The book is a survey of emerging technologies applicable to combat submarines, using worldwide sources.

In this volume, Gary E. Weir assesses the Navy's efforts between 1914 and 1940 to develop effective submarines. In particular, the author describes the work of the Navy and private industry that allowed the relatively primitive submersible of the First World War period to be replaced by the fleet submarine that fought in the Second World War.Building American Submarines argues that there was a fundamental shift in the relationship between the Navy and its submarine suppliers during this period. After being completely dependent upon private industry in 1914, the Navy - not industry - controlled the design and construction process by the eve of the Second World War.. As a result, the Navy was able to acquire high-quality submarines to fulfill the nation's strategic requirements. When we entered the Second World War, these new submarines were ready to undertake prolonged and effective antishipping operations in distant waters. That capability was of enormous importance in the ensuing triumph of American sea power over Imperial Japan.In tracing these developments, the author provides insights into the goals of the naval submarine submarine leaders, the evolution of the American submarine industry, the influence of German underseas technology, and strategic requirements foreseen by naval planners. The Navy's historians hope that this case study of the problems and successes involved in a major weapons acquisition program will be of particular interest to naval personnel involved in that process today, as well as to representatives of the industrial firms that supply the needs of the modern Navy.

This is the transcript of the unclassified portion of a hearing before two subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives. It includes testimony and prepared statements from the Deputy Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations of the U.S. Navy. Advances in submarine quieting threaten the anti-submarine warfare advantage. These quiet submarines pose a serious threat to the sea lanes of communication, and potentially a submarine-launched cruise missile threat.

"From the very first submarine in 1620 to the defense systems and weaponry used on modern submarines, this book uses diagrams, stories, and ... imagery to present a ... history of submarines and the technology used to operate them"--Provided by publisher.