Norway's A class was an extreme example of underinvestment rather than a criticism of small submarines in general. Comparable small designs could be effective, but a pressure hull accumulates age and fatigue in ways that make prolonged service especially hazardous. These boats were old enough to predate the First World War and had not received the kind of modernization that sustained a surface capital ship. Their continued use exposes the difference between counting hulls and maintaining a credible, safe fleet.
Notable Point · 1:58:23-2:02:08
Norway kept prewar submarines far beyond a safe hull life
A discussion of technological mismatches turns to Norwegian A-class submarines that had entered service before the First World War and remained active in the late 1930s.