as the surrounding water, so the submarine hovers, neither sinking nor rising. This is called “neutral buoyancy”, and allows the sub to maneuver underwater.
 * How It Works**

When it’s time to rise, even more air is pushed into the ballast tanks. This pushes water out, resulting in a mixture of air, metal, and water that is now less dense than the water surrounding the sub. Under these conditions, the submarine rises to the surface.



[] [] [] []