World War 2 was the snorkel device (anglicized by the US Navy to "snorkel"). The invention was attributed to Dutch officer Lieutenant Jan J. Wichers, who in 1933 proposed the idea of a breathing tube to supply fresh air to the submarine's diesel engines while traveling underwater. The Dutch Navy began using snorkels in 1936, and some fell into German hands in 1940. With the introduction of radar to detect surfaced submarines, Germany equipped hundreds of submarines with snorkels to allow their diesel engines to operate at periscope depth (to recharge the batteries for underwater propulsion). This increased the chances of detection by radar-equipped ships and Allied aircraft. During the Pacific War, the Japanese military deployed a large number of submarines of various sizes and types, including carrier submarines, midget submarines, and "manned torpedo" submarines mounted on larger submarines. The Japanese I-201 class submarines were fast diesel-powere...