submarine

Introduction & Top Questions
Early hand-powered submersibles
- First use in war
- American Civil War and after
Toward diesel-electric power
- World War I
- World War II
- Postwar developments
Nuclear propulsion
- Nuclear power plants
  - Reactors
  - Adoption by navies
- The nuclear navies
  - Strategic submarines
  - Attack submarines
- Design principles
  - Speed
  - Depth
  - Silencing

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

At a Glance

submarine summary

Quizzes

Thumbnail for 'Which Came First' Quiz. Composite image. Left is Glass bottle of ketchup, right is a Glass bottle containing white sauce. Sauce, food, condiment

The Dating Game: Which Came First? Vol. 3

Nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Carl vinson plows through the Indian ocean as aircraft on its flight deck are prepared for flight operations 3/15/05.

Ships and Underwater Exploration

Related Questions

How deep did Cornelis Drebbel’s submarine travel during its trials?
How did German U-boats threaten Great Britain’s supply routes in World War II?
How did HMS Conqueror sink the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano during the Falkland Islands conflict?
How did John P. Holland’s submarine designs improve diving control?
How did U.S. Gato- and Balao-class submarines contribute to the Pacific war?
How did U.S. submarines isolate Japan during World War II?
How did Wilhelm Bauer and his assistants escape from the sunken Le Plongeur-Marin?
How did a snorkel allow a submarine to recharge its batteries while submerged?
How did submarines affect merchant shipping during World War I?
How did the 1747 goatskin-bag submarine design anticipate modern ballast tanks?
How did the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley attack the USS Housatonic?
How did the Narval combine steam and electric power?
How did the operating depth of Balao-class submarines compare with that of Gato-class submarines?
How do helicopters use dunked sonar to search for submarines?
How do sonar systems detect submarines underwater?
How do sonobuoys help aircraft locate submarines?
How do submarine-launched ballistic missiles support nuclear deterrence?
How do submarines use ballast tanks to dive and return to the surface?
How do submarines use concealment and surprise to attack enemy ships?
How do torpedoes allow submarines to attack ships underwater?
How was the Holland submarine powered on the surface and underwater?
What factors limit the range of sonar systems?
What happened to the H.L. Hunley after it sank the USS Housatonic?
What is the difference between sea denial and sea control in naval warfare?
What limits did storage batteries place on the range of the 1886 Nautilus submarine?
What missiles did the first U.S. George Washington-class strategic submarines carry?
What roles can modern nuclear attack submarines perform besides attacking ships?
Which navy operated the first diesel-powered submarine?
Who proposed one of the earliest submarine designs in 1578?
Why are acoustic waves more useful than electromagnetic waves for finding submarines underwater?
Why could German Type VIIC U-boats stay submerged for only limited periods?
Why did George W. Garrett’s coal-fired submarine need to extinguish its fire before submerging?
Why did German U-boats begin using snorkels during World War II?
Why did Le Plongeur quickly run out of power during travel?
Why did World War I submarines carry deck guns as well as torpedoes?
Why do submarine tactics resemble guerrilla warfare at sea?
Why does a nuclear reactor allow a submarine to operate underwater without oxygen?
Why was the double-hull design of the Narval important?
Why were living conditions inside early diesel-electric submarines difficult?
What is the U.S. Navy’s “gender neutral” submarine?
What is an aircraft carrier?
How does an aircraft carrier catapult work?
Were aircraft carriers used in World War II?
What ship was the first aircraft carrier?
What is the principle of helicopter flight?
How is a helicopter different from an airplane?
What is the history of the development of helicopters?

History Wars, Battles & Armed Conflicts

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External Websites

United States Naval Academy - Submarines and Submersibles (PDF)
Military History Matters - Submarine - The History of Submarine War
ABC listen - Nightlife - Submarines
LiveAbout - Interesting facts about navy submarines
U.S. Naval Institute - Mine Warfare and Submarines
The Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum - Evolution of Submarines: A Summary to 1946 (PDF)
Naval History and Heritage Command - Submarine Development - A Short History
U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons - The Submarine: A History, (PDF)

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

submarine - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
submarine - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

USS Nautilus — USS *Nautilus* The former USS *Nautilus*, launched in 1954, being towed to Groton, Connecticut, to become a museum, May 1985.

submarine

naval vessel

Also known as: sub

Written by

Norman Friedman

Defense consultant. Visiting Professor of Operations Research, University College, University of London. Author of The Postwar Naval Revolution and many others.

Norman FriedmanAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 10, 2026 •History

submarine, any naval vessel that is capable of propelling itself beneath the water as well as on the water’s surface. This is a unique capability among warships, and submarines are quite different in design and appearance from surface ships. Submarines first became a major factor in naval warfare during World War I (1914–18), when Germany employed them to destroy surface merchant vessels. In such attacks submarines used their primary weapon, a self-propelled underwater missile known...

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