A Dutch S-class boat's stormy Atlantic passage leads into a technical comparison between wartime and modern conventional submarines. Second World War boats normally crossed long distances on the surface, where hydrodynamic resistance was lower and diesel engines could run directly. Modern SSKs prefer to remain submerged for safety, accepting different speed and range constraints even when snorkeling. Endurance figures are misleading unless the comparison also accounts for how and where each generation expected to travel.
Notable Point · 1:05:41-1:07:06
Why Second World War submarines could claim long transit ranges
Older diesel-electric submarines achieved long ranges by traveling mainly on the surface, a risk modern conventional boats try to avoid.