The influence of microfissures on the fatigue strength of submerged arc weids in two high-alloyed, austenitic stainless steels has been studied. It was shown that internal microfissures in the weld metal can have a significant influence on the fatigue strength of the joint when the weld geometry is omitted (machined flat).. Still, all test series showed good fatigue performance and reached better results than expected. Three of the four fatigue series reached a loading capacity close to Rp0.2 for the base metal and one of the series reached levels close to Rp0.2 for the weld metal.