The Nautilus was described as "a masterpiece containing masterpieces." Much of the ship was decorated to standards of luxury that were unequalled in a seagoing vessel of the time.
 

One of the best known and most dread German U-Boat of WWII.  Her captain was the most successful Ace of the Deep. From September 1939 to 1941,  he sank 47 ships for a total of 274,333 tons.  For this the commander received the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

On 14 October 1939 Prien risked shallow water, unknown shoals, tricky currents and detection to penetrate the Royal Navy's primary base and sank the battleship Royal Oak.   He sank the British battleship HMS Royal Oak in the heavily defended British North Fleet main harbor at Scapa Flow.

U-48 was the most successful commissioned U-boat of the WWII. During her two years of active service, she undertook a total of 12 patrols and sank 53 ships with a combined total of 321,000 tons. She was very fast and agile, thanks to her dual rudders, and could patrol for approximately a month at a time, giving her a range comfortably across the North Atlantic.  
 

Pampanito earned six battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific, sinking five vessels with a total tonnage of 27,332 tons. Her biggest day came on September 12, 1944, when she and two other submarines surprised an 11-ship convoy and sank seven.  Later, Pampanito rescued more than 73 Allied prisoners of war who had been carried aboard the enemy transports unbeknown to the submariners. USS Pampanito is one of the best restored WW II fleet boats.
 

David Bushnell’s Turtle, the first American submarine. Built in 1775, its intended purpose was to break the British naval blockade of New York harbor during the American Revolution. With slight positive buoyancy, Turtle normally floated with approximately six inches of exposed surface. Turtle was powered by a hand-driven propeller. The operator would submerge under the target, and using a screw projecting from the top of Turtle, he would attach a clock-detonated explosive charge. This 1875 drawing by Lt. Francis Barber is the most familiar rendering of Turtle. However, it contains several errors, including internal ballast tanks and helical screw propellers.  
 

This model is wood.  Copper plates  are attached to the hull by hundreds of tiny nails.     Available in Winter 2008.  Sign up for updates: Wish list.
 

USS LOS ANGELES (SSN 688) is the lead ship of her class. Designed as a follow-on to the STURGEON class submarines built during the 1960s, the Los Angeles class incorporated a larger propulsion plant than previous classes. Her many capabilities include wartime functions of undersea warfare, surface warfare, strike warfare, mining operations, special forces delivery, reconnaissance, carrier battle group support and escort, and intelligence collection. Her missiles can hit on target 75 percent of the Earth’s land surface. Available in Winter 2008.  Sign up for updates: Wish list.
 

HMS Astute represents the world's new generation of submarine.  The 310-foot nuclear-powered attack sub generates its own air and water. Perhaps the most extraordinary feature is that it never needs to be refueled throughout its 25-year lifespan, meaning it can sail round the world 40 times without surfacing.  The Astute weapons is 50% greater than the previous class.  A total of 38 weapons, including Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles, can be carried.  The HMS Astute costs $2.33 billion. The contractor, BAE Systems, in Barrow, says it learned a lot from US sub builder Electric Boat —namely to build sections of the sub vertically (hence the 12-story construction towers at the plant.) The Astute went for its test drive in October 2007.  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The world's largest submarine. In many ways HIJMS I-400 was decades ahead of her time -- a submarine aircraft carrier that was able to carry 3 torpedo-bombers underwater to their destinations. I-400 was armed with eight torpedo tubes, a 5.5 inch 50 caliber deck gun, a bridge 25mm antiaircraft gun, and three triple 25mm A/A. The advent of guided missiles and atomic bombs transformed her from an overspecialized undersea dinosaur to a menacing strategic threat.  The I-400 was originally designed so that it could travel round-trip to anywhere in the world, and it was specifically intended to destroy the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal. Only three boats of this class were built.  The Japanese were ahead of the Allies in many aspects of submarine development and underwater weapons. During the Second World War, the Japanese had 30 different classes of submarines.  Their torpedoe "Long Lance" were the world's most efficient.  Like Germany's Type XXI U-boat, I-400 was too late to influence World War II.   Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

U-25 participated in five war cruises, sinking eight enemy ships. On August 3, 1940, while on a mine laying mission near Norway, U-25 struck a mine and sank with all hands on board.
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The US Navy towed the U-505t to Bermuda to study her military secrets. The trip would cover 2,500 nautical miles — the longest tow of the war.  The U-505 was full of seawater, her conning tower barely above the surface at times. Her rudder was stuck hard to starboard.  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

Type XXI U-boats were the first submarines designed to operate entirely submerged, rather than as surface ships that only submerge as a temporary means to escape detection or launch an attack.  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

