The best available period technology can look obviously foolish once later systems have solved its problems. Prewar submarine propulsion operated near contemporary limits, while the First World War would bring a vast increase in boat numbers, practical experience, and technical capability. The Royal Navy invested heavily in that learning instead of rejecting submarines as un-British. Early submariners volunteered for uncomfortable and hazardous service, although destroyers and battleships also offered poor accommodation by modern standards. This distinction separates justified criticism of ordering an entire K class from hindsight about the immature machinery available to its designers.
Notable Point · 9:55-12:42
How hindsight distorts early submarine technology
Early fleet submarines should be judged against contemporary engineering limits and the operational experience that had not yet accumulated before the First World War.