OUR SIDE OF THE U-BOAT WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3047, 7 April 1917, Page 10

OUR SIDE OF THE U-BOAT WAR

FIRST LORD'S WARNING.

■-WHAT TIE, NAVY IS DOING V THOUSANDS OF SHIPS RUNNING ■THE HUN "BLOCKADE" , SIR E. CARSON'S FOOD.WARNING-.; Sir Edward Carson, the First Lord, made one of tbo frankest speeches of the- war in the House of Commons on February 21. While warning the nation of the gravity of the U-boat menace, ho showed (says the "Daily Mail") that the so-called' German blockade of Great Britain and her allies, which began on February 1, has had very little effect on the enormous amoiint of British shipping. ' ' The two sides of the blockade wore shown in tho following figures:— -.'SHIPS SUNK. THE OTHER SIDE. First IS Days of Each Month. ■ ■ December"■'..;. 118 ... 223,332 tons. First 18 Days of February. ..-•British ,;■.... 30 ... 95,104 „ . '- '/ January '..'...: 91 ■.;. 198,233 „ Ships reaching British ports..." 6,076 'British' .....': 26 ... 84,817 „ Ships leaving British ports ..-. 5,873 February'.'-..'.... 134 ..'. 304,586 ~ ■ Ships always in'''Danger. Zone" 3,000 ."•British •62 '.... .175,269 „. Fights with U-boats ...; '.; 40

Dealing with the Menace. • . • Measures. taken for .coping with the blockade, Sir Edward said, include: An-Anti-submarine Department composed of the most experienced men in the country. \. . • Speeding up the arming of merchant ships, Tho number armed has been increased by 47 per cent, in'tho last two months. > "" ' ; As to the number of U-boats destroyed. Sir Ediward said that' the Admiralty, did' not always know whether a submarine was sunk." Manj r , they knew, had been .'sunk. Mors U-boat News. Sir Edward promised to publish every, day: "' ' ' '..-' • '! Our losses through U-boat attacks. Number of ships escaping after beving attacked.- . : _ . Number of ships reaching and leaving England. :'"' Navy's. Croat Work. - Up to October 30 last- the Navy, had' transported: .B,ooo,ooo'soldiers. ■-. D,420,000:.t0ns of- explosive's and material. 1,000,000 sick'and wounded.-. 1,000,000-horses and mules. ■ | 47,500,000' gallons of petrol. ,i Almost without mishap. Examined 25,874 ships at sea or in, harbours.

"NO MAGIC REMEDY" FOR DEAL- , .„ING WITH U-BOATS. House of Commons, Wednesday. The . House was crowded, and Sir j Edward Carson commanded tense attention. His tone throughout was grave. The seriousness of tli'o submarine menaco was emphasised over and over again; but ho was not despondent, arid lie ended on a distinctly optimistic, note. The figures ho quoted of the • number of vessels arriving and departing from our ports distinctly cheered the House, and tho. reports of tho encounters with' submarines -were •"-a's-'.'e'ago'rlyr-woluomed -by members as'they'will'Vo read with avidity by a nation which has too long been starved of news of Hum the Navy has been dealing with our treacherous foe. A warm cheer greeted the rising of Sir Edward to make his • first speech in the Houso since lie becamo First Lord. "You will find in the Estimates very little information," ho Warned members,- recalling that they were- "token Estimates," and almost the sole figure of naval expansion lie quoted 'was when he announced that power was asked to increase the personnel from . 300,000 men to 400,001) men if necessary. Admiralty changes were briefly commented on. "The country is very fortunate injiaving at the Admiralty Sir John Jellicoe," he said, and cheers rang.out. "His knowledge of the Service is unparalleled. There is no important post at the Admiralty which (between his periods of sea service) he has not -filled. Tho Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir David. Beatty, too, had had 'a unique career,' and ho had the hourly growing'confidence of every man serving under liim. ... ' ' ' ■

. ."The vast, work, unceasing, silent and .watchful, of our Fleet requires, at all events; a- passing word," he remarked hefore coming to the topic of submarines. "The Grand Fleet, though" never advertising, has • never dono working. The great volume of trade in. and out of. this country has gone; on unceasingly and unremittingly, while 'tlio great mercantile fleet of Germany still lies .idle in its harbours, and her ports are desolate and deserted." (Cheers and laughter.) The actual work of the Navy in safeguarding our sea routes was impressed upon the House by a series of astonishing records [given above], of what our sea transport has accomplished. "When people begin to bo anxious, and I may say rightly anxious, don't let them .think the "account* is all on one side," was Sir Edward's comment on the figures.

