Locked in a steel tube and sunk hundreds of feet into the ocean, the submariners of
World War Two were some of the most likely military personnel to be killed in action.
Submarines were critical in the success, or failure, of just about every naval operation
of the war. In this video we're diving into the most effective submarines of the Second World War,
revealing the overall best submarine at the end.
We’re starting with Japan, which had by far the most diverse submarine fleet the
world had ever seen. The Imperial Japanese Navy had submarines for attacking ships,
submarines for moving supplies, midget submarines with a two-man crew,
one-man suicide submarines, and even aircraft carrier submarines.
The best of all these variants? That was the Type B1, derived from the earlier *Kaidai-*class subs.
With a range of over 25,000 kilometres and a payload of 17 torpedoes,
these vessels were a serious threat. The Type B1 even had a hangar on board,
from where a seaplane could be launched via a catapult. Used for reconnaissance,
this aircraft would locate enemy ships for its carrier sub to hunt down.
Even though they were widely successful early in the war, Japanese submarines all had the same
fatal flaw — a strategic flaw. Japanese naval command saw submarines as an addition to the
surface fleet, not as hunter-killers. This meant that Japanese subs only attacked warships and
never went after merchant vessels. As the warships were well-defended and often had air cover,
this tactic became more suicidal as the war went on. Towards the end of the war, Japanese
commanders began using submarines to resupply land forces — further wasting their potential. Their
tactics unchanged, Japanese submarines became easy prey for US fleets from mid-1943 onwards.
While by 1939 Britain no longer ruled all the world’s oceans,
British submarines were a potent threat lurking under the surface.
The most successful were the British U-class submarines. These had a range of 8,500 kilometres
and carried 10 torpedoes. With a length of only 58 metres, these smaller submarines were highly
maneuverable and proved to be perfectly suited to the confines of warfare in the Mediterranean sea.
The majority of these submarines were based in Malta, where the British launched
continual raids against German and Italian shipping. The most successful raider was
HMS *Upholder*, a U-class submarine that sank nearly 100,000 tons of enemy shipping,
including an Italian destroyer. *Upholder* also attacked U-boats, emerging undamaged
from submarine-vs-submarine combat *three* times.
The survival chance of a submarine during the Battle of the Mediterranean was low,
and *Upholder* was lost in August 1942. Impressed by her actions, British high command made the
following tribute: "The ship and her company are gone, but the example and inspiration remain."
Sadly, this was the fate of many British submarines. The U-class’s
success in the Mediterranean caught the eye of other navies, and by the end of the war,
these submarines had been operated by the Polish, Soviet, Norwegian, Free French, and Dutch navies.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “... The only thing that ever frightened
me during the war was the U-boat peril.” As the most-produced submarine in history,
the German Type VII U-boat was what kept Churchill up at night.
703 Type VII U-boats saw service during the war. From June 1940 to February 1941, U-boats were the
bane of the Allied fleets. They worked together in small groups called "wolfpacks," attacking at
night. Just like wolves, they would stalk their prey at a distance while remaining undetected,
lining up a killing strike. Each of the "wolves" would then attack in turn to
ensure a confirmed kill. With a range of over 14,000 kilometres and a payload of 14 torpedoes,
the Type VII U-boats inflicted massive damage on Allied shipping.
In a way, the wolfpack doctrine was the Type VII U-boat’s greatest weakness.
As Allied technology improved, wolfpack radio signals began to get intercepted by "Huff Duff"
and tracked by surface radar. If they were in range of the coastline, the U-boats had just
minutes before Allied aircraft were overhead and lining up a bombing run.
It’s no surprise the Americans built the biggest and most heavily-armed mass-produced submarines of
the war. Their hugely successful *Gato-*class submarines were armed with 24 torpedoes and
had a range of roughly 20,000 kilometres. The workhorse of the US submarine fleet,
these vessels annihilated Japanese shipping in the Pacific.
The *Gato-*class was extremely versatile, and of the 77 that were built,
many became famous. Here are just three examples:
USS *Harder*, which sank four enemy destroyers in a single attack run on a Japanese convoy.
USS *Cod*, which rescued the crew of a Dutch submarine stranded on a reef — the only sub-to-sub
rescue in history. USS *Wahoo*, which battled an entire Japanese convoy near New Guinea and sank
***every. Single. Ship***. And the USS *Albacore*, which sank the brand new Japanese
aircraft carrier *Taiho* — the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy 3rd Fleet.
