That's true but it's because the submarine has two important design imperatives which you bring up: the need to run silent and run deep (that is, the ability to run quietly using a fixed and precious supply of oxygen).
The U.S. and a few other navies can afford to solve this problem by putting a nuclear reactor on board, which provides essentially infinite energy and makes everything we all worry about free (not just turns the screw, but also as much hot water, electricity, etc. as you want; and you can just put current across sea water to make O2 for the crew to breathe).
Most other navies can't afford the cost and risk of this installation and so operate diesel-electric boats. The Russians and Germans continue to build some excellent ones.
But all other modern naval vessels commit to operating on the surface so they can make noise, breathe oxygen, and operate radars and aircraft, all of which makes them cheaper and safer to build and operate than submarines, to the extent such things can be safely compared. All these ships all burning something, either by external combustion (boiler or nuke), internal combustion (diesel), or turbofans.
For many of us, quiet is indeed a design imperative, but oxygen is readily available. And, as Eric mentions, most of us operate on a different scale and budget than navies do.
Of course, it's always worth spending an extra buck if someone is going to try to sink you!
I'm not saying the U-boat developments haven't been good and useful for us, just that we should recognize that hybrid systems are built to satisfy some design imperative, not because it's the easiest or most efficient thing to do.
-Paul
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Q Scott QSK <qskaye@...> wrote:
>
> Many submarines are Diesel Electric unless they are nukes. Ya know run
> silent run deep....
>
> On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 11:24 AM, sirdarnell <sirdarnell@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I keep seeing this. The military has been using diesel generators with
> > electric engines since the 1930s (maybe earlier) to get more range. So it
> > must be work. Not to mention trains, cruise ships, Ice breakers, freighters,
> > etc.
> >
> >
> > --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com <electricboats%40yahoogroups.com>,
> > Daniel Michaels <nov32394@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Unless you are going to supplement the generator with solar and wind or
> > shore power I think you will get less range than by just using a diesel
> > engine.
> > >
> > > Dan
> >
> >
> >
>
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