The Blockade of Germany. Duringlast year we examined on the high seas or in harbour 15,158 ships. The number examined sinco the beginning of the war was 25,874. "That is the work which constitutes tho blockade of. Germany," he saidi,.and complimented the Navy on its success in dealing'.with.this herculean task. He praised, .too, the work of the Naval Division in France.

Proceeding to tho submarine menace, . Sir Edward opened his remarks with .thoimportant observation: "It is not a recent menace. It has ' been • for months arid months a growing menace, staring us in the face." Ho -iodic office, ho said, with a full sense of responsibility and anxiety as to this menace, and had never ceased to work at it._ '.People'asked him, "Are' you optimistic? or "Are you pessimistic?" "I am neither one nor the other," he continued. "My duty is to tell the /House and tho country the whole extent of the menace. . It is grave, it is serious, and it has not yet been solved. We have never for a moment ceased to work at it in the Admiralty, but no single magic remedy exists or probably will exist. But I am confident that in the development of measures which hare boon and are being devised its seriousness will by degrees bo gradually mitigated." (Cheers.) Anti-Submarine'Department, "Wo havo established at the Admiralty an anti-submarine department composed of tho best and most experienced men we could draw for that purpose from men serving at sea, whose whole tinio is devoted! to working out tho problems in connection with this menace/, I havo had their reports brought before tho board, and the board take full responsibility. Shortly after Sir ■ John Jcllicoo camo to'the Admiralty we issued ah invitation to ovory member of. the Fleet to' send in any .suggestions that occurred to them for. dealing, with those difficult questions.-. • ■ .. ■..''• ■-"We havo in addition au Invention

1 and Research Department-presided over by Admiral Lord Fisher, and associaii-' od with him are tho greatest scientists' the country possesses. He is- there to toll them the wants of tho Admiralty; and they are thore to work out methods by which those wants- can bo mot. ■' There are men like Professor Thompson, Sir. Charles Parsons, and many others associated 1 with them. I am, sorry my right .hon.. friend- opposite (Mr. Lambert), described a body of thatkind the other night as 'a chemist's, shop.' Those aro some of the greatest' men wo have and they are giving us of their best, and I- cannot for a- mo-, ment admit that a. distinguished public sen-apt like Lord.Fisher is not alsogiving to the Admiralty iingnidginglythe whole of his abilities in trying to solve this .question which affects.- -our vory existence,'.' .-?.-":." ■' " All Ships to Ibe Armed, -y "The arming-' ; of'merchant ;shipsis' going on better and.bett'er each week," was another important ■ piece /'of'n'ows. In the last 'two ,months .the /number of armed merchant ships bv' 47.5 percent;-' "So'far as'l can •gather; of ai'mcd merbhaht'-J.'ship's'at-., , tacked by submarines .70 to 75 per cent, escape, and of unarmed merchant ships 24 per cent. Therefore you will see how important it is that every ship' should bo' armed." ' - ■ Commander Bellairs: By armed mer-! chantmen does the right hon. gentleman mean ships armed with one gun only?' ".•■'' Sir Edward Carson: Yes, I,do. Mr. M'Kenna: Is that a percentage of tho ships attacked' or of all ships? Sir Edward Carson: Of the ships attacked. Loud cheers greeted Sir Edward's figures (given above) of the volume of our shipping in face of the.blockade. He capped the record with the observation: "Our losses aro had enough and they aro. dangerous - enough, but they are not equal to the blatant and extravagant.bravado of" the. German' accounts."" In proof of this he entertained tho House with a tit-bit from the German wireless intended forAmerican consumption:! ... "At first .the 'increase in sinking will pot be.'ver.v. ereat,,.for tho. submarine, scare has. been..!.thrown .into'.the '!Englislr .withi'.paralysing - effect,;-; and." thewhole'sea was as if sifept. clean by'one blow." , ■

"Twelve thousand ships in and.out in the -first 18 .days," Sir Edward repeated dryly to the'laughing. House. Further, the message, stated that the Admiralty were. concealing losses.' "There is no particle of truth in.that' statement," was. the reply of Sir Edward. "I would never be a party to holding back from my fellow-country-men losses which so far from makine them shrink from the conflict will put. into them the spirit of determination."

