Diesel-electric submarines were (and in some ways still are) incredible machines. Some of the most brilliant minds in the world worked on their development. Of course, nuclear submarines made these things look about as advanced as a submersible horse and buggy but such is the march of human advancement.
This film takes the viewer through the major engine families used in diesel electric subs from the WWII era. From four cycle to two cycle diesels, opposed piston engines, and more, you really get a sense of what these things are and how they work. You also get the sense that having capable, knowledgeable, and trained mechanics to fix these things was a priority of the highest order in the military.
That is one of the things we often miss when talking about the machines which won the war. The guys who wrenched on them were as important as the things themselves. Would a P-51 Mustang be effective if it was running like garbage? Would these submarines have been successful if the engines were neglected and lacked a solid maintenance program? What about making on the spot repairs in the middle of a cruise? All of these things add up together and films like this one provide a great window into the training of what would become millions of talented wrenchers in the 1940s.
This is awesome mechanical history.
