The role of U.S. submarines is currently the focus of an intense debate, and this book contributes to that discussion in the belief that an understanding of the past is necessary to make wise decisions about the future. In the tradition of his acclaimed warship design history series. Norman Friedman describes the forces technical, political, and operational that shaped a vital element of U.S. sea power. For example, he examines the evolution in missions, such as forward-based antisubmarine warfare and strategic deterrence, that transformed the submarine from its former subsidiary role to the center of national power. U.S. Submarines since 1945 is also the story of a technological revolution: first the emergence of fast diesel-electric craft, then the shock of nuclear power, followed by the appearance of submarine-launched strategic missiles. Nowhere else can a reader find so complete or sophisticated an account of the development of the U.S. submarine force, including not only the hulls but also the weapons and sensors they carry. The book details what submarines were ordered, what weapons and propulsion systems they had, how they performed, and what sonars and combat systems were developed.
This volume also publicly reveals for the first time several important proposals for unrealized and generally unknown submarine projects. Drawing heavily on interviews with members of the submarine community. Friedman examines a radically changing defense environment. His detailed and authoritative study also takes a look at the effects posed by the end of the Cold War on the role and construction of submarine fleets. The book explores the challenges involved in the often necessary reinvention of a submarine to meet current and projected needs. The author compares the technical requirements of submarines versus surface ships and discusses the importance of maintaining a submarine industrial base in the face of post-Cold War reductions.