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Tuesday 21 November 2017

The design demands for the diving depth of submarines according to Dutch naval experts around 1930

In the Lecture dated 28 March 1930 for aspirant officers of the Royal Netherlands Navy Reserve in the Dutch East Indies was explained what kind of demands a designer had to deal with to come with a compromised design including as much as possible of the demands still without increasing the displacement. The lecturer mentioned that the main task of a submarine was to nearer the enemy without being sighted and to manoeuvre in such a position that she was able to torpedo her target. Large displacements were a disadvantage and submarines were just successful when they operated in large numbers. Large number of small submarines were to prefer above a few large submarines. The main reason to decide to increase the displacement was heavier military demands.

In an example with 3 types of submarines of which the surfaced displacement (800 tons) and a submerged buoyancy of 25%, fuel bunker capacity, range, armament, torpedoes and ammunition was similar were the influences described of changing range, speed and diving depth.

Type I tested on a diving depth of 60 metres had a maximum speed of 16 (surfaced)-9 (submerged) knots and a range of 2.500 (with a speed of 15 knots surfaced)-240 (submerged) nautical miles.

Type II tested on a diving depth of 80 metres had a maximum speed of 15 (surfaced)-8,5 (submerged) knots and a range of 1.900 (with a speed of 15 knots surfaced)-200 (submerged) nautical miles.

Type III tested on a diving depth of 100 metres had a maximum speed of 15 (surfaced)-8,5 (submerged) knots and a range of 825 (with a speed of 15 knots surfaced)-160 (submerged) nautical miles.

Source
Archive Dutch Naval Staff (National Archive, The Hague, Netherlands) inv. no. 291. Lecture dated 28 March 1930 for aspirant officers of the Royal Navy Reserve in the Dutch East Indies.