At 171 metres long, the USS Pennsylvania is the biggest submarine in the US Navy. It can dive deeper than a thousand feet, sail for 20 years without refuelling, and remain submerged for up to 6 months. The vessel carries a crew of 155 men and a deadly nuclear arsenal. The film investigates how this submarine was made possible through a series of six historic engineering breakthroughs. We explore the inner workings of six landmark submarines, including the tiny Turtle and colossal German U-Boats. Each features a major technological innovation that allowed engineers to build bigger submarines, including the development of underwater breathing, torpedo’s, missile launch systems, and stealth technology. Using computer-generated imagery this film reveals the incredible stories behind these machines and the inventions that have allowed them to grow in size. Six ingenious leaps forward enabling submarines to evolve, from BIG, to BIGGER, into the US Navy’s BIGGEST.

00:00 Introduction
03:11 Breathing Underwater – Turtle Submersible Vessel
13:23 Manoeuvrability – H L Hunley
19:48 Torpedo – U-66 German U-Boat
25:32 Power – USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
32:08 Nuclear Strike – USS George Washington (CVN-73)
39:49 Stealth – USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735)

Episode from the “Big Bigger Biggest” documentary series exploring the engineering breakthroughs that have enabled us to develop some of the largest structures in existence.

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