While these submarines were hugely successful,
they were armed with one of the most unreliable torpedoes of the Second World War.
The Mark 14 torpedo was plagued with issues. It ran too deep, it didn’t always explode,
and, worst of all, it sometimes ran in a circle back towards the submarine firing it.
Bigger, better armed, and able to operate at a much further range,
the German Type IX U-boat was the big brother of the previously mentioned Type VII. As they were
more expensive to build, only 194 of these subs steamed out to fight in the Second World War.
The Type IX was well used in the Battle of the Atlantic; working in wolfpacks alongside Type
VIIs, they added to the growing pile of cargo ships now littering the Atlantic seafloor.
The main benefit of the Type IXs was launching attacks at range.
One famous U-boat, U-123, sank eight merchant ships in waters off the coast of the US. U-123
fought at the edge of her maximum 22,000-kilometre range and only returned to port in occupied France
once she had fired all 22 torpedoes *and* ran out of shells for the deck gun.
U-123 went out on 12 patrols and ended her career having sunk over 200,000 tons of Allied shipping.
The Type IX U-boats are serious contenders for the best submarine of the war. Like the
Type VIIs, however, they were hamstrung by a lack of safe bases to rearm and refuel.
As the Allied armies pushed into France and Allied aircraft began dominating the skies,
the U-boats were left vulnerable, costing many sailors their lives.
After the Americans saw the deadly success of their *Gato-*class submarines,
resources poured in to improve them even further. The result was the *Balao-*class
submarine. With a range of 20,000 kilometres and a payload of 24 torpedoes, the main improvement
over the *Gato-*class was a reinforced hull which boosted the dive depth to 120 metres.
One of the most successful Allied submarines of the Second World War was the *Balao-*class USS
*Tang*. *Tang* went out on four patrols and sank 33 enemy ships with a combined
weight of over 116,000 tons. Success like these didn’t come without a price though.
While evading a Japanese destroyer *Tang* dived until the gauge bottomed out at 187 metres.
Luckily for the crew, this got them out of range of the Japanese depth charges, but it
was also 67 metres-plus below the maximum depth a *Balao-*class submarine was *supposed* to dive.
Submarine warfare is a dangerous game, and *Tang’s* luck eventually ran out. In 1944,
on her fifth patrol, *Tang* fired a defective Mark 18 torpedo at a Japanese convoy.
This torpedo circled back around immediately and hit the submarine,
blowing apart the aft section and causing massive damage. This one faulty torpedo
destroyed the highest-scoring *Balao-*class submarine of the war and killed 78 crewmen.
Before we give you *our* opinion on which submarine was the most effective in the war,
a quick dive into one of the strangest submarines ever sent into battle.
The Japanese didn’t reserve all their suicide attacks for their army and air force
*oh no —* they had kamikaze submarines too. Named the “*Kaiten* manned torpedo,” this 15-metre long
tube was essentially a standard torpedo with a larger engine and room for a pilot.
The *Kaiten* was plagued with issues, like exploding when water got into the engine,
which often happened when the submarine *went underwater*. Unsurprisingly,
the two original designers of the *Kaiten* were both killed in separate prototype tests.
420 *Kaiten* were built, and 100 of these were launched on suicide missions.
They likely caused more damage to Japanese forces than the Allies,
as the *Kaiten-*launching submarines had to come very close to the surface — making them
extremely vulnerable to detection and attack. The *Kaitens* did have one major success,
however, sinking the USS *Underhill* along with 112 crew on the 24th July 1945.
That was six of the best, and one of the worst, submarines of the Second World War.
But which class was the most successful? We have to say the American *Balao-*class is
the clear winner here. The impressive dive depth, range, weapons loadout,
and ability to remain submerged at low power for two days gave the *Balao*-class
submarines a tactical edge that their skilled commanders used to decimate Japanese shipping.
In fact, the *Balao-*class submarines were so successful that one is still in service
today. USS *Tusk*, launched in July 1945, served with the US Navy for 28 years before
being sold to Taiwan. Upgraded and refitted, the *Balao-*class submarine, now known as
ROCS *Hai Pao,* is still fully operational as a hunter-killer submarine of the Taiwanese fleet.
Long, hard, and full of seamen, those were the best submarines of the Second World War.
Do you agree with our choice for the best? Think we’ve missed one out?
What do you think it would be like to serve in a German wolfpack? Let us know in the comments!