From a low-drag standpoint a consequent teardrop hull shape is considered as ideal. Two submarine classes which embody this ideal in an almost perfect way are the US Skipjack class and the soviet Alfa class.
However this complicated shape is expensive to manufacture so the US submarines have a compromise in form of a cylindrical middle part. This makes sense because subs like the Sturgeon and Los Angeles were built in large numbers. The hull form of Seawolf and Virginia however becomes more similar to the british design.
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