Submarines Revolutionized Naval Warfare

The World War created a great deal of changes for everyday life of an American citizen. American people faced losses and had to learn how to start over. It brought changes from the social and economic standpoint of things. Crazy to think that

The industrial revolution spawned major innovations in railroad and steamship transportation application which in turn created increased capabilities for armies. This major modernization allowed armies to compete on larger scales, for longer sustained periods of battle, and gave them the ability to move massive amounts of supplies and personnel.

The Great War, also known as The First World War, was a war that affected most of Europe and great part of America, Africa and Asia. Though it didn’t achieve much and caused the death of many, it did give a ground for warfare technology to be created. Poison gas, aircraft, machine guns, and submarines were some of the new inventions tested during this period of war. Tanks were also created in this war, and were a very necessary invention especially for Europeans. British, Austrians, Russians, Germans, and French had previously created fighting vehicles that could transport artillery and people through normal terrain, but not through trenches, which made a great part of the Western Front. Any new technology for transportation was received, and the British were the ones that came out with the idea of tanks.

On the one hand, machine guns could be said to be significant because of the extra fire power they provided on a battlefield. It has been estimated that a machine gun creates the equivalent to anywhere between 60 to 100 rifles, depending on the source, in one weapon. This gave an army defending a position a huge advantage over the attacking side and almost certainly prolonged the stalemate as breaking enemy lines became so difficult as reaching the enemy trench was a near impossible thing to do with the machine gun firing at the advancing infantry. It has been estimated that around 20% of the casualties of world war 1 were caused by the machine gun. This figure is very high considering all the possible causes of death in the battlefields of WW1. What also made the machine gun of WW1 significant was how it affected the future. These early models were the basis of a weapon used in all areas of the world ever since these first guns were used in WW1.

The way that society functioned would forever be changed by the advances made during the war. For example, air warfare was central to the tactics used in WWII, and planes needed constant updates so that air warfare could be as efficient and safe as possible. “Air superiority was the goal of both the Allies and the Axis, each dedicating as much man/woman and machine power possible to produce the ultimate air weapon” (source 2) Thus, jet aircraft were born. Consistent effort and the stress of war produce significant technological progress. Due to aircraft innovation, after the war, commercial passenger planes came into existence.. Passenger planes and the changes they inspired would never be possible without the aviation progress necessitated by WWII. In the modern day, due to concerns about soldiers’ safety and the issue of human error, war has begun to be fought by self driving ground and air

A submarine is defined as “something that functions or operates underwater; specifically: a naval vessel designed to operate underwater.” This definition holds true today but started at the beginning of the Civil War when submarines originally became a popular choice of weaponry. In general, submarine crews were composed of a commander, who steered the boat, and six or more men who used hand cranks to move the boat. Many inventors intended on creating electric motors to move the boat, but they were unable to produce enough torque. Submarines were primarily used in combat because they could travel invisibly. Innovations like submarines did not just change the way people fought wars–they also changed the way people lived.

The first tanks came with the internal combustion engine and caterpillar tracks. These, however, were quite unreliable and broke down very frequently. The naval force devised bigger, stronger ships with bigger guns. Their new and improved submarines were imperative in this war. They aided in the strategy of war of attrition, or breaking the enemy down by attacking its personnel and supplies.[viii]

These innovations were used for a more advanced warfare. Espionage was very popular, and the hot air balloon expedited the process. “Balloon operators used another wartime innovation, the telegraph, to let commanders on the ground know of Confederates movements.” (PBS “Civil War Innovations”) This made it that much safer to gain information about the opposing side. Another special invention was the submarine. Naval warfare was a changed fight. Many of the techniques that were previously used had to be re-thought. Submarines could surprise attack naval ships. The submarine was developed by Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock, and Baxter Watson. These crafts were not very effective, as the ship was the earliest model and had a difficult time firing its “torpedoes” or mines (gilderlehrman.org, The Civil War and early submarine warfare). Often times, it did more damage to itself than it did to the ironclad ships. Ironclad ships were an invention that came from Britain right around war time. There were very few weak points in the ship's hull, and enemy ships had hope that they hit one of the ships vulnerable points(Civil War Trust, Steel, and Steam). This caused strategists huge problems. They had to make precise shots in order to take down an enemy ship. They had to expedite the process to keep up with the ever-changing

WWII: was it destiny, devastation, or a devious mind? WWII had a big effect on the United States population. If we would not have had WWII, our un-employment rate would be higher. Without WWII, the culture in the United States would be less diverse than it is today. In conclusion the world as we know today would not be the same if WWII had not occurred; it played a major role in the changing of population, economy, and culture in the United States.

Thesis: The creation of submarines that were used to win Civil wars and control countries were a part of a rapidly growing aspect of technology.

World War II was and most likely will be the largest and most great war to ever appear on this earth. Although it brought so much death and destruction with a striking total of over 60 million deaths, it is also the deadliest conflict to ever have happened as well. Out of all the horror that was WWII it did create a lot of advancements like the boost in advancements in technology. As well there were great social changes in the United States. Also there were significant boosts in medical sciences. There were economical advancements in the United States. Finally there were advancements in world peace never seen before. Though war should never be defined as good, World War II created many beneficial advancements for the United States and the world.

World War I had brought about much change whether the changes brought about were for better or for worse is debatable but

The result of World War II was affected by many different factors. One major factor which affected the war was the weapons and artillery used during the war. Since the beginnings of time, weapons have always been around. From swords and knives to nuclear weapons and missiles, weapons have evolved greatly throughout the years. The weapons and artillery used in World War II basically were evolved types of weaponry that were used during World War I (Military History 1).

Submarine warfare has been a military tactic tried again and again since the 1600s. So why have we not heard of submarine warfare during the civil war? Well, it is because both the Union and the Confederacy had their share of secret scientific research during this time, making sure that no one knew of their projects. Both sides would use submarines for different purposes altogether though, the Union would use them to clear out Confederate harbors that contained hostile ships, while the Confederacy would use the submarines to go against the naval blockade in the Atlantic Ocean ordered by the Union. The very first successful submarine attack was by Lieutenant George E. Dixon and his crew aboard the CSS H. L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine. They spotted a Union ship by the name of USS Housatonic, and submerged. Once in range they fired a torpedo which rammed itself into the enemy vessel. Once they hit their mark they retreated to a safe distance and triggered the explosive, making history as they conducted the first successful submarine attack.

The second group of advances is vehicle advances. This category can be broken down into a few sub-categories. They are ground vehicles, ships, and aircraft. This category of technology was one of the most important influences of the war.