The Sound of Silence

If you were to ask your mate down the pub when submarines first started going stealthy, and by stealthy I mean the use of acoustic tiles and propulsors, they would point to the Cold War. And in a way they would be right. The Cold War advanced the submarine platform in leaps and bounds.

They would also be wrong, the first stealth submarine took to the seas earlier than the Cold War.

The Cold War did a lot for military might around the globe; whenever new military technology was put on the battlefield, the rest of the player in the game played catch-up and then overtook the opposition. The Cold War undeniably was the era of the submarine. The Cold War saw submarines bringing the following to the table: -

1. Nuclear Powered Propulsion - The biggest innovation on the submarine platform was the installation of a uranium powered kettle in the heart of the submarine. Giving them a potentially unlimited range

2. Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles - The Nuclear Deterrent. The controversial 'Ace up the Sleeve' of any modern nuclear Navy. It's a bad (or should that be a MAD) day at the office when these are used in battle.

3. Better SONAR - SONAR might've been developed during the First World War to combat the threat of submarines, in the Cold War sensor suites would increasingly get better in order to detect the enemy submarines.

The above are just a few examples of how the submarine platform advanced during the Cold War. Russia even produced a titanium hulled, liquid metal reactor powered submarine during the twilight years of the Cold War, the Alfa Class. This barking design for a submarine showcases the mad genius behind the iron curtain. Truly the Cold War was the Age of the Submarine.

Going back to my earlier point, the first "Stealth Submarine" wouldn't be found in flotillas of the US, Russia, or the UK. Instead the first stealth sub belonged to the Kreigsmarine of Nazi Germany. The submarine in question is U-480, Nazi Germany's invisible hunter killer.

In 1944, heavy surface patrols in the English Channel force U-Boats to operate underwater instead of hunting in wolf packs on the surface. The U-Boat was now at the mercy of Allied SONAR. In order to combat the threat posed by Allied ships and their SONAR technology, the Kriegsmarine outfit U-480 with rubber panels to it's hull, making it the world's first stealth submarine. U-480 would soon take to the English Channel and lies in wait. Over a period of 5 days U-480 manages to sink 4 ships without being noticed, only to be sunk by the secret minefield the British laid in order to combat the invisible Nazi threat. Britain laid the minefield in one of their busy shipping routes and alerting all the Allied ships in the area to this minefield they laid the perfect trap for U-480. U-480 went on the prowl in what they thought was an active shipping lane only to come into contact with 320lbs of explosives, a hole was burst in the submarine's hull causing it to sink with all hands onboard.

Like a battle scar, U-480 still lies at the bottom of the English Channel reminding the world of how real the threat of Nazi Germany was, and awaiting anyone keen enough to dive down to the wreckage. On her hull still lies the technology that was years ahead of it's time inspiring future generations of 'Outside the Box' thinkers to change the world through novel and innovative means