German submarine development already required substantial effort on diesel-electric propulsion. Maintaining surface-ship diesels and steam machinery alongside it divided research and development among different demands. In this interpretation, pursuing a faster ship on paper diverted resources from engines Germany could already develop well. Better diesels are expected to make later Deutschland-type ships faster while preserving, or possibly increasing, their range. That expected improvement remains conditional on successful development.
Notable Point · 12:55-13:58
Surface ships and submarines competing for propulsion research
Separate surface-diesel, submarine-diesel and steam programmes frame a proposed change in research priorities.