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Even in today's age of underwater nuclear power the majority of the world's submarines still use diesel engines as their main source of mechanical power, as they have done since the turn of the century. The diesel-electric submarine propulsion system has changed little in concept since the start of the Great War of 1914-1919. Diesels are used to provide surface propulsion and underwater power is provided from battery driven motors. Diesels are also used to recharge the batteries when the vessel is on the surface or at snort depth. In the 1939-45 War efforts were made by the Germans to perfect the closed or recycled diesel so that the engine could operate underwater independent of a normal air supply. After sporadic revivals of the idea in recent years, the concept has been brought to technical maturity by British and German engineers. However, the history of the submarine diesel engine and its air-dependent versions are nearly as old as the engine itself.