The Surprisingly Long and Determined Effort to Create a Flying Submarine

TL;DR

Engineers in the 1930s and 40s attempted to create a hybrid military vehicle that could operate both in the air and underwater, resulting in the concept of a flying submarine.

Transcript

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Key Insights

• 🤙 Engineers in the past attempted to combine the capabilities of airplanes and submarines by creating a hybrid called a flying submarine.
• 🪽 The idea behind the flying submarine was to overcome the limitations of aircraft and submarines and create a more versatile military vehicle.
• 🇺🇸 Various concepts and prototypes were developed, including those from the Soviet Union, the United States, and Japan, but none were successful enough to be implemented.
• 🪽 The challenges in designing a flying submarine included the need for a strong watertight compartment, transitioning between flying and diving modes, and the weight limitations.
• 🪽 While the concept of a flying submarine was ultimately impractical, elements of the design, such as launching UAVs from submarines, found real-world applications in later technologies.
• 🛀 The allure of the flying submarine concept persisted in popular culture, showcased in shows like "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did engineers attempt to create a flying submarine?

Engineers believed that a flying submarine would combine the speed and agility of an aircraft with the stealth and underwater capabilities of a submarine, making it an effective weapon for attacking enemy ships in harbors.

Q: What were some of the challenges in designing a flying submarine?

One major challenge was creating a strong watertight compartment for the crew, as it significantly increased the weight of the vehicle and made it difficult to achieve flight. Another challenge was transitioning between flying and diving modes, which required complex mechanisms or the removal of certain parts.

Q: Did any flying submarine prototypes successfully fly and submerge?

Yes, there were some successful attempts to create functional flying submarines, such as Donald V. Reed's RFS1, which made a complete flight and submerged underwater for a short period of time. However, these prototypes had various limitations and were not practical for military use.

Q: Was there any real-world application for the concept of a flying submarine?

While the concept of a flying submarine never materialized into a practical military vehicle, some elements of the design, such as launching unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from submarines, did find application in later technologies, like the U.S. Navy's Regulus missile.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• During the 1930s and 40s, engineers made numerous attempts to combine the capabilities of airplanes and submarines by creating a flying submarine.

• The flying submarine was seen as a potential solution to the limitations of aircraft and submarines, such as lack of stealth and difficulty in attacking enemy ships in harbors.

• Various concepts and prototypes were proposed, including designs from the Soviet Union, the United States, and Japan, but ultimately none of them were practical enough to be developed into fully functional vehicles.