Silent Service

Kriegsmarine U-Boat U-510 in the Lorient pens in the western coast of France, 1942/43.

Атомный подводный ракетный крейсер "Красноярск".

Typhoon SLBMs

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lucas J. Hastings)

laydown

Two Japanese I-400-class aircraft carrier submarines and I-14 (right). At Sasebo prior to being taken to Pearl Harbour for valuation. All were later scuttled to prevent their inspection by the Soviets

source

Over time other submarines adopted the practice, with the initial idea of having a new flag for each successful patrol replaced by sewing bars onto the flag each time the submarine sunk a ship. This tradition was restarted in WWII and continues today, with some ships acquiring unique symbols on their flags - for example HMS Sickle adding an ace of spades after a torpedo they fired missed its target and hit a cliff in Monte Carlo, the explosion breaking all the windows of a nearby casino; or HMS Proteus having a can opener to commemorate surviving being rammed by an Italian destroyer (the destroyer came off worse).

U-boat Type VII

A German U-boat surfaces in rough seas off the coast of Heligoland (Helgoland), North Sea - 1942. Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto

The launch of Spanish S-80 Plus-class submarine

A la base de Lorient, lors du lancement d'un sous-marin (Blaison), l'entrée en marche arrière dans la forme de mise à l'eau. Date : Juillet 1946 Lieu : France / Bretagne / Morbihan / Lorient Photographe : Inconnu Origine : SCA/Marine - ECPAD Référence : marine-617-13219

Reference: marine-617-13219

missile sub

Подводная лодка "Краснодар".