Space Zoo Patrol – Future Submarines

By Roy Harkins, Richard J. Severinghaus, Editorial Review Board and Tim Oliver, Executive Director, Naval Submarine League

1. What is it called?

Submarines are watercraft capable of independent operation under water. They are part of a broader family of undersea vehicles that include a wide variety of manned and unmanned vehicles, some capable of operating in the deepest oceans of the world. Most of the world’s submarines are naval vessels with military missions. The most capable modern submarines are nuclear powered, but many navies also use submarines with conventional propulsion systems such as diesel-electric and battery power. Other submarines include research vessels for a wide range of underwater missions including exploration, hydrography, oceanography, geology, engineering, and even mining. Many companies use submarines to take tourists on undersea adventures to see coral reefs, shipwrecks, and marine life. Future submarines could be built using fuel cells or other air independent systems to generate power needed for operations.

2. What does it do?

Military submarines perform many peacetime and wartime missions including surveillance, reconnaissance, strategic deterrence, special operations with divers, SEALs or other trained undersea commandos, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, and strike warfare using missiles or torpedoes. Research submarines can be equipped with underwater lights, grappling arms and scoops, and mechanisms for launching and recovering other underwater vehicles, both manned and unmanned. Deep diving vehicles can reach remarkable depths – the Marianas Trench seafloor is seven miles below the surface, and was first reached in 1960 in the research bathyscaphe Trieste, reaching a depth of 35,814 ft. The wreck of the Titanic was discovered in 1985, at a depth of over 12,000 ft, by researchers who used sophisticated unmanned, deep diving underwater drones.

Manned submarines need life support systems to enable them to remain underwater for extended periods of time. Atmosphere control systems are essential to keep the air breathable for the crew. Modern submarines use several different atmosphere control machines to generate oxygen and remove harmful gasses such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. They also use machines, such as reverse osmosis distilling plants, to turn seawater into fresh water. This allows submarines to remain submerged for months at a time. Nuclear powered submarines are capable of going around the world underwater, first done in 1960 by the USS Triton SSN-586.

As technologies advance in materials science, batteries, electric propulsors, sensors, and life support systems, future submarines will be able to remain submerged for longer periods and perform even more complex missions. Fuel cells burn oxygen and hydrogen, allowing submerged operation independent of surface air, to the limit of onboard stores of the O₂ and H₂ fuel. Future developments in fuel cell technology could extend underwater endurance without nuclear power or fossil fuel burning engines. Combined, these applied technologies will provide researchers, engineers, and even tourists increased opportunities to explore and understand the complexities of the undersea world – a world of water covering 70% of the Earth’s surface.

3. How does it work?

Modern submarines are among the most complex mobile machines in the world. Power is needed for propulsion, ship control, navigation, sensors, weapons, computers, communication, and life support. That power can come from a variety of different systems, such as a nuclear reactor, a diesel engine, a battery system, or a fuel cell. Many submarines are equipped with a combination of power systems for enhanced endurance, reliability, and safety.

To control motion underwater, nearly all boats use some form of shaft driven propellers, rudders and diving planes and/or fins to control speed, depth and heading (direction). Additional systems are needed to control buoyancy and trim angle during any underwater operations. Modern navy submarines also employ the world’s most sophisticated acoustic quieting technologies to remain hidden, when necessary, which is why the Submarine Force is often referred to as the “silent service.”

Navigation, communication, sensors, and weapons all rely on computer systems to perform properly. Future submarines will employ increasingly sophisticated information systems technologies to improve mission performance. Think of a submarine as a combination of advanced technologies in an enclosed hull with advanced safety and reliability systems needed for mission accomplishment and crew survival.

4. How is it better than the older technology?

Nuclear reactor power for propulsion and electrical power generation have revolutionized navy submarine capabilities since the 1950’s. The sophistication of today’s reactor systems has enhanced the endurance and mission capabilities of navy submarines while also incorporating advanced safety and reliability features. Technologies yielding improvements in reactor efficiency, safety, and longevity are going to keep nuclear-powered submarines an important part of Naval forces while also enhancing undersea research, exploration, and transportation in non-military applications.

Computers and digital processors continue to enhance submarine capabilities in all aspects of undersea operations. Manned and unmanned submarines can navigate more precisely, employ advanced sensors and communication systems, and operate underwater longer than ever before. This trend will continue in the future.

Developments in fuel cell technologies could provide power for an important and growing share of undersea operations. Combined with future capabilities for underwater refueling and provisioning, the undersea equivalent of today’s underway replenishment, submarines powered by batteries and fuel cells will allow sustained human presence in the depths of the world’s ocean, much as we see the International Space Station (ISS) operating today with periodic resupply missions from Earth.

5. What classes should I take in school to work on this?

At the high school level, math and science are the essential building blocks to support any career in submarines. The people that design, build and operate submarines draw on a broad range of STEM disciplines, both theoretical and applied. Education in the fundamentals – mathematics, electrical and mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, computer science and information systems – is important in all aspects of submarine technology. For undersea research, knowledge of oceanography, acoustics, materials science, biochemistry, meteorology, and atmosphere control can be indispensable for a career.

      6. Pictures

Links

Naval Submarine League (navalsubleague.org)