Submarines

Paige (work in purple) Nathan ( text in black and photographs) 
 * Submarines** 

**Background on Submarines:**
A man named David Bushnell started to mess around with the idea of building a boat that could go underwater at the end of the 1700’s but was not successful. The first working submarine to be developed and used was in 1902 by John Holland and was designed for England. At this point many places started to develop submarines. However in 1905 Germany took the lead and started to build a submarine for use in war, which they called the Unterseeboot, which has now been nicknamed the U-Boat.  These developments all came to a culmination as submarines emerged as a weapon in World War I.

**Submarines in the War: **
Submarines were slow, easily broken and could only dive for a few hours they proved to be a potent weapon as the war progressed. Most submarines had 4 places for torpedoes in the front, and therefore were a threat to any ship in the area as they could destroy it without notice. Submarines were often used to attack enemy ships or other submarines, protect aircraft, help create a blockade against the enemy as well as helping in special missions such as laying mines.
 * http://www.usstexasbb35.com/All-Photos/Bailey-WWI/Bailey-WWI-Torpedos-ondeck.jpg**

**Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: **
Unrestricted submarine warfare was awful, it was where any submarine could destroy another submarine or boat without any notice, whether it be an enemy or not. Germany pressed this theory of war onto the British during the Battle of the Atlantic. Unrestricted submarine warfare was what caused the United States to join the war, as Germany sunk a ship with Americans aboard. The United States, as a neutral state, found this unacceptable and was outraged, declaring war on Germany. Unrestricted submarine warfare was important though as it was the only way that submarines could keep their side disclosed from the enemy and sink their ships. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2320644316_4f595a1200_o.jpg


 Submarines in World War I were a valuable weapon and throughout the period continued developing. These submarines were the reason the United States joined the war, which could have had an effect on the outcome, as it gave the Allies a fresh source of people to fight in the battles as well as even more supplies. Also because of unrestricted submarine warfare many innocent people lost their lives, and so submarines are an example of the effects of total warfare, as people other than soldiers were dragged into the war. Submarines also gave those who had them in their fleets an advantage over others as they were able to spy and create secret missions to hinder the enemy, an example would be submarines would lay mines in enemies harbors which would destroy ships when they blew. Although these did not always work, it still gave an advantage as they had the element of surprise. Submarines also made it possible for places to trade around a naval blockade, as they could make their way underneath of the classic surface ships without being noticed, Germany often used this to get around the blockade Britain had in place to keep them and the United States from trading. ** All world war 1 submarines were propelled by** **diesel when on the surface and submerged they were powered by** **electric motors.** http://history-world.org/world_war_i_and_the_submarine.htm **
 * during the beginning of WW1 everyone had submarines in their arsenal when it came to their navy. Although, they were very small and were not even used for any military value. the first to start actually using submarines as underwater tanks where the Germans. this submarines were called U-boats and they were 315 feet long with two cargo compartments. they could travel at 12- 13 knots on the surface and 7 knots underwater.
 * http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/U-47.jpg

during the war they were also fitted with deck guns so they could approach the surface to stop merchant ships and allow for searching. Most submarines had one to two deck guns of about three to four inch caliber. A also important weapon carried by submarines were mines.these were set during missions on opposing harbors. some submarines could hold a maximum of 48 mines and still carry enough torpedoes for combat.** 
 * during the war the allies saw that the Germans were using submarines as a huge advantage because they were concealed and moved in silence under the water. the British made a submarine called the R-class submarine. this was a antisubmarine submarine. during the war the British sunk 17 German submarines. the R-class submarine was much smaller then the u-boat making it easier to navigate and evade their torpedoes. they were only 163 feet long with only one propeller. when submerged the R-class submarine could travel 15 knots which is faster then it could travel above water. they had underwater listening equipment called sonar which could tell them if a enemy was near by. they also had six forward torpedo tubes which were deadly against any opposing enemy.**
 * http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/RClass.jpg/300px-RClass.jpg**


 * living conditions on a submarine during WW1

living in a submarine was horrible during WW1. it was not as bad as living in trenches or anything, but it was crammed and only a few crew members had beds. the sailors had to take turns in the beds while the others slept in hammocks. the commanding officers room was separate from the other sailors but he did not have any real special room or anything. all he was given was a small room with a closet for his clothes and a small bed. Each sailor had a specific job on board whether it be guard duty or help load the torpedoes. each minute was spent being prepared to engage on a enemy submarine and each minute was spent hoping their torpedo would miss or they could evade it.**
 * http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/archives/texts/uboatu9.html**



Works Cited: Simkin, John. "Submarines: First World War." __Sparticus Educational__. 18 Mar. 2009  Simkin, John. "Unrestricted Submarine Warfare." __Spartacus Educational - Home Page__. 18 Mar. 2009 .

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