[sukhoi-30mki]

Cutaway of German Type 212 class

[mylife]

Never discount diesel boats

[Enchante]

"In 1982 the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror proved the conventional operational potency of the nuclear attack submarine by sinking the Argentine heavy cruiser General Belgrano during the Falklands, or Malvinas, War."

LOL. There wasn't much "proof" needed of that concept..... the General Belgrano operating anywhere within the operational area of the HMS Conqueror was on a suicide mission. The only question was whether the Brits would decide to sink her because they were showing a lot of restraint, IIRC. They could have sunk a lot more Argentinian ships if they'd wanted to.

[sukhoi-30mki]

Cutaway of French Scorpene

[Badeye]

Interesting. But I think the authors own bias comes through with the repeated assertions that nuc subs can’t operate effectively in ‘shallow waters’.

We’ve been doing that very effectively for half a century in the Med, for just one glaring example of the author’s bias.

[2banana]

In 1982 the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror proved the conventional operational potency of the nuclear attack submarine by sinking the Argentine heavy cruiser General Belgrano during the Falklands, or Malvinas, War.

Yeah - a modern nuclear attack submarine sinks a WWII cruiser that was being held together with chewing gum and bailing wire...

[Zerodown]

Drei tausend Meters
Torpedo LOS!
Surface!
Hans, machine gun all zurvivors
Say, didn't we already see this movie?

[hometoroost]

"It has been around as long as the submarine itself"

No it hasn't. The first submarines were in use prior to the Civil War and were use before the advent of the diesel engine.

[Red Badger]

Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished.......

If you want on or off the DIESEL ”KnOcK” LIST just FReepmail me........

This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days......

[Yo-Yo]

Diesel subs are excellent defensive weapons. Nuclear subs are excellent offensive weapons.

I believe it was Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising that started with the CIA knowing something was up with the Soviet Union because all of the sudden there was a shortage of car batteries in Russia. This led the CIA to believe that Russia was replacing the batteries in their diesel subs in preparation for something big.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Israel has already deployed three German-built Dolphin diesel submarines to carry nuclear-armed cruise missiles to provide it with a survivable second-strike capability to deter Iran or other nations from the temptation of carrying out a pre-emptive first strike with nuclear weapons

I was wondering about Israel’s second-strike capability just the other day. I’m glad to see that they have it.

[BOBTHENAILER]

I WANT ONE

[DoughtyOne]

Our national policies toward China are suicidal. It baffles me how anyone could fail to realize this.

[chilepepper]

actually, diesel subs would be pretty pathetic.

its the diesel-electric subs you need to worry about!

[Bat_Chemist]

Is that eight torpedo tubes up front??? How many can they fire at once? And at what rate, I wonder...

[PAR35]

The diesel boats are much quieter. The US needs a couple of dozen for Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean duty.

[Southack]

The article makes no mention USCAVs (undersea combat autonomous vessels), the UCAV’s of the sea.

If you think that manned *flight* is being challenged by remote control, you should “sea” what’s going on underwater...

[dennisw]

The Current Quiet Diesel Submarine Threat

As we enter the 21st century, the global submarine threat is becoming
increasingly more diverse, regional, and challenging. The Russian Federation
and the People’s Republic of China have demonstrated that the submarine is a
centerpiece of their respective navies. Published naval strategies and current
operations of potential adversaries, including Iran and North Korea, have
demonstrated the same strategic doctrine. Diesel submarines are deemed a cost-
effective platform for the delivery of several types of weapons, including
torpedoes, anti-ship cruise missiles, anti-ship mines and nuclear weapons. In
addition to the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, 41
other countries, including potential adversary nations such as China, North
Korea, and Iran, have modern quiet submarines and many are investing heavily in
submarine technology. Of the 380 submarines owned by these 41 countries, more
than 300 are quiet diesel submarines.

Submarine quieting technology continues to proliferate, making submarines,
operating in their quietest mode, difficult to detect even with the most capable
passive sonar. The inability to detect a hostile submarine at long-range - in
other words, at a sufficient “stand-off” distance before it can launch a missile
or a torpedo - is a critical vulnerability that puts ships and our Sailors at
risk. The threat of a quiet diesel submarine, in certain circumstances, could
deny access to vital operational areas to U.S. or coalition naval forces. These
threats to our Navy are a reality that the U.S. Pacific Fleet must consider as
it carries out its responsibility to be able to conduct theater warfare in the
Pacific Fleet.

[Sandreckoner]

“The diesel submarine may be the leading “Cinderella weapon” of the 21st century. It gets no respect in the United States or Russia”

Sarcasm aside, this is a stupidly, wildly unrealistic comment by the article’s author.

[free_life]

The German Dolphin diesel submarine can operate on batteries for 3 days from what I have heard. In 3 days that is a long distance they can cover. Anyone know exacting how far they can go in 3 days?

The US just does not have enough Nuke subs to cover the possible number of subs China can use at one time. That is a serious situation.

[Squantos]

I would suspect that the Diesel Subs are perfect for a nations coast guard submarine command. For deep blue long rang patrols that the Russians and Americans count on to project the MAD doctrine..........no thanks. Knee Deep navy use only IMO.