Why was the submarine service known as the “Silent Service”

Silence, or being quiet, was a fact of life on submarines. In WW2, it could mean the difference between making it home or being lost at sea. Modern submarines are still designed to be as quiet as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t talk, but you surely didn’t want to drop a wrench.

The lack of publicity about our submarines was a great advantage. Sailors’ lives could be saved if the enemy was kept in the dark about capabilities and intended operations. Large fleets with frequent communications could be difficult to disguise or hide. It was much easier for single submarines. They could submerge and severely limit radio and radar emissions.

When attacking the enemy or evading attack, being quiet was even more important. The enemy’s use of sonar was how submarines could be located. Quiet boats were harder to find. There were routines to run more quietly by shutting off as much equipment as possible. When needed, hydraulic systems, such as the bow and stern planes, were operated manually to avoid the noise of the pumps. Even fans would have been shut off to lower the noise level in the boat as much as possible.

Submarines took various steps to keep hidden when on patrol. They were very aware of the dangers of using radar often. The Japanese were listening and could locate a submarine by listening for their radars. Boats even learned to sink their trash so that it couldn’t be found by the Japanese.

Steps such as these deprived the enemy of a great deal of information. “Silence is golden.”