Why did they choose to use submarines in the american civil war?
The CSA built and used a submarine in the Civil War for the same reasons we choose to use submarines now, stealthiness being its predominant feature. The objective of the South was to break through the blockade so trade with the rest of the world could continue. There were 2 ways to do this: Slip past the Union ships blocking the ports and outrun them on the high seas; Sink the ships that blocked the ports. They were already doing the 1st, with decreasing success as the war went on. They were also attempting to do the 2nd, their latest weapon being the ironclad warship. But as the Battle of Hampton Roads proved, ironclads may fare well against wooden hulled ships but when they come up against another ironclad, the two ships can slug it out all day and neither one can sink the other or claim victory. The submarine was just the South’s next step in attempting to sink the Union ships blockading the ports and harbors in the South. But rather than use brute force, the submarine sneaks up, u
