Practices_Naval+warfare

=Submarine warfare=

WWI
 * First time submarine warfare was used on large scale
 * mostly operated on surface
 * unrestricted submarine warfare
 * less accurate than WWII subs

WWII
 * Germany sent them out in wolf packs - traveling in groups
 * communication between multiple submarines
 * more tactics involved
 * U-boats destroyed more merchant ships than britain could replace
 * travelled all over the Atlantic
 * Japan made their submarines more for specific uses
 * Japan also used wrong tactics with their subs
 * was most effective anti-ship and anti-submarine for US
 * destroyed 30% of jap navy
 * more emphasis on naval power in general

Both
 * could approach underwater, safe from the guns and fire.
 * very effective in both wars
 * effective because UK is an island, therefore needs to ship a lot of supplies and germany picked up on this
 * Germany had the largest submarine fleets
 * submarines were used in british naval blockades
 * Tactics don't change throughout the war; therefore over time they became less effective because allies figure out the german tactics
 * allies could produce ships faster than U-Boats could sink them

By Mike

=ROLE OF NAVAL WARFARE IN WWII=

A major difference between WWI and WWII was the evolution and role of naval warfare. WWII saw a dramatic change in the way naval warfare was used during battle. The development of naval forces of the countries involved in WWII helped to change the face of not only the war, but warfare in itself. Submarines and Naval ships became larger, faster and more powerful and the introduction of the aircraft carrier can be considered as the most important development of the war.

In the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign of WWII took place. The reason for war was that the United Kingdom was highly dependent on imported goods and the German forces were determined to destroy the shipping lines used to transport to the Britain the imported material which they needed to survive and fight the war. The main tools used to accomplish the aims of both sides, were the ships, such as the aircraft carriers, submarines and U-boats.

=Role of Aircraft Carriers=

In 1938, the Imperial Japanese Navy adopted the idea that aircraft carriers should be used as a weapon in their own right – as bases for launching attacks deep into enemy territory or across wide expanses of sea at the enemy fleet, emphasizing advantages of mobility and surprise. As this was quite effective during the large scale battles of WWII both in the sky and seas, the aircraft carriers were seen as the most important boats of a countries fleet. The main armies which employed these vessels where the British Royal Navy, United States Navy and the imperial Japanese Navy.

Some of the types of aircraft carriers include:


 * Escort aircraft carriers: which were used to provide air support for convoys and water based invasions.
 * Light aircraft carriers: larger, more militarized version of the escort carrier.
 * Merchant aircraft carriers or MACs: modified grain carriers built with flight decks. These were emergency ships during the war for the US and British navy.
 * Battle carriers: these were created by the Japanese after the loss of carriers at the battle of Midway. They were simply battleships stripped back and remodeled with landing areas for the planes.

=Role of Submarines=

Submarine warfare was put to devastating uses in the battles of the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Germans, Americans, British and Japanese all employed submarines as a major portion of their naval forces.


 * The Japanese:** had the most varied fleet of submarines of WWII; including midget submarines, medium-range submarines, supply submarines and long-range submarines.


 * The Americans:** used their submarine force to attack both warships and merchant ships and destroyed more Japanese supply ships than all other weapons combined.


 * The Germans:** used their U-boats, which are basically militarized submarines, in WWII mainly for economic purposes. These included stopping and destroying the resources from the United States and Canada coming across the Atlantic to the British during the second battle of the Atlantic. These supply lines were vital to Britain for food and industry, as well as armaments from the US.

=Other tools in Naval Warfare=

In WWII was the use of SONAR, radars that detected submarines and underwater mines, and other radars, such as airborne radars to discover enemy planes. SONAR was not exactly perfect though as an estimated 36 British submarines were lost in the war due to naval mines.