Later legends suggested that Alexander descended into the sea using a primitive submersible in the form of a diving bell, as depicted in a 16th-century illustration in the works of the Mughal poet Amir Khusrau. At the siege of Tyre (332 BC), Alexander the Great used divers, according to Aristotle. There are images of men using hollow sticks to breathe underwater for hunting at the temples at Thebes, but the first known military use occurred during the siege of Syracuse (415–413 BC), where divers cleared obstructions, according to the History of the Peloponnesian War. The concept of underwater combat has roots deep in antiquity. They remain a focus of popular culture and the subject of numerous books and films.Ī 16th-century Islamic painting depicting Alexander the Great being lowered in a glass submersible. They are used extensively in search and rescue operations for other submarines, surface vessels, and air craft, and offer a means to descend vast depths beyond the reach of scuba diving for both exploration and recreation. They are heavily employed in the exploration of the sea bed, and the deepest places of the ocean floor. The military use of submarines continues to this day, predominantly by North Korea, China, the United States and Russia.īeyond their use in warfare, submarines continue to have recreational and scientific uses. The latter conflicts also saw an increasing role for the military submarine as a tool of subterfuge, hidden warfare, and nuclear deterrent. The Second World War use of the U-Boat by the Kriegsmarine against the Royal Navy and commercial shipping, and the Cold War's use of submarines by the United States and Russia, helped solidify the submarine's place in popular culture. The introduction of the diesel engine, then the nuclear submarine, saw great expansion in submarine use – and specifically military use – during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. While early attempts, such as those by Alexander the Great, were rudimentary, the advent of new propulsion systems, fuels, and sonar, propelled an increase in submarine technology. Humanity has employed a variety of methods to travel underwater for exploration, recreation, research and significantly, warfare. The history of the submarine spans the entire history of human endeavour as mankind has since early civilisation sought to explore and travel under the sea.
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