U-boats were (kind of) not submarines

U-boats weren’t (really) submarines (I am fully aware that U-boats meet the literal definition of submarine) #ww2 #submarine #worldwar2 #navy #warship #worldwartwo #ww2history

[izumishion]

This wasn't unique to just U-boats, ALL submarines had this issue because ALL the subs were diesel electric.

[IndustrialParrot]

Nuclear Energy was a Game changer for Submarines

[frederikhein]

That's true for all ww2- era (and earlier) subs, not just the German ones.

[modernwarfarehobo]

I have to disagree on this one.

The distinction you are making is (in my own analogy) biplanes arent planes because they could not fly nearly as high.

Ultimately these were just the original submarines and had their own issues. However, they could move underwater and stay underwater for periods of time. Thats all that matters because the name literally means underwater

[devingraves]

Does this apply to all nations' subs during WWII, not just u-boats?

[Finlandiaperkele]

Type XXI class were the first "true" submarines that were primarily designed to operate underwater.

[notusneo]

"u boats just basically torpedo boats that can submerge for relatively brief periods"

So a submarine?

[felixh]

Muskets weren't really guns. WW1 tanks weren't really tanks. This is a bit silly.

[tactiguay]

The first submarine was the type XXI. The difference between a submarine and a submersible? The submarine is designed to operate primarily underwater. WWII submersibles retained a surface, destroyer-like hull profile for maximum speed and efficiency when surfaced. In the case of the XXI, the hull was designed for better hydrodinamics underwater, so it was actually faster underwater (even on batteries) than on the surface. With submersibles, it was the other way around. The snorkel, of course, if a necessary addition to become a diesel submarine, but it's not enough. The hull design is the trademark. The postwar Guppy conversions of WWII US submersibles made them true submarines, as their mission profiles changed from primarily surface to primarily submerged, although the hull design wasn't as refined as a purposely built submarine.

[Alloy]

"They were just torpedo boats who could submerge" Yea.. a submarine.

[Banana_Banshee]

i wonder what a U-boat could be capable of with modern electric motors and batteries

[ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz]

U-boats are free divers, submarines are saturation divers. The comment section needs to stop pretending like it doesnt understand the distinction.

[matteoperuzzi]

In italian for this reason we have to different words to describe submarines: “sommergibile”, meaning basically “ can go underwater”; and “sottomarino”, which means “that stays underwater”.
So early submarines which were torpedo boats that could submerge were called sommergibili and the more modern (usually nuclear) submarines that stay underwater for prolonged periods of time and were designed exactly to stay submerged are called sottomarini

[prefaktdertenlegio]

Yaah and airplains are not realy airplains they only fly on the way between the airport

[davidford]

The slow speed wasn't a result of the electric motors (at least not completely), but rather of the design of the hull. U-boats were boats that occasionally submerged, and were shaped like boats. Submarines on the other hand are designed to spend most of their time underwater, and in fact tend to do rather poorly on the surface. This is notable in the fact that most submarines are actually faster underwater.

[obi-ron]

They were submersibles : capable of going under the sea.
It wasn't until nuclear power and the development of devices that could generate oxygen from seawater, that submarines actually stayed underwater for weeks at a time

[NeverBeenCaughtVT]

You do great content man, but something long form I would definitely watch..

[lonewolf]

When are we gonna get long form vids?! You’re so informational

[riccardoricci]

The type 21 U-boat was the first true submarines.

[jehoiakimelidoronila]

The correct term for them would be "submersibles". Only the type 21s that came too late count as the true submarines