Events Leading Up To the warfare
Inventions that helped it along Before unrestricted submarine warfare could even be imagined, the submarine had to be a important step in World War I. There are many inventions that did that. From the diesel engine to the mine to the torpedo, all of them helped make the submarines what it is today. The Diesel Engine The diesel engine finally solved a problem that haunted submarine-makers since the start of the submarine. Submarines had always had problems, and those systems used very different types of power. From cranks to steam engines, almost everything had been tried. When the diesel engine had been attempted in the past, a tube had to be extended to the surface to draw air down to the sub, limiting its maximum depth. With the new diesel engine, however, the engine only worked while the submarine was on the surface. Using a similar system as a car, it charged batteries while doing so. Those batteries powered slower electric engines while the sub was submerged. The Mine The mine's use extends all the way back to David Bushnell, with his famous mine on the back of The Turtle. It was improved many times before its use in World War 1. The mine increased the sub’s publisity. As submarines were rarely outfitted as mine-layers, the only way mines helped subs was by giving them something to avoid. This may seem good, but because the submarine had to avoid it, the technicians were forced to develop better subs or risk sacrificing their fleet. The Torpedo The torpedo was not only what made the sub a key player in World War 1; it was also what started the slide toward unrestricted warfare. Essentially a small unmanned sub packed with gunpowder, it would streak under the water until it hit its target or ran out of momentum and sank. Now that submarines could sink ships without having to surface, it was only a matter of time before someone suggested “why not just sink them from under the water?” Events leading up to Unrestriced Warfare Many things led up to unrestricted submarine warfare.Before unrestricted submarine warfare, submarines followed restricted warfare. The problem was that the rules for such warfare were created for thick-armored ships that could hunt above the water without violating the purpose for which they were created. The rules stated that ships had to be on the surface (a big problem for the submarine, obviously), had to make absolutely sure that the ship was an enemy ship, carrying military soilders or weapons, search the ship, make arrangements for the safety of everyone, and then sink it after all of the people were off of the ship. The problem for the submarine was that the allies started arming merchant ships, and that a ship could cut through a submarine’s hull like butter. From Germany’s point of view, the subs were too fragile to be able to provide the courtesy of notifying the ship it shall sink that it plans to do so. After the sinking of the Lusitania, Americans managed to hold the Germans off of unrestricted warfare through the promise of war. Eventually, however, the German’s felt that the war would be over by the time the U.S. was ready to join it, and that unrestricted warfare was their only hope of winning the war, so they began sinking without warning.An armed merchant ship A sub firing the deck gun, obeying the rules of restricted wafare A sub after sinking a ship with its deck guns |