SUBMARINES IN THE BALTIC.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 307, 27 December 1915, Page 9

SUBMARINES IN THE BALTIC.

" " re GERMANY'S FROBXEM. P tl "A PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE p TASK.-' n The Gorman Admiralty which set the V British Admiralty n submarine problem I to solve when, in February last, it began ■".' its submarine "blockade" of Great Brit- • fl in by instructing submarine commanders |J ( to sink unarmed merchant ships without J warning has now the mortification of having to solve a similar problem in the , Baltic, where British submarine, have , commenced to sink German ships trading between Swedish ports and German ports in the Baltic. If the German Admiralty '' had not begun this form of warfare against merchant ships the German shipping in the Baltic would be safe to-day against attack by British tranships; for ° with the German high seas fleet still in " existence the submarine is the only Brit- f jsh warship which can make the journey from the North Sea to the Baltic. Great Britain would not have begun such a form of warfare by submarines, for it is .* against the spirit of the law of naval warfare with respect to the treatment T of enemy merchant ships. It is not per- J missible to sink an enemy merchant ship without making provision for the safety c of the passengers and crew. This a sub- £ marine is usually unable to do. for her J accommodation is limited. But the British submarines in the Baltic, while ', copying German methods to the extent of sinking enemy trading ships without taking the crews on board, have not copied the murderous policy of torpedoing 6hips without warning, and leaving passengers and crew to drown. The ships arc warned and time is given to the passengers and crew to take to the boats before their ship is sunk. How many British submarines are operating in the Baltic has not been disclosed officially, but it is believed that the number is in the neighbourhood of six. In the last two weeks of October these submarines sunk 20 German ships •which had been engaged in carrying iron ore, timber and food supplies from Sweden to Germany. As it is known that ihe number of German ships engaged in the Baltic trade is not more than 100, ' the British submarines have accounted for one-fifth oi them iv a fortnight. During the same time the British ships sunk by German submarines in the North Sea and the vicinity of the British Isles has been only five, though in a fortnight an average of 2SOO ships enter and leave British ports. In addition to merchant ships the British submarines in the Baltic have sunk the German armoured cruiser Prinz Adalbert, a German destroyer, and seven vessels which were carrying guns, ammunition and military supplies to the German armies which are occupying the Eussiaja territory of Courland. The menace of the British submarines in the Baltic is a far more serious matter to Germany than the German submarine "blockade" of Great Britain was to the British nation. Unless the German Admiralty can devise means to .ope with at the German high seas fleet will be as much afraid of entering the Baltic as it is of making its appearance in the North Sea. The iron ore, timber and food supplies which were reaching Germany via Sweden were of material assistance to Germany in,_nabling her JiO.carry on the •war. It vras by the Baltic 'Sea route that Germany obtained large supplies of iood and raw materials dispatched from the United States to Norway and Sweden ior transhipment to Germany. According to a secret document which Germany has sent to neutral countries, protesting against unfair methods adopted by the British Fleet to catch German submarines, the German Admiralty admits that it has lost 43 submarines since the commencement of the war, 27 being caught in nets and 10 destroyed by other means before the adoption of the n.t system. A British admiral who conducted a party of journalists on a visit to the British Fleet a fendays ago, declared that the total of 43 German submarines lost was "not an over-statement of the case." How successful have been the British methods devised for catching enemy submarines can be gathered from the fact that the total of 43 which Germany admits have been lost is 15 more than the total number of German submarines in commission when the war broke out. How many more submarines Germany has been able to place in commission during the war is not known, but. even allowing for the fact that at the outbreak of the war there were lb' submarines under construction in German ship-building yards for the Government, and six under construction for neutral powers, the total number must be under 40. It is believed that at the present time Germany has not more than 20 submarines available.

At the outbreak of the war Oreat Britain had over 60 submarines. How raanv new boats have been placed in commission during the war is not known, but as only six have been lost up to the present there are a very large nuTiber available. There is no doubt that the German Admiralty has been able to obtain 6ome information ac to the means with which the British Fleet has waged

such successful war against enemy sub- | marines, aud that the lessons the German Admiralty has learned will be applied against the British submarines in the Baltic. But the wisdom of the British Admiralty's policy in withholding public information on the subject is demonstrated by the fact that to-day Germany has to solve a problem which"Great Britain has already solved; and, judging from the views expressed by the GermanAmerican war correspondent. Mr Karl yon Wiegand. who is the only foreign journalist who has been allowed to visit the German Fleet off YVilholrashaven, the German Admiralty is not hopeful about the task. "The enemy submarines in the Baltic offer a difficult problem," writes Mr yon Wiegand. from Berlin, to the Xew York "World." "The Admiralty is confronted with the practically impossible task of keeping them out. 'The Admiralty can mine or set barrier nets in the Sound between Denmark and Sweden only to the three-mile limit. wher». the neutral waters of the two countries begin. It is assumed that the English submarines slip through one or the other of the three-mile strips of neutral water on either side of the channel, either on the surface at night or submerged, as the Germans may not mine or go into these waters without violating neutrality. The problem is causing the Admiralty serious thought. Against this the English are enabled to mine .and set barrier nets across tbe Channel from shore to shore, which they have done, because of France being their ally. There is no neutral stretch of water between through which German submarines can slip.

Tt is his unfailing sense of humour that has most endeared Tommy Atkins to the British people. No hardships, dangers, or sufferings can deprive him of that gift of cheerfulness. It is part of bis equipment of courage. The man who can go into action shouting: "Tbis way to the zoo; get in early to avoid the crush." is obviously a very formidable opponent, not likely to be depressed by reverses, but. on the contrary, certain to come up smiling when his grim antagonist has lost heart. One daring Cockney is said to have held up a group of Germans and shouted "Tickets, please!" as his whimsical way of demanding their surrender. Tommy was overpowered and stunned by a blow, but his first •words on coming to were: "And where the devil am 1 now." You save money as well as time nnd worry by using Baxter's Lung Preserver, a quick and effective relief for coughs and colds. A big bottle costs 1/10. (Ad.) A re-invigorating cordial: Wolle'i Schnapps. The beverage thai helps— a pure spirit.— (Ad.) MEDICAL.