Customer Reviews

Diesels for the First Stealth Weapon-Submarine Power 1902-1945

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Lyle Cummins, son of Clessie Cummins (founder of Cummins Diesel) has written a fascinating work on the evolution of diesel power in submarines. He begins with a review of motive power from hand-cranked (Turtle and Hunley),steam (Nordenfelt) to petrol/gasoline (various). Diesel engines with their less-explosive fuel became the internal-combustion engines of choice for submarines.

This history begins with both 2 and 4 stroke engines having several inline cylinders,direct-reversing, air-blast fuel injection, bore and stroke of a foot or more, speeds of around 400 RPM and in excess of 80 pounds/horsepower and progresses to the diesel-electric General Motors unit-injected V-16 developed for locomotives, turning 750 RPM at around 27.5 pounds/horsepower. Germany,United States,Switzerland,Italy,France,Japan,Russia/Soviet Union and Scandanavian developments (many were licensees of German tecnology) are discussed in great detail.

This volume is profusely illustrated with black & white photographs, line drawings and even manufacturers' performance curves.It is a highly tehnical account and decidedly NOT for the casual reader.

Mark Loebl,West Babylon NY

Lyle Cummins' latest book, Diesels, is an authoritative study or compendium of diesels engine power-plants employed in the submarine service of the U. S. Navy. There is no other work like it, either in range, detail or accuracy. Moreover, it is well illustrated with numerous cross-sectional drawings that clarify and amplify text in a useful way. Each type of engine is described in technical terms and the salient facts about its service history are provided. One cannot praise this work too highly or thank the author too much for bringing a lifetime's knowledge of diesel engine development to the public.
The only area where, I feel, more might have been written is about the high-speed diesel program initiated in the 1930s, a Bureau of Engineering effort to promote engines that, one, could provide power for American submarines and, two, might be used for other civilian purposes, like locomotives or in electric power generation, thereby enabling mass production and lower costs. Cummins covers the General Motors/Detroit Diesel/EMD and Allis Chalmers engines very well, but I wish a little more had been said about the other potential competitors, such as the Continental R-10 radial and the Stearns diamond configuration engines, as well as other potential power-plants such as the Westinghouse-Beardmore 4-stroke V-12s. In particular, the Continental engine is treated rather more slightly than might be expected in what is otherwise so complete a book. Few details are given. This was a 6.5" x 7.5" = 2489 c.i. R-10 water-cooled sleeve valve diesel, a design, as E.C. Magdeburger tells us, that was commissioned by the Navy because of the company's experience in building radial (airplane) and sleeve valve engines, though it had not built an engine that combined these two features. It was rated at 635 hp, though apparently it passed acceptance tests at a reduced rating of approximately 430-480 hp and was installed for further testing at the New London submarine Base. Magdeburger goes on to tell us that "the company had every reason to be satisfied with its performance" and Carl Balche, Continental's chief engineer, relates that "these engines were successful in a development sense" and that though "none was outstanding or revolutionary", "the 1936 submarine engine was probably the most successful." It certainly was compact, and, being of radial design, easily met the Navy's requirement that the engine could be taken apart and moved into or out of the submarine through the standard deck hatch. These engines were extremely light and even at a reduced rating, its hp/c.i. ratio was about 20% better than the General Motors diesel, though maximum power output may not have fitted the Navy's requirement and more engines and generators would have been needed for each submarine. One would like to know more about why it was not adopted by the Navy.
The Stearns diamond-configuration 24-cylinder two-stroke engine was an intriguing design, though, it appears, a lack of development was quickly revealed during tests. Plans, I believe, were later sold to the Imperial Japanese Navy. Lastly, Admiral Harold Bowen's account of engine development might have been used, especially in relation to the 1930s high-speed engine program. Bowen recalls how the in 1931 his boss Admiral Robinson had obtained $500,000 for development of solid injection, high-speed (700 rpm v 400 rpm then current). But even if all possible interests, such as my particular ones, have not been entirely satisfied, this book goes a long, long way in bringing to inquisitive readers a very full history of submarine diesel development in the U.S. Navy. It belongs in your library.

It is the detailed commentary book of the diesel engine of the submarine which operated in the Great War and World War II.
There is explanation about Germany, the U.K., U.S.A., France, a Japan 's engine of submarine.
There are a lot of photographs and crossing drawings.
The influence that an engine of MAN company gave to each country is described concretely.
It is described the development of M6V40/46 of famous U-boat VII and XXI in detail.
It is recommended one book for a submarine fan.

Any book on diesels written by Cummins is as detailed and comprehensive as you could ever want. Diesel expert friends recommended this book and his other books.

This 756 page, 9" x 11-1/2" hardcover is an obvious labor of love. It is very well written, meticulously well researched, and for the most part very well illustrated.

Author Cummins traces the use of the diesel engine in submarines from the beginning to the end of WWII. The book is divided into 19 chapters. The first two chapters are introductory describing the development of the submarine and the development of the diesel engine. The other 17 chapters trace the development of the submarine diesel chronologically and by nationality. All manufacturers are covered whether original designers or licensees. Each individual diesel model is covered as far as available information permits. Throughout the book influential personalities are given their due so the story becomes not only a technical one but a personal one as well. Indeed all influences on the submarine diesel are given adequate coverage whether technical, political, or economic.

All in all the book compares very favorably to the excellent books on various aircraft engines that have appeared recently such as the Liberty, R-2800, R-4360, etc.

The book is self published. A book of such limited interest could hardly fail to be. The shows in the limited but adequate production values. There are a few corrections in ink and some paste overs. The reproduction of the photos and drawings could have been better but again are quite adequate and immensely informative.

Editorially, I question two features of the book. There are tables at the end of each chapter that list submarines and the various features such as length, displacement, etc and of course what engines powered it. I would have listed the various engine model with bore, stroke, etc and a list of submarines it powered. As it stands the individual statistics have to be extracted from the text.

Another point is the the author spends far too much time describing various procedures that are hard to follow without drawings. Engine reversing schemes are a frequent example.

But these are mere quibbles. This is a highly readable book. I only wish it could have covered post 1945 submarine diesels. The book is highly recommended. If you have any interest act fast before the book goes out of print and you are faced with second hand prices.