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Originally Posted by gazpode_l
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When a submarine is designed, all strength calculations are based on a chosen design depth. This means that if the submarine is built properly (and there were no design errors), it should survive to that depth without crushing. Usually the calculations would allow for some margin of error, so the actual crush depth would normally be a bit deeper than the design depth.
Test depth is a percentage of design depth, usually between 1/2 and 2/3 of design depth (depending on navy policy, I believe). During sea trials every boat is taken to this depth to verify that there are no problems. This depth is considered the safe operating depth of the boat.
A VIIC, for example, is listed at 150/250. This means that every boat is tested at 150 meters during sea trials, and that the ship was designed to be able to dive another 100 meters deeper. Depending on construction quality and calculation error margins, the boat will most likely crush somewhere between 230-300 meters.