US Gato class submarines

[RF]

Would this class be counted as amongst the best long range attack conventional submarines of WW2, superior to what the Kriegsmarine had (I am here ignoring the Electro-boots on the grounds they were not conventional and not actually used on any significant scale.)

[Tiornu]

The Gato/Balao/Tench type was certainly the most successful. They fought a different type of war then the U-boats and are not as immediately comparable as some might like. Perhaps the Type IX is most similar.

[dunmunro]

I've always been a fan of the RN T class, as they had a very effective combination of range and firepower, although they don't look that great on paper.

[Bgile]

I think the Gatos were the ultimate in the concept of a surface combatant which can submerge. I don't intend that to be a degrogatory comment at all. They had high surface speed, powerful surface armament, lots of torpedoes, and the very long cruising range required for independent operations in the Pacific. Ultimately they carried and used air and surface search radar. Some of them even carried two deck guns and had centralized fire control for them. They were extrememly effective at what they were designed to do, and they destroyed the Japanese merchant marine.

On the other hand, the German boats were better submarines in the purest sense of the word. They were ultimately designed to operate submerged indefinitely. They were technically superior.

The two types were designed to operate in completely different environments, and their differences reflected that.