where submarines used in world war one?

Answer 1

yes they were. Not to the extent of WW2 but submarines were used. The Germans were quite notable for their use of U boats, sinking quite a few ships.

Answer 2

Technical developments from 1914 to 1918 greatly boosted the submarine as a weapon of war and as World War One developed, so the impact of the submarine become greater.

Submarines near to or on the surface were an obvious target for attack. The development of a crude underwater listening device, therefore, was of huge significance for a submarines crew.

The Fessenden oscillator, developed by Reginald Fessenden, below left, was first produced in 1915 and it allowed submarines to give and receive messages and also to detect ships while the submarines stayed submerged. A heavy diaphragm operated underwater by an electric current made it possible to send Morse code messages for up to 30 miles.

However, the Fessenden oscillators were non-directional so any ship could pick up the messages! Also the clarity of any message being received by the submarine was masked by engine noise or by the sound shadow cast by the submarine. The sound wave produced by the oscillator also varied depending on the density of the water – dense water impeded the motion of sound waves and, therefore, limited the distance they travelled.

Submarine wirelesses were constantly improved throughout the war and a major development was the invention of the telescopic masts. These allowed a submarine to surface and crash dive without having to send out crewmen to dismantle the mast in an emergency. The mast could be raised and lowered by compressed air and the lowering could be done underwater.

The invention of the gyro compass was invaluable to a submarine’s captain. Prior to this, navigation had been notoriously difficult. The gyro compass showed a true direction of travel at all times (in theory!). The compasses fitted to British submarines could detect a lag of ¼º thus enabling a correct course to be steered at all times. In 1914, the 'US Naval Proceedings' stated that a 2º lag represented one mile out of course for every thirty miles travelled – a considerable distance for a submarine. However, the gyro compass was not foolproof. Rough seas could upset its delicate mechanism.

Answer 3

Where were submarines used in WW oe? All over the worlds oceans, but mainly the Atlantic.

Answer 4

Yes. The German navy was using U-boats to sink supply and passenger ships in the Eastern Atlantic ocean. If you want some more info look up the Lusitania

Answer 5

Yes they were they were in service in most navies by 1903. The UK and Germany being the biggest users. Famous U-Boat sinking's include the RMS LUSITANIA and the sinking of 4 armored cruisers by U-9 in one day sinking HMS CRESSY,ABOUKIR,HOGUE and HAWKE in the English channel.

Answer 6

Yes and actually... Subs were used since the civil war here in the USA.