Submarine cargo vessels : opportunities for future transport

The strategic importance of submarines from a defence perspective is generally well understood by the public and notwithstanding the secrecy surrounding their activities, they have featured in numerous newspaper articles, magazines and books. In August 1958, the world's first nuclear powered submarine Nautilus traversed the North Pole under the Arctic ice. Just seven months later, the Skate surfaced precisely at the North Pole. These remarkable achievements brought dramatically into focus the new-found capability of submarines powered by marine nuclear reactors, and for the first time, translated the autonomous submarine of Jules Verne's science fiction, into science fact. What is not well known or understood is the use of underwater vessels to carry cargo either in a strategic military role, or in a purely commercial one. To that end, a number of proposals, business cases, and studies have been conducted over the years claiming the economic and strategic benefits of using submarines for that purpose. In order to put this question into context, maritime shipping in its simplest form consists of transporting goods and services from A to B by the most economical route at the least possible cost. Therefore, any measures that would produce either a feasible route, a shorter route, or a more cost-effective route are all worthy of study. In the last two decades, energy savings in the maritime transport sector both from an economic and an environmental point of view have become more apparent and have taken on greater significance. In terms of energy efficiency, true submarines for example can take advantage of routes which are not available to surface vessels, such as below the Arctic icecap. It is conservatively estimated, that such a route could reduce the passage time between Japan and Europe by more than twelve days. Also, submarines could feasibly be used on routes in the Baltic and parts of the Black Sea, North Russia and Alaska and other areas that are perennially ice-bound. This dissertation provides a general historical outline of this aspect of submarine use for carrying cargo and looks critically at this mode of transport in contrast to conventional surface vessels.