Submarine warfare Naval warfare is divided into three operational areas : surface warfare , air warfare and underwater warfare . The latter may be subdivided into submarine warfare and anti - submarine warfare as well as mine warfare and mine countermeasures . Each area comprises specialized platforms and strategies used to exploit tactical advantages unique and inherent to that area . Modern submarine warfare consists primarily of diesel and nuclear submarine s using weapons ( like torpedo es , missiles or nuclear weapon s ) , as well as advanced sensing equipment , to attack other submarines , ships , or land targets . Submarines may also be used for reconnaissance and landing of special forces as well as deterrence . In some navies they may be used for task force screening . The effectiveness of submarine warfare partly depends on the anti - submarine warfare carried out in response . American Civil War . The age of submarine warfare began during the American Civil War . The 1860s was a time of many turning points in terms of how naval warfare was fought . Many new types of warships were being developed for use in the United States and Confederate States Navies . Submarine watercraft were among the newly created vessels . The first sinking of an enemy ship with a submarine came at the Action of 17 February 1864 , when the Confederate submarine CSS " H . L . Hunley " sank USS " Housatonic " in Charleston Harbor , South Carolina . World War I . Submarine warfare in World War I was partly a fight between German U - Boats and Atlantic supply convoys bound for Great Britain . British and Allied submarines conducted widespread operations in the Baltic , North Sea , Atlantic , Mediterranean and Black Seas . Only a few actions occurred outside of the wider European - Atlantic theatre . German submarine attacks on allied merchant ships gave a direct cause for Americans to enter the war in April 1917 . All participants were supposed to abide by the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 but this was found to be impracticable for submarines . Initially German submarines did attempt to comply with the Prize Rules but then went to unrestricted submarine warfare . American diplomatic pressure forced the Germans to stop this for a while , but in January 1917 Germany declared a War Zone around the British Isles and sank up to a quarter of shipping entering it , until escorted convoys were introduced . German submarines were used to lay mines and to attack iron ore shipping in the Baltic . The British submarine flotilla in the Baltic operated in support of the Russians until the Russian - German Pact . During the war , the British invested efforts in developing a submarine that could operate in conjunction with a battleship fleet - the " Fleet Submarine " . To achieve the necessary 20 knots ( surfaced ) the K class submarine s were steam powered . In practice the K class were a constant problem and could not operate effectively with a fleet . Interwar period . Between the wars , navies experimented with submarine cruisers ( France , " Surcouf " ) , submarines armed with battleship calibre guns ( UK , HMS M1 ) and submarines capable of carrying small aircraft for reconnaissance ( HMS M2 and the " Surcouf " ) . Germany was denied submarines by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and secret production was not legitimized until the Anglo - German Naval Agreement of 1935 under which the UK accepted German parity in submarine numbers with the Royal Navy . World War II . In World War II , submarine warfare was split into two main areas - the Atlantic and the Pacific . Although the war still waged in Africa , the Mediterranean Sea was also a very active area for submarine operations . This was particularly true for the British and French as well as the Germans . The Italians were also involved but achieved their greatest success using midget submarines and human torpedoes . Atlantic ocean . In the Atlantic , where German submarines again acted against Allied convoys , this part of the war was very reminiscent of the latter part of World War I . Many British submarines were active as well , particularly in the Mediterranean and off Norway , against Axis warships , submarines and merchant shipping . Initially Hitler ordered his submarines to abide by the Prize Rules but this restriction was withdrawn in December 1939 . Although mass attacks by submarine had been carried out in the First World War , the " wolf pack " was mainly a tactic of the Second World War U - boats . The main steps in this tactic were as follows : With the later increase in warship and aircraft escorts the U - boat losses became unacceptable . Many boats were lost , and the earlier " aces " with them . Pacific Ocean . In the Pacific , the situation was reversed , with US submarines hunting Japanese shipping . By war ' s end , U . S . submarines had destroyed over half of all Japanese merchant ships , totaling well over five million tons of shipping . British and Dutch submarines also took part in attacks on Japanese shipping , mostly in coastal waters . Japanese submarines were initially successful , destroying two U . S . fleet aircraft carriers , a cruiser , and several other ships . However , governed by doctrine that concentrated on attacking warships , rather than more - vulnerable merchantmen , the smaller Japanese fleet proved ineffectual in the long term , while suffering heavy losses to Allied anti - submarine measures . Italian submarines and one German submarine operated in the Pacific Ocean , but never enough to be an important factor , inhibited by distance and difficult relations with their Japanese ally . Other areas . Indian Ocean . Japanese submarines operated in the Indian Ocean , forcing the British surface fleet to withdraw to the east coast of Africa . Some German and Italian submarines operated in the Indian Ocean , but never enough to be an important factor . See Monsun Gruppe . Post - World War II . The advent of the nuclear submarine in the 1950s brought about a major change in submarine warfare . These boats could operate faster , deeper and had much longer endurance . They could be larger and so became missile launching platforms . In response to this the attack submarine became important . The US also used nuclear submarines as radar pickets for a while . Diesel - electric submarines continued to be used as they were better in coastal waters and less expensive , while also much quieter than earlier nuclear subs . There have also been major advances in sensors and weapons . During the Cold War , the United States and the Soviet Union played what was described as a ' cat - and - mouse ' game of detecting and even trailing enemy submarines . As the West enjoyed a considerable advantage in the quality of its technology , by the early 80s U . S . attack submarines were almost as quiet as an equivalent body of seawater , a benchmark the Russian Navy did not reach until after the collapse of the Soviet Union . Indeed , the technological difference between the rival powers were so huge , that Soviet subs in the early days could be heard ' across the Atlantic ' ( in one hyperbole ) , and Soviet subs were forced to periodically ' clear the baffles ' through high - speed , ' jinking ' manuveurs that themselves generated noise . Since the Second World War , several wars , such as the Korean War , Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 and the Falklands War , have involved the use of submarines . However , the importance of the submarine has shifted to an even more strategic role than the disruption of merchant shipping , with the advent of the nuclear submarine carrying nuclear weapon s to provide second - strike capability . To counter the threat of these submarines , hunter submarines were developed in turn . Later submarine - launched land - attack missiles were employed against Iraq and Afghanistan . The role of the submarine has extended with the use of submarine - launched autonomous unmanned vehicles . The development of new air independent propulsion methods has meant that the diesel - electric submarine ' s need to surface , making it vulnerable , has been reduced . Nuclear submarines , although far larger , could generate their own air and water for quite extended durations , meaning their need to surface was limited in any case . In today ' s more fractured geopolitical system , many nations are building and / or upgrading their submarines . The JMSDF has launched new models of submarines every few years ; South Korea has upgraded the already capable Type 209 design from Germany and sold copies to Indonesia . Russia has improved the old Soviet Kilo model into what many are calling equivalent to the 1980s - era 688 - class , and so on . At the end of his naval warfare book " The Price of Admiralty " , military historian John Keegan postulates that eventually , almost all roles of surface warships will be taken over by submarines , as they will be the only naval units capable of evading the increasing intelligence capabilities ( space satellites , airplanes etc . ) that a fight between evenly matched modern states could bring to bear on them . Modern submarine missions . A modern submarine is a multi - role platform . It can conduct both overt and covert operations . In peacetime it can act as a deterrent as well as for surveillance operations and information gathering . In wartime a submarine can carry out a number of missions including : The United States Navy says , " Submarines require no vulnerable underway logistics chain nor depend on mutual defense from other platforms for survivability . "