10 Submarine Designs That Failed — And Changed Naval Warfare Forever

For more than a century, naval engineers tried to make submarines faster, more heavily armed, and capable of missions normally performed by surface warships. Some carried steam turbines. Others mounted battleship-sized guns, launched reconnaissance aircraft, carried strategic bombers, operated as radar stations, fought aircraft on the surface, or experimented with exotic nuclear reactors. And one proposal even imagined a nuclear-powered submarine carrying jet fighters. This documentary explores some of the most unusual submarine designs ever developed — and explains why many of them disappeared. From the Royal Navy's infamous K-class fleet submarines and HMS M1's enormous 12-inch gun, to the French submarine Surcouf, Britain's aircraft-carrying HMS M2, Japan's giant I-400 submarine aircraft carriers, German Flak U-boats, Walter hydrogen-peroxide submarines, America's Regulus missile boats, USS Triton, USS Seawolf, the Soviet Project 705 Alfa class, and the extraordinary Boeing AN-1 submarine aircraft-carrier concept. Many of these machines were not engineering failures in the simple sense. Some worked remarkably well. The deeper problem was that every additional capability demanded something in return: more size, more machinery, more maintenance, more surface exposure — and less concealment. And concealment is the submarine's greatest advantage. This is the story of the submarine designs that tried to become something else — and, in doing so, helped define what a submarine should actually be. Topics covered: steam submarines, K-class submarines, Battle of May Island, HMS M1, Surcouf, HMS M2, submarine aircraft carriers, I-400, Aichi M6A1 Seiran, Flak U-boats, Walter propulsion, hydrogen peroxide submarines, Regulus missile submarines, Polaris, radar picket submarines, USS Sailfish, USS Triton, USS Seawolf, liquid-metal reactors, Project 705 Alfa, titanium submarines, Boeing AN-1, submarine engineering and naval history. 00:00 The Submarines That Tried to Become Something Else 01:15 Steam-Powered Submarines 02:50 Britain’s K-Class Fleet Submarines 04:00 The Battle of May Island 04:55 HMS M1 and the Submarine Battleship 05:40 France’s Giant Surcouf 06:00 HMS M2: The Aircraft Submarine 08:00 Japan’s I-400 Submarine Aircraft Carrier 10:00 Germany’s Flak U-Boats 11:12 Walter Hydrogen-Peroxide Submarines 12:00 Regulus: The Missile Submarine That Had to Surface 13:36 Polaris Changes Everything 14:00 Radar Picket Submarines 15:20 USS Seawolf and the Sodium Reactor 16:00 Project 705 Alfa: Speed at Almost Any Price 18:00 AN-1: The Nuclear Submarine Jet Carrier 19:44 What These Failed Designs Taught Navies #Submarine #NavalHistory #MilitaryTechnology #MilitaryHistory #NavalWarfare #SubmarineHistory #Engineering #ColdWar #warships Comment and subscribe to my channel to follow my next videos, my dear friends!    / @weapon3737