Weapons
Without weapons, submarines would be of almost no use in times of war. However, thanks to the invention of the torpedo by Robert Whitehead in 1866, submarines have been a major part of sea battles since World War I.
In the beginning, torpedoes could only travel in a straight line along the angle they were launched. Over time guided torpedoes were developed and perfected. Guidance systems are especially important because of the limited space available on submarines to store weapons. That meant that a submarine had a limited number of chances to hit their target. Torpedoes are propelled through the water either by batteries or internal combustion engines.
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Cruise missiles are also standard on most submarines. Cruise missiles can travel at hundreds of miles per hour and are guided by sophisticated global positioning systems and internal guidance to hit targets with great accuracy. Cruise missile targets are often military installations in urban, inland areas. The benefit of firing them from a submarine is that no ship is readily visible within range of the target. Submarines however do have to surface in order to launch their missiles.
image couresy of cybernations.net
Submarines are also ideal for use as minelayers. Naval mines were used throughout World War I and II. These explosive devices are deposited in a body of water and sit and wait to be set off by the approach or contact with ships. They can also be placed at harbor entrances to keep enemy ships barricaded. Naval mines could also be used defensively to create safe zones in a war waged on water.
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Among the first naval mines were contact
mines. The design was so simple and
effective they are still in use today.
Upon their conception contact mines had mechanical means of
detonation. However, by the 1870s Hertz
Horns were widely utilized. Also called
chemical horns, they are structures located on the upper half of the
mine made
of lead containing a glass vile filled with sulfuric acid.
When the structures are crushed by the hulls
of other ships, the acid flows into the cavity of the mine to trigger
an
explosion. A
second type of mine are influence
mines. These are equipped with electric
sensors that can detect when vessels are in the blast zone.