Coastal U-boat



 

Being a smaller cousin of the Type XXI Elektroboat, type XXIII of coastal boat was one of the most advanced submarine designs of WWII.  It was the first submarine in the world to use a single hull design.  As the boat should have to operate in the Mediterranean and Black Sea theaters, it had had to be transportable by rail.  This meant that sectionalized parts of the hull were limited in size in order to fit into the standard rail car compartment.  By the end of the war, of the 61 Type XXIIIs completed, only six boats carried out war patrols.  The patrols were very successful, resulted in five Allied ships sunk with no loss to the attacking boats.  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The Type VIIC was the workhorse of the German U-boat force, with 568 commissioned from 1940 to 1945. The Type VIIC was an effective fighting machine and was seen almost everywhere U-boats operated. The VIIC saw the final defeat by the Allied anti-submarine campaign in late 1943 and 1944. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The Neger human torpedo was the brainchild of Richard Mohr, a naval engineer.  The sumarine consisted of two G7e torpedoes superimposed one on top of the other. The top torpedo was partially emptied and had its warhead removed to allow the installation of a basic cockpit and create enough buoyancy to carry the second torpedo. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

A successor to the Neger was the Molch (Salamander). This was basically a slug-like craft which was a carrier for G7e torpedoes slung externally on either side. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

6.5 ton one-man midget submarine which could carry two underslung torpedoes. They had the range of 130 miles at 6 knots surfaced and 8.6 miles at 5 knots submerged. This boat had the diving depth of 65 feet.  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The Seehund (seal) was the most successful of several Nazi attempts to perfect a midget submarine. Operated by two men and carrying two underslung torpedoes, the Seehund was used very effectively in the waning months of World War II, sinking over 120,000 tons of allied shipping. Their small size and rapid evasive action made them virtually undetectable and depth charges seemed to bounce off of their resilient hulls. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The Union's first submarine 47-foot long Alligator was primarily intended to counter the threat of the Confederate ironclad Virginia. In 1863, the Alligator's system of oars was replaced by a screw propeller. President Lincoln observed a demonstration of the “improved” vessel.  Shortly thereafter, RADM Samuel Dupont ordered the Alligator to participate in the capture of Charleston. Towed by the USS Sumpter, the unmanned Alligator left Washington for Port Royal on March 31, 1863. On April 2nd, a fierce storm forced the crew of the endangered Sumpter to cut the submarine adrift. According to reports sent to Secretary of the Navy Welles, the Alligator was "lost" at sea. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The Confederate Submarine H.L. Hunley is credited with the first recorded successful underwater attack.  It used a torpedo which was projected from the submarine by a pole.  Maximum speed was 4 knots.  Eight men turned the propeller using a handcrank.  Air was provided by two four-foot pipes and the hull contained enough air for approximately ½ hour of submerged operations.  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

CSS David, a 50-foot steam torpedo boat of "cigar-shaped" hull design, was privately built at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863. After being taken over by the Confederate States Navy, she made a daring spar torpedo attack on the Federal ironclad New Ironsides on the night of 5 October 1863. The Union ship was damaged and David was nearly lost when the splash from her torpedo's explosion swamped her powerplant. However, her engineer was able to get her underway, allowing her to escape back to Charleston. David attacked the Federal gunboat Memphis in March 1864 and the frigate Wabash on 18 April of that year. As a result of her actions, several similar torpedo boats were begun at Charleston in 1864-65, with a few of them entering service. Some "David" type craft were captured when the city fell to Union forces in February 1865, along with a considerably larger steamship based on her hull form. It is possible that the original David was among them. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

One of the top-scoring U.S. submarines of World War II, Bowfin is credited with sinking a record-high 16 Japanese vessels with a total tonnage of 67,882 tons.  On a noteworthy patrol in November 1943, Bowfin sank 12 vessels.  In recognition, Bowfin was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Bowfin was also awarded the Navy Unit Commendation and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation. She was the boat selected by Admiral Christie when he went on a war patrol, thus becoming the only U.S. Flag Officer to be aboard a submarine during combat. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

Croaker made six war patrols, and attacked and sank a cruiser, four tankers, two freighters, an ammunition ship, two escort craft, and a minesweeper.  With eleven sinkings, totaling 40,000 tons, Croaker's war career typifies the tremendous success of the submarine war against Japan.  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

USS Cavalla was called "The Luckiest Ship in the Submarine Service". She logged 90,000 miles, made 570 dives, and sank 34,180 tons of Japanese shipping.  Her greatest sinking, during six war patrols, was the aircraft carrier Shokaku that had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was present in Tokyo Bay in September 1945 for the surrender signing aboard Missouri. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

