LIFE IN A SUBMARINE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 658, 8 November 1909, Page 8

LIFE IN A SUBMARINE.

* A PEEP BELOW.'; HOW " OFFICERS AND MEN SPEND THB ■ : ': : .\i ; : ;.,',;:;,■ TIME.'.';; : /'. ; :r •!V Out of the: different types of vessels , which: go. to .make, a modern fleet (writes "R.C." in a London paper),, those'which.undoubtedly ex-, cite the keenest interestpf the public at large are the,;-submarines.. This, partly, -because.', it- is forbidden .to visit ■them, but ohiefly because submarines aro the latest :type of -vessel.:' And then , there is so much ] unusual .romance and ireird possibilities, eo many mysterious powers attached to the conception of • those littlo sal-man-shaped craft, in the , mind of tho unsophisticated - onlooker.' •'/,- .•''.'. How do they look inside," '-what doss it'feel like to. be closed, up in one ; how. deep do they plungo, how many men live ori board, and, above all, what; kind,of life, do those;; men ic.'.J? Such are tho eager '.questions which everyone askes when in presenca of this latest arid most deadly form of n-"- 1 "^it^n. Before taking the reader down.'in.one of ■ V submarines and intro l iii(..u 0 ' u,'- ; ...k' ,ts mysteries, which needlees to-say do: riot quite respond" to the -fanciful and almost fantastic idea the average pereon forms about tlu-ui, o few...preliminary details may be o> use. The. Complement, , ■ .- .--,"'■' ;• - fl A submarine is manned by a crew of sixteen—two officers and fourteen men. AH are volunteers from' the fleet.' ■, ■.. . : ; ' The fourteen men comprise: ,-. ... ■ .2 artificers, to look after the engines, : .. .' 1 stoker-petty-officer,, . : . •?'• . :■ . 3 "stokers," . ■ '.■■■ -.'..-'' -..-.' '": 1 coxswain'- ..potty-officer) ■ , 3 olijctricianj—or' torpedo : men; . ... '-•':. 3 seamen and. .'. V '.-•■ '.': ' ';". : ■ I leading seaman. ■ '-•■ -'-,' ,';. Every'man who volunteers, for service in ai .Eubmarine must submit to a special medical' examination, much", attention- being paid to the heart andlungs. The v life on board one of those "little vessels is: not, as, many- people think, particularly , dangerous. But it is so entirely different from : that which is. led in the other, types of ships that; after having served two years or so in a submarine, t}u> men are taken away from them and sent on board a cruiser or battleship, so-that they may keep in. touch with, the ordinary service, .i ■ V:Let it also be-'understood that the"-active , ; service in submarines is limited to a period of three weeks—on ;< end—during • the summer, nrid one week during the'winter. The rest- of the year the officers and men. live in what is called a "parent"—or , "mother ,, —ship, but they "exercise" 'the boat,,three or four .times a week,! generally, from .9'a.m to 3. p;m.., going through various evolutions; snch 'as diving and "attacking,", and also torpedo-firing. ' L«t.us : gqdqwn throngh'-the hatchway of thelittle conning tower." A few, rhngs of- ladder and we'reach"'the main-deck; the only deck, in fact, of the submarine,, inside ■ the "fish," in;-the'-hull'.M;/:: <'•■,:'■'■■ ' '.:. ; : ■-';•[■■ - ;■,' ■• '-■■■ .-■' A Close Atniosphere. -•' -; r -v ; .'-.;'. ;' ••■ .The first impression, is one of heat., TUt air is'close , arid .heavy, aid, as a' seaman eipressed,: it "Ain't it thick, sir!": 1 and' ho added, .."It ..soon "niakee 'you feel; sleepy, but tKe'y keep.us-so busy:iii : here'that , 'we get over the drowsiness.' ' ■.; '■''. .' ' ' i. ' I '■ _How small!.: The highest standingProbm is 6ft. 6in..hich; and towards both ends the .roof gradually.'declinfiV-'and.' l .the I '"floorj.:becpme's I narrower..' The hull tapers-away to appoint, so-'tnuch so, indeed, that as one proceeds one must crawl, oii. all fours.'.':)"' -.: .>' '■•'■.''• ,-'i There! are no. The hatchway the conning tower is, lie only aperture,.-but when this'is' closed—while'-the .vessel 'is .under. wateiv-electnc lamps' illiimine the small space. There are'-'ventilators,: of course, but , .when thlv submarine: dives> they, are shut off'with a cap... : Ther? arenp parfitions on this unique. deck;• the life on,board a:'submarine' is esseuti-.! ally "in ;cpmirioh"; ',the,pfficefs- and men- are' alwayß.together. '.;.,;. ! . , : .". ." ■' ,••";• a ,, .'. , : ■■,' ; -;~Tho: niennsi 1 . in -which.'a multitude of!objects'. are_crammed in together in : tho'narrow! spacevarious sots of "machinery, pipes, 'torpedoes,', hammocks, .cooking'apparatus,: and so forth— is: almost miraculous!. ■ '" .-; : ''...'■ .-.. The Daily Round. ; : , . ,;, ~.;. "How do you spend the day?" I , asked the coxswain. -.■.'. '■■' •'■•'•■':.••.''.■■' ' '•■■'''' '■;'■. '.■ ;,,."As'a rulo we ten out at 630. 