THE WILY SUBMARINE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 123, 26 May 1928, Page 14 (Supplement)

THE WILY SUBMARINE.

ELUDES ALL NETS. POWERS RETAIN THE BOAT. MAKING IT A STILL MORE DEADLY WEAPON. (By CHARLES M. LINCOLN.) The submarine will continue to be included in every important navy in the world. Too many nations will not consent to its elimination. They are not ready to discard a weapon of such proved value, a weapon firmly embedded in their convictions as to their needs for their defence. Nor will tragedies and disasters bring about the abolition of the sumbarine. Every nation has its record of heroism and of sacrifice, yet every disaster has made contribution, in some degree, to the successful submarine of to-day, a vessel safer and stronger than it has ever been, and among whose potentialities are some that pertain to peace as well as those that have to do with war. The First Submarine. For centuries man has persisted in trying to explore and navigate the waters beneath their surfaces. The submarine is the culmination of his efforts. Development was fitful until John P. Holland began his work a little more than 50 years ago. Holland, born in Ireland in 1842, came to America in 1872. He had dreamed of submarines since youth. A school teacher, he began his experiments in 1875. He tested his first boat, iron, ten feet long, in the Passaic River. In it he remained submerged, alone, for 24 hours. After 20 years of building and experimenting he built the Holland, 53 feet long, of 74 tons submerged. This boat practically marks the birth of the American submarine of to-day, and it had enormous influence on submarine construction in many other lands as well. The adoption of the Holland type by the United States was a great stimulant. Great Britain ordered five for experimental purposes in 1901. Her submarine development dates from these boats. Japan ordered five. Russia and other countries ordered them. Germany included Holland principles in her construction.

So it came that in the period just before the war the fleet 9 of all the principal nations included clusters of submarines. They had come a long way since the Holland 53-footer of only 10 or 12 years before. Germany had many of about 800 tons, but the majority, at the time of the European explosion, were around 400 or 500 tons. During the War. The submarine was not to meet the test of war. That Germany should take the offensive with this weapon, and not England, was logical and inevitable. In no particular did she offer such a target and such inspiration for the submarine as did England, whose waters were at all times filled with ships whose cargoes were vital to her. Yet the submarines of England found things to do in the war, and did them well. In the second month of the conflict the U-9, Lieutenant Weddigen commander, thrilled Germany and shocked England by sinking the three British cruisers Aboukir, CreSsy and Hogue in quick succession. Two might have escaped had they made off when the first was struck, but they "stood by to aid, to be speedily sunk by Weddigen's torpedoes. Six months later, March, 1915, Weddigen and all his crew were sent to the bottom, rammed by the British battleship Dreadnought. Yet after the early success of Weddigen, Germany realised that the most effective use of her submarines was to be not as weapons against naval vessels, but as destroyers of shipping. Here was easy prey and little risk. Three months after the war opened Germany began an attempt to blockade England's coasts. By this time she was rushing the construction of submarines of various types and sizes; altogether, during the war, she produced seven different types. To meet the blockade, England mustered every available vessel, trawlers principally, about 500 in all, and, placing guns on them, linked them with her destroyers.

A month or so after the attempt to blockade, Germany began sinking vessels without warning, and with little regard to flags.

On May 7, in the spring of 1915, came the sinking, withoat warning, of the Lsitania by Schwieger, in the U2O, with a loss of 1198 lives. A little earlier Schwieger had sunk three large vessels approaching Havre. He was to continue his work more than two years longer. But he finally went the way of Weddigen, in 1917. when one of England's Q-boatß sank his ÜBB with all her company. On March 24, 1916, the French steamship Sussex, carying passengers for Dieppe, was torpedoed. President Wilson, who had previously protested to Germany against acts of this nature, renewed his protests, and in April Germany abandoned, for the time, such practices. But in the Fall she expanded her efforts and took heavy toll in the waters to the south of England, besides doing much damage to the shipping of Norway.

Early in 1917 Germany announced proscribed zones, and on February 1 she reverted to her policy of unrestricted warfare in those zones. The entry of the United States into the war two months later is a matter of common memory. In February, German submarines sank 469,000 tons; in March, 524,000 tons; in April 852,000 tons. England will long remember those three months. Q Boats and Convoys. But April was the peak. England had fought the submarine with destroyers, with depth bombs, with armed patrols, with mines, with nets, with Q-boats, innocent-looking vessels carrying torpedoes and concealed guns, and with armed merchantmen. Yet the submarine was not mastered. Germany's new construction kept pace with her losses. But the convoy system came to pass, and in good time; forty or more ships in one group, moving in a body, hedged about by destroyers and other armed craft. The convoy system at once placed the submarine at a disadvantage. The attack Was made difficult and hazardous, from a loss of 852,000 tons for April the figure declined to 550,000 for May. The decline continued, November recording £59,000 tons. From late in 1917 to the 'trammer of 1018 the decrease went on. The British had found the answer to the submarine—as far as their immediate problem was concerned. But in addition to sinking millions of tons of shipping, 1 the submarine had taken nearly 13,000 British lives.

