This is an illustrated account of the war beneath the waves. Robert Hutchinson follows the development of the submarine as a weapon of war from its earliest designs to the latest vessels at sea today. Since the Bourne design of the submersible in 1578 man's fascination with travelling underwater has led to developments of the submarine becoming faster and able to go to greater depths. The adaptation of this craft, for military use, was also envisaged early in its history with weapon systems emerging in 1626. Included in this book are, tables, illustrations and photographs of: the first submarines, World War I designs, inter-war designs and disasters, World War II operations, Cold War submarine design and operations, the latest submarine designs, submarine accidents through the years, including details on the Russian Kursk that sank in 2000. Naval artist Tony Gibbons has provided illustrations for many of the major landmarks for designs from 1776 through to 2003.