The Venturer had only eight torpedoes (basically, one 'string') when it attacked the German sub, and was lucky to sink it. Subs are too small to carry many such charges, and too slow to use them effectively. Their weapon of choice during World War II were 'depth charges,' strings of explosives set to explode at varying depths, thereby 'chasing' a submarine down. The best 'subchasers' are small, fast surface ships like destroyers and corvettes. The reason subs are used at all is because they can attack with torpedoes from underwater, where large ships like battleships cannot effectively retaliate. (This is true for destroyers and cruisers as well as subs.) Their primary weapon is torpedoes, and ships armed with torpedoes are basically at a severe disadvantage against ships armed with larger guns than their own. They are small ships with no guns (to speak of), and are therefore not a match for a warship when surfaced. More to the point, I'd be surprised if there was ever a battle between two SURFACED submarines.īY DEFINITION, submarines do not like to fight on the surface.

I agree that the above was the only battle between two submerged submarines. I admire the effort people put in some wikipedia articles. Thus, I conclude, sub vs sub action is most likely found during WWII and nowhen else.ĮDIT: During WW1, Italian submarine F-12 sunk Austrio-Hungarian submarine U-20. In the Russo-Japanese War, both sides had submarines, but wikipedia states that Japanese subs never saw action.īalkan wars? Greece and Ottoman Empire might have had submarines.ĭuring WWI, the Entente powers developed ASW submarines, but they came too late and saw no action. In the American Secession War, both sides used submarines, but they were generally unfit for service and saw little action. In what wars could they have been involved? Pre WWI, submarines were not really widespread, so the chances of both sides in a conflict having access to submarines are slim. Post WWII, technological development meant that submarines spent most of their time submerged, thus naval action in which at least one submarine was surfaced is unlikely. They seem to have lured in places where retreating/coming out of port, and would not be detected by passing submerged submarines.Īlas, let us consider which other wars might have seen submarine vs submarine action. This is wikipedia info, but apparently the British also used submarines for ASW.

Since the hammer valve regulates the volume of air entering the 600. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.The Venturer also sank U771 which was not submerged while being hit by torpedoes. The depth at which the submarine is operating will have a direct effect on the resistance offered to the air in blowing the main ballast tanks and therefore will build up the pressure within the system more rapidly at greater depths than it will on the surface. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. Torbay was decommissioned and sold in late 1945 and scrapped in early 1947. The life cycle costs would be upwards of 50B. A 20 billion contract to ThyssenKrupp would deliver 12 Type 216-based submarines to be built in Canada, Germany or a mix of both. More submariners would need to be recruited though. In August 1941 - less than a year after entering service with the Royal Navy - the sub evacuated 130 men from Crete, 'establishing a record for the number of people ever jammed into one submarine,' according to historian Antony Beevor.īy the end of the war, Torbay had sunk more than 40 German, Italian, and Japanese warships, merchant ships, and other vessels. It has sewage and waste treatment facilities to fulfill future environmental regulations. The HMS Torbay had a successful war record, operating in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific. 'The confrontation of 2 submarines is a rare naval event,' Thoctarides wrote on Facebook. Using a remotely operated underwater vehicle, Thoctarides' team located the wreck south of Mykonos in more than 330 feet of water. The wreck of the Jantina was discovered in November 2021 by Greek diver Kostas Thoctarides. The Italian sub sank quickly, and only six of the 48-man crew survived, swimming to a nearby island. The first two passed in front of the Italian sub, but the next struck it and exploded. British Royal NavyĪ little after 8 p.m., Torbay launched a salvo of torpedoes from 1,500 yards away. HMS Torbay in Plymouth Sound on August 23, 1943.

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