War at Sea

War at Sea is a new series of one-off specials where each issue delves deep into a particular subject; from aircraft carriers, warships, submarines, navies and naval battles. Every edition you can be assured of 100 pages of interesting and informative reading, accompanied by outstanding photography.

WAR AT SEA

SUBMARINES

SECRET WARFARE • SUBMARINES are packed with sophisticated sensors – every time they submerge on an operation patrol, they enter a world of secret warfare – which is rarely talked about or revealed. These huge black monsters have earned a reputation as the ‘killers of the deep’, often highlighted on the big screen in famous films such as ‘Das Boot’. It illustrated the ‘shock and awe tactics’ of German U-boats in the Second World War while ‘The Hunt for Red October’ depicted the terrifying nuclear power of huge Russian nuclear-powered ballistic boats.

THE ENEMY BELOW • SINCE the introduction of the submarine, the ‘silent service’ has remained at the forefront of naval warfare. Their ability to hide and evade detection gives submarine commanders a psychological advantage over surface warships. A key role for submarines is their ability to silently protect surface ships, carriers and operations such as amphibious landings. They also aim to prevent any opportunity for enemy warships and submarines to get within strike range of their surface task force.

GLOBAL STRIKE • TODAY, global powers want submarines that project military power, deliver influence through stealth and when required can deliver in a worstcase scenario a ‘doomsday’ missile strike against an adversary. Nuclear submarines were pioneered by the US Navy, with USS Nautilus being the first boat to be commissioned into the fleet in 1955. Moscow quickly followed and was joined by the United Kingdom and later France.

MODERN SUBMARINES • IN THE 21st Century, submarine warfare is about control of the deep oceans, keeping an adversary at bay and ensuring that your boat is never located. If a boat pings the acoustic footprint of another vessel, they can spend hours sitting toe-to-toe listening for each other’s every movement and making sure they are the chaser and not the chased. This is the ‘vanguard’ of the modern maritime battlespace where politicians know that the darkness of the deep hides these operations away from the media spotlight and global comment – here ballistic and attack submarine commanders intimidate each other with power that has maintained peace for decades.

THE RUSSIAN BEAR • THE RUSSIAN Navy commands one of the largest and most powerful submarine fleets in the world and regards its force as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of its naval combat power. Moscow deploys submarines with its Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific fleets – but its Northern Fleet, based in Murmansk, is the most capable, mounting patrols into the Atlantic, the Arctic and beyond. Boats from this huge base are reported to be among the most advanced in the world as the Kremlin boosts the capability of the ‘Russian Bear’ and presses forward with a major investment plan to resource the force.

THE POWER IN THE EAST • THE WATERS of the Asian Pacific is seen as a potential flashpoint area for future conflict. Here, China constantly reminds the world that it is going to reunify Taiwan – stating that if needed it will use force. Beijing regularly contests ownership of the South China Sea and sovereignty of commercial trade routes in international waters. North Korea continues to threaten regional stability with its isolationist policy and frequent missile tests, while Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines continue to protest at the damage to their economies as Beijing attempts to control rich fishing grounds.

SEA POWER – GULF WAR