USS Batfish earned nine battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific. She sank 14 ships and damaged three others during her seven war patrols. Over a period of four days in February 1945, she sank three Japanese submarines. For this feat, the "sub killer" was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Her other WW II exploits included blasting a grounded destroyer, bombarding a Japanese village, and rescuing downed aviators. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

Gato received the Presidential Unit Citation in recognition of daring exploits during war patrols four through eight and 13 battle stars for service in World War II. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

USS Drum was among the first fleet boats in combat. On her first war patrol from Pearl Harbor in April 1942, she sank the Japanese Navy seaplane tender Mizuho and three merchantmen. She made two more patrols that year, sinking three and damaging three.  In 1943, Drum damaged the Japanese carrier Ryuho, sank three merchantmen and damaged another on her 4th through 8th patrols; receiving heavy damage from escort ships. On her 9th through 12th patrols in 1944, she sank four merchantmen. USS Drum earned 12 battle stars for her World War II service. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

In 1986, Cod was designated a National Historic Landmark. The lowest numbered surviving fleet submarine, Cod is also the only example that has not been modified to provide easier access for visitors, who must still use the original vertical ladders in the forward and after torpedo rooms. Located on the Cleveland waterfront adjacent to Burke Lakefront Airport, Cod is open to the public seven days a week, from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

USS X 1, the U.S. Navy's only midget submarine, was built by the Engine Division of Fairfield Engine and Airplane Corporation. It was originally powered by a hydrogen peroxide/diesel engine and battery system. However, an explosion of its fuel supply in May 1957 resulted in its conversion to diesel-electric drive. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The USS Cusk made history as the world's first missile submarine. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

USS Batfish is a Sturgeon class submarines. She was equipped to carry the Harpoon missile, the Tomahawk cruise missile, and the MK-48 and ADCAP torpedoes. Torpedo tubes are located amidships to accommodate the bow-mounted sonar. The sail-mounted dive planes rotate to a vertical position for breaking through the ice when surfacing in Arctic regions.  Attracting little publicity during its heyday, this class of ship was the platform of choice for many of the Cold War missions for which submarines are now famous. While almost all Cold War operations remain classified, recently declassified missions showcase Submarine Force capabilities. On 17 March, Batfish detected a Navaga-class ballistic missile submarine (NATO reporting name "Yankee II") at the north end of the Norwegian Sea some 200 miles above the Arctic Circle. She began tailing the enemy, collecting valuable information on how the Soviets operated. During the next 50 days, the Yankee never detected Batfish, and Batfish lost the Yankee only twice: once was during a bad storm, and once when a fishing fleet passed overhead. Both times the Soviet boat was quickly reacquired. The Soviets remained unaware that their boat had been followed until Warrant Officer John Anthony Walker sold them the information. (Walker pleaded guilty to espionage in 1985.)  Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.

USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) is the third and last Seawolf-class submarine.  Carter is 100 feet longer than the other two ships of her class due to the insertion of a section known as the Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), which allows launch and recovery of ROVs and Navy SEAL forces. The MMP may also be used as an underwater splicing chamber for tapping of undersea fiber optic cables. This role was formerly filled by the decommissioned USS Parche (SSN-683).  Seawolf-class submarines are quieter than the previous Los Angeles class.  They are larger, faster, has twice as many torpedo tubes, and carry more weapons.  The Seawolf class were intended to combat the large numbers of advanced Soviet ballistic-missile submarines in deep ocean, such as the Typhoon class and the new Soviet Akula class attack submarines.  However they also have extensive equipment for shallow-water operations, including a floodable silo capable of deploying eight combat swimmers and their equipment at once. The boat can also carry up to 50 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles for attacking land and shipping targets. Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The largest and quite sub in the West.  A launch platform for 24 Trident ballistic missiles.  On November 11, 1981, Ohio was commissioned.  The principal speaker, The Honorable George H. W. Bush, Vice President of the United States, remarked to the 8,000 assembled guests that the ship introduced a "new dimension in our nation's strategic deterrence," and Admiral Hyman G. Rickover noted that the Ohio should "strike fear in the hearts of our enemies." Sign up for updates: Wish list or have it faster: commission it.
 

The USS Virginia incorporates several innovations. Instead of periscopes, the subs have a pair of extendable "photonics masts" outside the pressure hull. Each contains several high-resolution cameras with light-intensification and infrared sensors, an infrared laser rangefinder, and an integrated Electronic Support Measures array. Signals from the masts' sensors are transmitted through fiber optic data lines through signal processors to the control center. They also make use of pump-jet propulsors for quieter