With an all-titanium hull, the Sierra-class submarines of the Soviet Navy stand out in terms of lightness, durability, and stealth. The first deployments of these submarines were in 1987. They exhibited greater diving depth and maneuverability than their American counterparts.
At present, three units of this class are still operational, conducting clandestine operations in the Barents and Baltic Seas and providing crucial support in the current Ukraine War.
On the other hand, there have never been any titanium submarines in the United States Navy. The primary argument is that titanium is rare and expensive, and as such, the Soviet Union had more availability as opposed to the United States.
This disparity in resources has allowed the Russians to maintain a favorable strategic position to date. Titanium versions weigh less and have less magnetism than steel counterparts and hence are faster, harder to track, and highly maneuverable as compared to other submarines constructed of steel.
This class submarine has an impressive armament fit with four 25.6-inch (650mm) torpedo tubes and additional 21-inch (533mm) torpedo tubes.
In addition, they are minelaying and anti-submarine warfare-capable, and this is complemented by the titanium hull feature that makes them dangerous opponents.
The Imperial Japanese Navy was also experimenting with giant submarines with partially less success during the Second World War.
Their first-class submarines to operate on oceans were of similar sizes to their destroyers but possessed unsatisfactory diving capabilities, and their small submarines dubbed second-class slighting a few minor conquests since they possessed agility.
Japanese submarines have mainly been utilized for scouting and to supplement the battleship programs in agreement with the fleet’s decisive battle philosophy. Instead of any hostility, Japanese submarine forces might sink such large vessels as the USS Wasp and the USS Indianapolis.
But generally, their influence was far less significant against the U.S. submarines, which effectively devastated the transport fleets of Japan and blockaded the Japanese mainland.
Well, the U.S. submarines were able to do their thing in the Pacific, whereas the German U-boats’ mission in the Atlantic proved pointless.
The U.S. submarines managed to strangle Japan and isolate it from all essential supplies culminating in mass starvation toward the end of the war. The blockade of Japan affected them for years afterward into their post-war submarine development.
Interestingly, Japan also used submarines for supply missions, often to isolate troops on blockaded islands. They even developed submarines capable of carrying out air raids on the U.S. mainland. Internal military culture and factionalism combined to exaggerate success and underreport failures, making their efforts even worse.
Such submarines from the Sierra class remind one of the strategic value of critical materials like titanium. And today, it is them who lead a substantial part of the world’s total rare earth metals, including titanium, and that threatens the United States and its friends.
In this regard, Sierra-class submarines are the best examples of how access to critical resources shapes military capabilities with strategic advantages.