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As much as the aircraft carrier revolutionized naval warfare(and it was a big revolution) it was the subs that brought Japan to its knees. Nothing got in or out of Japan. No raw materials in from asia and nothing left to go to the warfront without having to run a sub gauntlet. The amount of tonnage sunk is insane

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The Submarine Service accounted for about 55% of all Japanese tonnage sunk in the war. This was done by a branch of the Navy that accounted for about 1.6% of the Navy's wartime complement.

The Japanese lost 1,178 Merchant Ships sunk for a tonnage total of 5,053,491 tons. The Naval losses were 214 ships and submarines totaling 577,626 tons. A staggering five million, six hundred thirty one thousand, one hundred seventeen tons, (5,631,117 tons), 1,392 ships.

Japan ended the war with a bare 12% of her merchant fleet intact but not fuel at hand to run more than a few of them.
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You never knew you were under attack until the side of your ship exploded. Evan today, the bastards are extremely lethal and impossible to find.

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Wasn't much of the pacific battle settled by over the horizon aircraft carrier action? Catching a carrier with no birds in the air pretty much spelled the end for the carrier.

And I remember there were battles where both sides lost up to 5 at a time, purely by air launched torpedos and bombs, without much sub action IIRC.

They used to be able to actually find the old diesel subs. Lots of crews died.


And yeah, German subs as well, all nations subs pretty much took a huge toll. Unlike a surface ship they could of course hide in shipping lanes.


I think US subs pretty much lead the world. Probably only French and English subs would be anywhere near a match. Russian subs are supposedly noisy as all hell, but they didn't have to be quiet because they had spies telling them where US subs where at all times.

If there is a major conventional conflict [state versus state] involving the US, its subs will just about win the war on their own. I don't think the Chinese have anything to match them.


Australian subs, the Collins Class, you can pick by the trail of oil, the constant emergency surfacing and the racket that sounds like 8 alley cats in a tiny room wearing large cymbals and loud-speakers doing the cha-cha. That's when they're allowed out to sea, or not being fixed, which isn't particuarly often.



Hello sailor!