![]() Notably, several World War II submarines reported that, due to flooding or mechanical failure, they'd gone below crush depth, before successfully resurfacing after having the failure repaired or the water pumped out. Such misunderstandings, compounded by errors in translation and a more general confusion as to the meanings of the various depth ratings, have resulted in multiple erroneous accounts of submarines not being crushed at their crush depth. However, when a prediction is made as to what a submarine's crush depth might be, that prediction may subsequently be mistaken for the actual crush depth of the submarine. Since the crush depth is the depth at which the submarine is crushed, a submarine, by definition, cannot exceed crush depth without being crushed. ![]() This is the result of compounding safety margins throughout the production chain, where at each point an effort is made to at least slightly exceed the required specifications to account for imperceptible material defects or variations in machining tolerances. Technically speaking, the crush depth should be the same as the design depth, but in practice is usually somewhat deeper. Sometimes referred to as the " collapse depth" in the United States, this is the submerged depth at which the submarine implodes due to water pressure. From it the designers calculate the thickness of the hull metal, the boat's displacement, and many other related factors. The nominal depth listed in the submarine's specifications. ![]() Operating depth Īlso known as the maximum operating depth (or the never-exceed depth), this is the maximum depth at which a submarine is allowed to operate under any ( e.g. The test depth is set at two-thirds (0.66) of the design depth for United States Navy submarines, while the Royal Navy sets test depth at 4/7 (0.57) the design depth, and the German Navy sets it at exactly one-half (0.50) of design depth. This is the maximum depth at which a submarine is permitted to operate under normal peacetime circumstances, and is tested during sea trials. Each 10 metres (33 feet) of depth puts another atmosphere (1 bar, 14.7 psi, 101 kPa) of pressure on the hull, so at 300 metres (1,000 feet), the hull is withstanding thirty atmospheres (30 bar, 441 psi, 3,000 kPa) of water pressure. The outside water pressure increases with depth and so the stresses on the hull also increase with depth. The hull of a submarine must be able to withstand the forces created by the outside water pressure being greater than the inside air pressure. The depths to which submarines can dive are limited by the strengths of their hulls. JSTOR ( November 2020) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)ĭepth ratings are primary design parameters and measures of a submarine's ability to operate underwater.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Submarine depth ratings" – news ![]() Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification. ![]()
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