I have heard a lot of people arguing online about who had the best submarines. Technologically speaking which nation could build the best submarine from a combat point of view?
(I personally think it is a toss up between the USN and the KM)
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I don’t think this is a fruitful discussion as the USA had the massive Pacific and resources. Drachenfell argues convincingly that the creature comforts greatly extended their long range effectiveness. Think airco refrigerators an non-bunk sharing.
These advantages don’t show up in PC war games as LAN Parties generally don’t last 2 months in a hot and noisy metal tubes ;).
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Regardless of the country fielding submarines they all had the same issue they were cramped, oily, smelly and claustrophobic. If you were tall a submarine would of been even worse for you as they were not designed with creature comforts in mind.
As the war progressed it became clear that the US was giving thought to crew comfort as the subs gradually got less claustrophobic, refrigerated equipment was installed for food storage, men had more space in which to move around in and while it still smelled, was cramped and claustrophobic it also became more livable for those on board.
So as Chewbacca stated this is a moot point really as the US had the lead on sub comfort and technology.
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The ‘best submarine’ is very subjective. As a former submariner, the effectiveness of a submarine and its crew is based on a number of factors. Design and construction are important to produce the large numbers of boats. The USN had challenges with their torpedoes. Another important factor is training of the crew as an effective team. Submarines of all combatants evolved during the war years to improve their effectiveness such as snorkels for improved underwater performance. Overall, USN boats improved to the point that immediately after the war they were used to spy on the USSR for many years without their knowledge and led to the development of nuclear powered submarines within 10 years to become the backbone of national security for decades and today.
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