Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons History Theses & Dissertations History Summer 2002 In the Shadow of the Fleet: The evelopmeD nt of American Submarines Between the World Wars Stephen J. Brady Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/history_etds Part of the Military History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Brady, Stephen J.. "In the Shadow of the Fleet: The eD velopment of American Submarines Between the World Wars" (2002). Master of Arts (MA), thesis, History, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/he9b-c895 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/history_etds/17 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the History at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IN THE SHADOW OF THE FLEET: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN SUBMARINES BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS by Stephen J. Brady B.S. December 1979, University of New Orleans A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS HISTORY OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY August 2002 Approved by: Carl Boyd (Director) Craig M .^uneron (Member) Annette Finley-Croswhite (Member) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1411389 Copyright 2002 by Brady, Stephen James All rights reserved. UMI UMI Microform 1411389 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT IN THE SHADOW OF THE FLEET: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN SUBMARINES BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS Stephen J. Brady Old Dominion University, 2002 Director. Dr. Carl Boyd At the close o f the First World War, American submarines compared most unfavorably with those of Germany and Great Britain. German submarines sank over 5000 ships, while the British submarine campaign, much less ambitious by design, was still credited with sinking 54 warships and 274 other vessels. Standing in stark contrast, American submarines did not sink a single ship. However, by the end of the Second World War, American submarines would sink over 1300 Japanese merchantmen and warships. This ultimate success was hard won, for attempts to modernize American submarine designs between the wars were continually stifled by advocates of the U.S. Navy’s battleship-dominated fleet doctrine, particularly in the 1920s. The fractious organization of the Navy Department also retarded submarine development. Battleships, and to a lesser extent naval air power, developed under more favorable conditions because of their perceived importance to the fleet. Submarine growth depended on supporters with shared interests at lower organizational levels and on the common will of submarine line officers. It took many years for it to evolve, but a council of submarine officers and engineers known as the Submarine Officers Conference ultimately exerted a decisive influence on submarine development. The major technological obstacle to submarine growth was the development of reliable diesel engines, and an analysis of diesel technology is a cornerstone of this study. Not perfected until 1941, these designs Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. received a crucial boost from the concurrent demand for similar engines in the American railroad locomotive market. Without this commercial market, the submarine engines would have developed much more slowly, and the staggering casualties experienced by submarine engines in the late 1930s would not likely have been resolved until much later. The American choice of all-electric propulsion for submarines, unique among major navies of the Second World War, is also explored. Four major factors that shaped American submarine development are identified. They are naval doctrine, technology, organizational dynamics, and the free market. These causes are analyzed and evaluated as a means of explaining this unique case in the evolution of military technology. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © 2002 Stephen J. Brady. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Carl Boyd, my advisor throughout this project, for his direction, insight, and patience. I would also like to thank Dr. Craig M. Cameron who was instrumental in advising me in the early stages of this endeavor, and Dr. Annette Finley-Croswhite, who provided a fresh perspective on the study. None of this would have been possible without the assistance of my wife, Katherine Wilson. Her critical reviews of my work and her resolute encouragement were indispensable. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1 H. THE REAL FLEET BOAT ..................................................................... 9 m. ORGANIZATIONAL RIVALRIES...................................................... 19 IV. THE U-BOAT CONTROVERSY ...................................................... 27 V. CRUISERS AND THE PACIFIC MISSION ....................................... 35 VI. “PERFECTLY RELIABLE” ENGINES ............................................. 44 TECHNOLOGICAL LIMITS ................................................... 44 THE LINE OFFICERS R E B E L ................................................ 51 VD. ELECTRIC SHIPS.................................................................................. 58 Vffl. THE RAILROAD CONNECTION ...................................................... 71 IX. THE RISE OF THE SUBMARINE OFFICERS CONFERENCE ...................................................................................... 79 X. PROPULSION PLANT TRADEOFFS AND EMERGENCE OF THE 1500-TON DESIGN .................................... 88 XI. A DESIGN SOLIDIFIES .................................................................. 107 XII. CONCLUSION ................................................................................. 118 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 128 APPENDICES A. AMERICAN SUBMARINE CHARACTERISTICS ...................... 133 B. A BRIEF COMPARISON OF GERMAN AND AMERICAN SUBMARINE DESIGNS OF THE SECOND WORLD W A R ................................................................... 138 VITA ............................................................................................................................... 141 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Engineering Tradeoffs of Electric Drive Versus Composite Drive ........................... 100 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Interwar Navy Department Organization ...................................................................... 20 2. Schematic Diagrams of Propulsion Plant Arrangements .............................................. 59 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABBREVIATIONS ASNE American Society of Naval Engineers ASW Anti-Submarine Warfare BUAIR Bureau of Aeronautics BUC&R Bureau of Construction and Repair BUENG Bureau of Engineering Bu-MAN MAN engines reverse engineered by BUENG BUNAV Bureau of Navigation BUORD Bureau of Ordnance BUSHIPS Bureau of Ships CNO Chief of Naval Operations DDD Diesel-Direct Drive DED Diesel-Electric Drive DERD Diesel-Electric-Reduction Gear Drive DRD Diesel-Reduction Gear Drive EB Electric Boat Company EDO Engineering Duty Only EMC Electro-Motive Corporation FY Fiscal Year GM General Motors HOR Hooven-Owens-Rentschler LST Landing Ship, Tank Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABBREVIATIONS—Continued MAN Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Numberg MIC Military-Industrial Complex MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology Nelseco New London Ship and Engine Company NIRA National Industrial Recovery Act NWC Naval War College NYNY New York Naval Shipyard OP Opposed Piston SNAME Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers SOC Submarine Officers Conference WPB War Production Board Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Between 1918 and 1945 the U.S. Navy’s submarines were transformed from minor auxiliaries into one of the most potent weapons in the American arsenal. This study is an analysis of the growth of that capability between the world wars. Four major influences on development are addressed: naval doctrine, technological capability, organizational dynamics, and commercial markets. Other external influences, such as economic and political conditions,