The Flag Officer Submarines called for a true submarine whose underwater qualities took precedence over surface performance. Designers considered a Type XXI-like boat able to snorkel continuously, recharge efficiently, and eventually use a Walter closed-cycle engine for bursts of high submerged speed. One experimental concept discarded diesels entirely and relied on battery endurance while engineers studied hull form and control at about twenty knots underwater. The purpose-built project was replaced by the conversion of the S-class HMS Scotsman, showing how an ambitious requirement became a practical trials platform.
Chapter · 3:27:15-3:29:39
From Type XXI lessons to a true postwar submarine
A reading from Norman Friedman's British Submarines follows the Royal Navy's 1945 attempt to prioritise submerged speed, deep diving, snorkelling, and future closed-cycle propulsion.