In 1917, 1960 ships were sunk; in 1918,

917. In 1917, 66 German submarines were sunk; in 1918, 18. When the German fleet was surrendered, it included 138 submarines. During the war 192 had been destroyed and seven captured. Submarines sunk by auxiliary patrol vessels numbered 37; by destroyers, 31; by submarines, 17; by Q-ships, 11; by aircraft, 7; by merchant ships, 5; by cruisers, 3; by battleships, 1, Mines accounted for 42 submarines; depth charges, 31; gunfire 30; the ram, 19; torpedoes, 17; mine nets, 7; sweeps, etc., 3. Fourteen were blown up by the Germans to prevent capture, and 10 were destroyed by wrecks or accidents. The figures are those of Winston Churchill, compiled from British and German sources. Since the War. The recent proposal made by Secretary Kellogg to abolish the submarine as an instrument of war has come to nothing. France, Italy and Japan are not willing. Great Britain is, decidedly so. The response to the overture is simply an echo of what developed during the Washington Conference of 1922, when Secretary Hughes and the British delegation tried to get the submarine under control. France at that time baulked, for reasons sufficient to herself, and also, later, refused to ratify a treaty agreement that submarines should not be used as commerce destroyers. Capital ships were limited, the tonnage of cruisers was held to 10,000, but the submarine escaped, and all the nations are free to-day to build as many as they please, as large as they please and armed as they please.

The submarines of the war have long been outclassed. Each nation has its own secrets in this important matter. Eaeh is working out its own designs. It is possible that each nation thinks it has the best. Statistics of submarines, like many other things in the world, are "subject to change without notice." The war gave a tremendous impetus to this type of war craft, in construction and designing.

To-day Japan and France are in the lead in point of number of modern craft, owing to their having entered upon extensive construction immediately after the Washington Conference. But Japan possesses many more of large size than does France, which is satisfied with smaller types as better suited to its needs. •

Japan has 68. built or near completion, with 16 ordered. Thirty bave been built since the Washington Conference. There are six of 1700 tons, with 20-knot speed, able to cross the Pacific and return without refuelling. Each carries one 4.7 in gun. They were the first of the Kaigun class, and Japan has 11 more of the same type, but considerably larger. The tonnage and the characteristics of these ldrger Japanese submarines have not been revealed. In the new construction are six submarine mine layers. Their characteristics also remain a mystery.

France to-day hag 57 undersea boats, and 26 building or authorised. Slie is finishing what may be, for a time, the largest in the world, 3500 tons, rather a cruiser that can dive than a submarine. She has 14 of the Redoubtable class, 1600 tons, 302 ft in length, of 18knot speed, one "heavy" gun, one 3|in anti-aircraft gun, and ten 21in torpedo tubes. There will be more of this class soon. They will be able to remain at sea for 60 days. In addition, France has nine of the Reguin class, 1200 tons, 256 ft in length. These carry 32 torpedoes. They are exceptionally strongly built, and are said to be able to submerge to a depth of 300 ft with safety. Great Britain's Sixty. Great Britain has 54 submarines built and six building. After the war she built the XI, the largest submarine now in commission, an impressive vessel, 2780 normal surface tonnage, 350 ft in length. It carries four Sin guns in two turrets, one forward of the conning tower, one aft. It carries 121 officers and men. It was used as an experimental craft for a few years for the purpose of benefiting subsequent submarine construction. It is now on duty in, the Mediterranean. Very little information concerning this vessel has escaped from the British Admiralty.

Nor are many details of the "O" class, another late British design, available. This type is to be produced "in quantity." There are now seven, and 17 more, some possibly larger, are to be laid down. It is a boat smaller than the XI, but very able. It is of 1345 tons, 1805 submerged. Other dimensions have been withheld. It costs about £600,000, and carries one 4in gun in an armoured position.

A little way back of this class come the "L" boats, in large numbers, about 1000 tons, good, serviceable boats, 230 ft in length, and after these is the "H" class, 500 tons, 170 ft in length, 17 of them. England also has her K26, a big one, 2140 tons, 330 ft in length, three 4in guns, now in the Mediterranean.

The United States has nine large submarines, built and building or authorised, and nearly 50 smaller ones, mod-, ern vessels, exclusive of many other obsolescent or out of ic entirely. The new boats date from the mid-years of the war. The large boats comprise the "V" class. They are of 2164 tonnage, 341 ft in length, with one sin deck gun.

The largest group in the United States Navy is the S class. Two of these have been lost, the Ssl and the S4, disasters too recent to need description here. The building of the S class began in 1917, and continued until 1925. They range in tonnage from 850 to about 1000, are from 220 ft to 240 ft in length, mounting one 4in gun and carrying twelve to fourteen torpedoes, with four or five tubes.

Italy completed six, of 840 tons, in 1918-19, and hag 14 others built or building. Her largest are of about 1400 tons, the Ansaldo class, 282 ft in length, speed 18 knots. Italy also has six of the Bernardis type, 850 tons, 282 ft in length, one 4in gun, eight torpedo tubes, and 17-knot speed; also four of the Pisani type, 830 tons, 223 ft in length, one 4in gun. Her fleet is to include three mine layers.

There have been many submarine disasters since the war. Three of the British vessels have been sunk —one by a freighter, one by a British battleship, one by a destroyer, all in collision. The United States has lost two by collision; the Italians have lost two, one during manoeuvres, presumably by a collision, and one by collision with a merchant vessel; the Japanese have lost one, sunk by one of their battleships. Provision for the safety of the crew is of increasing concern to every nation.

The submarine of to-day is supposed to look out for itself. Yet even perfect management on its part will not insure it immunity from being struck, and in collision it has little chance. One thing is certain. If there comes a method by which a trapped crew can safely escape, the prejudice against the submarine, a very wide awl general prejudice, will largely disappear.