Facts about Submarines

1. 06

   During World War II, German U-boats sank over 3,000 Allied ships, making submarine warfare responsible for approximately 30,000 merchant marine deaths in the Atlantic alone.

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2. 05

   Holland's Turtle, built in 1897, was the first submarine ever purchased by the U.S. Navy and could dive to depths of 75 feet using a hand-cranked propeller.

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3. 04

   Nuclear submarines can remain submerged for up to 90 days, limited primarily by food supplies rather than oxygen generation or power systems.

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4. 03

   At 1,083 meters long, the Russian Typhoon-class submarines are the largest military submarines ever built, displacing 48,000 tons when submerged.

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5. 02

   In 1968, the Soviet submarine K-129 sank in the Pacific Ocean at 16,500 feet, and the CIA recovered it using the Hughes Glomar Explorer ship in one of the Cold War's most secretive operations.

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6. 01

   The USS Triton circumnavigated the globe underwater in 1960, completing the 41,500-nautical-mile voyage in 84 days without surfacing.

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