Art of war and the design of submarine

Abstract

The submarine has come a long way from its first humble beginnings to the fearsome, versatile unit capable of deciding a victorious war. How far then, has the submarine evolution conformed to the Art of War, the 2500 years old teachings of Sun Tzu? This author explores the principal concepts of propulsion, operations and firepower which form the key operational components of the submarine. While Sun Tzu’s theories may not necessarily have had any influence in the submarine evolution, the ways in which military engineers have developed the submarine model undeniably concur with Sun Tzu’s astute military logic – a prime indication of the timeless wisdom present in Art of War and its enduring relevance to past and modern-day military tactics. Using key operational components of the submarine such as propulsion, operations and firepower, this paper will seek to examine the extent to which the submarine evolution has corresponded with the 2500 years old teachings of Sun Tzu. Although it is difficult to ascertain whether or not military engineers have been directly inspired by Sun Tzu’s philosophies in their contributions towards the submarine development over the years, the usefulness of Art of War and its bearing on contemporary and future warfare is nevertheless established in this paper.