THE SUBCHASER DEBATE: INFLUENCES ON U.S. SUBMARINE CHASER DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIRST AND SECOND WORLD WARS

Abstract

With German U-boats wreaking havoc in the merchant shipping of the Triple Entente and increasingly jeopardizing citizens of the United States in the process, military and civilian officials in the neutral country began organizing as early as 1915 for what appeared to be an inevitable entry into the First World War. Key among the objectives for U.S. leadership was the suppression of the U-boats. After inspecting the antisubmarine warfare practices and vessels of other nations in the Triple Entente, the U.S. Navy opted for the production of its own specialized antisubmarine warfare craft. These 110-foot wooden vessels would carry the moniker of SC, short for submarine chaser.

It took little time for the submarine chaser to change from a specific vessel type into a broader vessel classification. These small combatant craft were but one part of a broader antisubmarine warfare strategy that constantly changed with the introduction of new technology and new mentalities and were needed to carve out a specialized niche within that landscape.

This thesis utilizes historical records in conjunction with three-dimensional models of three significant eras in submarine chaser construction to evaluate the influence in their design and development throughout the First and Second World Wars and determine which influences stand out as the most influential in the overall growth of the vessel type.