[Non-Sequitur]

But the greatest vulnerability with any nuc boat will always be that it has a belly FULL of rotating mechanical machinery...hundreds of pumps and motors, just waiting to make a noise transient. Even with the best, most modern sound isolation technology, I don’t see how that can compete with a submerged diesel on battery, where all you have running is the electric motor (very quiet), maybe some pumps for shaft sealing water, and ventillation fans.

Both the latest U.S. nuke boats and the latest diesel electric boats are incredibly quiet, and if one is any louder than the other it's only by a matter of a few decibels. But the problem isn't one quieter than the other, it's that both are as quiet as each other. And detecting the opposition just got that much harder.

[rottndog]

But the problem isn't one quieter than the other, it's that both are as quiet as each other. And detecting the opposition just got that much harder.

And there, I believe, is an Achilles heal of the nuc boat. If they are so close tactically, why not just buy 10 diesels for the cost of one nuc?