Britain expected to impose a blockade in wartime, leaving cruisers and destroyers to find and capture enemy merchant ships. German submarines faced the opposite commerce-raiding problem, so their design priorities differed. Royal Navy boats instead inherited First World War roles such as reconnaissance, ambush, mine-laying, and covert insertion of personnel. These tasks favored submarines built to wait for enemy naval forces and strike at a chosen moment.
Chapter · 9:38-12:09
Why the Royal Navy designed submarines for ambush
British submarine doctrine focused on reconnaissance, ambush, mine-laying, and covert insertions rather than a German-style commerce-raiding campaign.