'At 7;4s.com'es -.h'l'eakfast.. The two officeTs r ''HiVe ; itW> ! ase of. a' wcoderi tablo 3ft. by - ,2ft:, and.:two folding camp stools.' The.cooking is'-done in'an elec-: , trio oven, and we. aro'rcareful noti'to use'any- r ' thing that, may have a.stong or ■ disagreeable, 'smell; noonions are used in a submarine/ and: very little fish. The fnmes of the gasoline erigino are bad enough. < • '-\ '..:./ . ."Our breakfast is gonerally made of . tea, biead and butter, bacon and eggs. The men sit on tfye floor' as well as they can. The'bill of; faro of- dinner is. generally ,beef, and pota-! ..toes, and we get our grog—threeAjuarters of. (water arid of ruin'—.like all' other seamen. , -- ■•''■' •._■■■'. •' ■':■■:■ :'■ '.: : -.' - "At four, we have tea; and we take supper usually at.eight. At lo.3Qiwe turn,in. As regards .•work, well, there is quite' enough to do keeping the place'in; order, cleaning : the-'tor-/-pedoes, and everything else. There is no 'smoking below, but when wo are on the; surface'■ we: smoke on the bridge." .' '.'■ . .'..:''»■.;.'....'-•-- ' 'Tlow are'orders' given P , \ I askedi '.- '■■■■ .-.• -■• ;"In words—the , place is small , enough.'.There is no isuch thing as 'piping* in a submaxine." , . I.ventured ! 'tb'aslc the--coxswain a;few questions, about punishments, but ho,turned on-, me. somewhat abruptly. ,arid : retorted: 'TVe -rieTer. need any, we are picked men!" But an.officer , RtiUy informed iue that there' were any iinfractions of the' rules, which hardly.ever' -happened, the culprit paid the- penalty, when on board the mother-sliip. - ; -. •■',,■'- ■ I then inquired: about the noise, the_ speed, the dangers,;.and .cbmfoits-'of ; a submarine. _ Contrary to • the'-'pre'valent notion ■ there, is not niuch: noise inside those, little vessels when their aro submerged, nothing but the bnzzing of-the : motor.- ..... , ... .','■' Diving Depths and Speeds.. , ... The greatest depth ,to which submarines, go dees not exceed 1 thirty feet, but; as-a-rule they, travel fifteen 1 feet ■ bt'low tlie water.' The. speed. averages twelve or thirteen knots on tho sur-. Ifabpand eight knots below.. [The' British sub-, marine Dl in her trials made, an under-water speed 0f'.12 knots;] '• :,';■'■■■'..:-r ~'■':' .The air is quite "breathable" for four hours, but in the case of emergency, thanks' to spefcial - devices, I the_:■', crew .can remain ■ seventy hours closed .up in a submarine without dan-' gor to their li^es.- : . ■ . ... .^ " "How \do you like the life ?" I asked nay friend the coxswain.: -.-.'' "" ; V .- ■■■' '.' "We all love it.'lt is so quiet, so interest-. ing, and then therois riotso' nwch discipline as th«reas in a'battleship. ; /-' ■' ',-. ■■ .''•■' : "This does not mean that, there is loss order amongus. On the. contrary; but; living as w* do, in common, in a-small space, the discipline has no'need of being so stert. ->: . \.;-- " "Wo.are like one, family,,.officita.and. men partaking .'almost' of ;tbe same f odd, ..breathing/ , the same ,air, leading the same life, and. sharing 'the same dangers. ■■'•. -. ■[ - - "But there is no'danger to speak of in Eub'marines. 1 They; are the safest things afloat providing everyone , does'his dutj. They are buoyant enough; they cannot get down unless we want.them to. .. L '.."'. - ■'■••• - : -- . " ' "By the way, the white mice we used te .have , to watn• us' ! of impending'dangers havo 'entirely,'been,done away with..'-. • -, ; ; ,-.■ ; "What'-'do you^use,, then?'-' ' ■ ■< ~' " "Oh. thero, is, no' need .for. us. any-' thing," he, .said!' "We -can smell any' escape of .-petrol,' and : 'th«n.. we. know ' that 'an .explosion is possible, and, : we, do whatis : necessary.,.. In: Rough .'Weather.'' ,'' . ; '.''• \ ■''.'• : "Wien the 'weather is fair there is naturally very.,, little .rolling;... .Submarines','aro" steady-, arid extremely'seaworthy, - It.ie.the pffioers. on. the bridge who,..have the. worei -time of it. Of course, in a very rough sea vw .are shaken about .a bit, and .in such -a narrow -space' we are bound to bump .against' something -or other! , . . : But in such , ; circumstances.".we stretch- 'steadying lines'- every, few, feet acroes the bpat and..hold , on.to, them." ' ■';'.• -.- : "Isnt'your life rather 'depressing?." ' ■•■■'•'"■ ■ ■ "Not, at,;all.\- Wh'at an idea,!V- 'Aad' the coxswain,,laughed. , ■•/■' - ."!;'■.- ;L - ■''. -, , "We are the, cheeriest ..crowd in: the, Navy," said;his' -'TThere are.no mouldy people in, submarines. Besides, everyone knows that the supply ■ of,-, volunteers. for service in , submarines exceeds'tho deinand'.". • •'. '.-' ' ■ The officer sang the:prajses of his men. His opinion and the attitude of. the submarine men reminded me of Lord Charles Beresford's words concerning .the characteristics 'of British,seamen: .'. ■"■'"' ':' •'.' : ••. \, ■'- •; - •.■'■■.". "Splendid courage in cnticaUmpments, readiness of resource, individuality,;, a loyal -sens* of duty, combined with: a ohivalrous v idea of honour and. a cheery, demeanour under all ■circumstances.".;.; ..i. <■'; ;-..'■:> •-...-: ■', ■ ■•.'■'- ' '::■■■ ~ —:. ',: ■ ■.. —■~ - -. : : V'■-.'.' ■' -i- ''