Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:57:22-1:58:29

A submerged amphibious ship becomes a very large submarine

Submergence offers covert insertion, but useful troop capacity demands a huge submarine whose survival depends heavily on keeping its stealth intact.

Amphibious WarfareShip DesignStealth ShipsSubmarines
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Question

Could a submerged amphibious ship make a major landing force more survivable?

Short answer

Only at great cost and scale. It would be an enormous submarine whose survival relied on stealth, making it better suited to small covert insertions than mass lift.

Notes

The answer accepts the attraction of a submerged assault platform but immediately points to its scale. Carrying a meaningful landing force and equipment would require an exceptionally large and expensive submarine. That hull would sacrifice the surface ship's visible self-defence and depend on remaining undetected. The concept is therefore most plausible for small covert raids, while mass amphibious lift remains a surface-ship task.