Ships from Americ.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15895, 8 May 1917, Page 6

Ships from Americ.

The report that the experts of the United States Navy Department have " solved the problem" of dealing with the German submarines need not be taken too seriously or too literally. Even Mr Edison cannot lock himself up and invent something entirely new and affective which will do more than tho British Admiralty can do. W e may understand, however, that the co-opera-tion of the American and British Navies will increase the potency of the anti-submarine measures which have been devised up to tho present, "iet it is possible that nothing in the way of direct anti-submarine activity on America's part will be so useful as tho

assistance America can give in repairing tho losses of merchant shipping. According t-o Mr Denman, the Chairman of the United States Shipping Board, the shipyards of America can turn out wooden vessels of 3000 tons each at the rate of 200,000 tons a month, beginning with October nest, without interfering with the construction of new steel ships. In fourteen months' time. Mr Denman says, America could havo 800 or 1000 of these ships, with a total tonnage of from 2i 'to 3 million tons. This reinforcement of the shipping resources of tho Entente, added to the output of steel tonnage in American and British yards, would make the German submarines unablo oven to embarrass the commerce of Britain and her friends. The Shipping Board began at the end of January to organise this reinforcement of trans-oceanic shipping, and has its plans all ready. .

"Under a proper organisation," Mr Denman said, "with such, a man as Mr Goethals at the head of it, wo could turn out wooden ships at tho rato of 200,000 tons a month, without interfering with the steel trade of the country, and within seven or eight months from the time that construction started. These ships would be of about 3000 tons each, would have a speed of ten knots an hour in the peaceful sections of the Atlantic Occan, and in the submarine zone could be speeded up to twelve knots. They will be equipped as oil burners. It is possible that we could have 800 or 1000 6uch vessels within fourteen or sixteen months' time. "Assuming a high rate of destruction on the part of the German submarines, if this fleet could convince tho German Government that the construction of our steel and wooden shipyards could keep pace with such destruction, they would begin to' feel that their ruthlessness in that particular lino was useless. We could supply these boats from October' Ist of this year, and they would have a life of 18 to 3o years, and could be made of green wood as fast as it could be cut. "The Shipping Board feels that such a fleet would go far towards convincing 'the Central Powers that it is useless to struggle against tho forests and ma-chine-shops of this country. If wo could do this wo could write off tho 50,000,000 dollar s or more that they would cost and consider it spent with profit. "Wo feel that the great drawback to all previou s attempts at shipping legislation in Congress has been tho lack of interest and knowledge of tho Middle West in the ocean. During the last two years great interest from western Pennsylvania to eastern Montana has been stimulated in the shipping problem. We propose to call upon tho men of semi-military colleges in that section, bring them to the coast, train them as gunners, and placo them aboard this fleet of wooden vessels. If we can do that with 2000 or more men —bring them down to the sea. and set them afloat—we may be reasonably sure that they will never forget the importance of the sea." It is generally agreed now that whatever may happen on the battle-fronts, Germany's only hope has long been her U-boats. | Tho Germans themselves have hardly conccaled their opinion that their success or failure, depends on the success or failure of the submarine blockade. If, despite their utmost endeavours, they cannot cripple the maritime communications of Britain, they have only defeat ahead, and it is pretty evident that long before the submarines can cripple British shipping America will be repairing the losses.