Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 17:30-19:29

An Astute submarine's real Second World War bottleneck

Sending a modern attack submarine into the First Happy Time quickly turns the scenario from a combat problem into a torpedo-supply problem.

Astute Class SubmarinesBattle of the AtlanticFirst Happy TimeMark VIII TorpedoNuclear Attack SubmarinesU-BoatsWartime Logistics
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Question

How quickly could an Astute-class submarine sent back to the First Happy Time suppress the U-boat campaign?

Short answer

Very quickly; keeping it supplied with compatible torpedoes would become a greater problem than defeating the U-boats.

Notes

The imagined Astute could repeatedly hunt U-boats at a pace the Kriegsmarine could not answer, provided Britain kept the submarine operational. Rapid returns to port for rearming would matter as much as its success on an individual sortie. The scenario assumes compatibility with Mark VIII torpedoes already in wartime production. On that assumption, supplying enough torpedoes would become the bottleneck. The very high suggested sinking rates are part of the speculative comparison, not an operational estimate backed by wartime trials.