Spirit of the Seamen. "I am letting neutrals know the. truth,", ho went on. "in face of. all tho sinkings and their accompanying sacrifices and trials—and Heaven knows it is wearying to read of tho boats with, their frozen corpses from vessels torpedoed without notico by a nation that states it will riot shrink from sinking our hospital ships and drowning our wounded—l am encouraged by one fact, and .that is that I have not yet heard of one sailor who refused to sail..- (Loud cheers.) That is what is going to win this war. (Renewed cheers.) • And; however neutrals may have bepu nervous: and frightened, you will see how our'cxamplo spreads. You will see as days, go on that tho neutrals will resume their sailings." (More cheers.)

% A reform in the method of announcing our shipping lossos was next announced. In future the reports of tho numbers of British vessels sunk by mines or submarines will be accompanied by tho total of tho arrivals and sailings from United Kingdom ports' and the numbers of vessels attacked by submarines .who escaped. "I do not propose to publish the number of Allied and neutral vessels stink.- -Their Governments may prefer to publish thoir losses themselves.".

U-Boat Secrecy. The general complaint that no information as to tho destruction of German submarines was published was next dealt with and Sir Edward Carson admitted tho force of'the argument that under this plan all the honours appeared to rost with the enoiuy. There were, however, three.-reasons against it: 'I—lt .is.a system the enemy.most dislikes. All the enemy knows-is that tho ■ submarine does not return -home. What has happened is a complete mystery. It'cannot tell whether the submarine was lost through- some defect of construction; a mischance of navigation, or destroyed by one of the methods devised by tho Admiralty. 2.—lf we.announced the immediate destruction of a submarine the Germans would at onco dispatch another to operate in its area. "I would rather go on leaving them to imagine that it was there." (Laughter.) 3.—Wo at tho Admiralty do not know always ourselves whether an enemy submarino has for certain been destroyed.

The results of encounters ranged "from tho certain through the probablo to the possiblo and tho improbable"— (laughter)—and he would be sorry to mislead the public. U-BOAT FIGHTS SIR E. OARSON'S GRAPHIC LITTLE STORIES. "I hold in my band a briof account of some 40 encounters we havo had with submarines' jir the 18 days siiico February 1," Sir Edward said, producing documents, and ho proceeded to quote from them in' illustration of his contention: A few days ago one of our diwtroyers attacked an enemy submarine, and as events showed killed the captain, Tlio suhmanno dived'." SKo was injured, in a way that compelled: her. to .come to the surface. • She was captured,' and her officers and men -.taken prisoners. That is an absolute casß. . ■'-.-. \

A transport reported that it ■had

struck a submarine and' was .confident it had sunk it. A further report showed that an obstruction thought to bo tho submarine had been located'. .Thin is a claim, of which wo may say that there.attaches to it a degree of probability amounting almost to.'certainty. Two patrol vessels, reiwrted they had engaged two enemy submarines , and sunk them both. There were no casualties in tho patrol boats, and no survivors from tho submarines." A further report appears to show that one submarine was. sunk, but it-is not certain about the second. •

A destroyer reported heavily ramming a submarine. There is. no doubt the destroyer, struck it a severe blow, but it is not possible to. establish that tho submarine was sunk. This is a case of strong probability. Claim that a submarine was sunk by two of our patrol vessels and'two destroyers. Result of the engagement reported.as doubtful, although it has been ascertained that one of the dcstroycrs was slightly dauaged in running over. the conning-tower of the submarine. • . • A patrol vessel reports that sho has been in action with a submarine. At tho fifth- shot hit the conning-tower and believes sho sank the boat. One of our smaller ships sighted a submarine on the'surface and dropped a bomb' just after tho submarine had dived. ..-..- ■••: ._:.-. :.■■ 'A seaplane dropped a bomb oa an enemy ' submarine when it-waß in the act of diving. The submarine wa3 not seen again, but tho result is unknown. - ' Sir Edward said tho . last' . three cases were among :^ T )s6 where, it was doubtful if the submarine was sunk. "Now I have told you. really ail I know myself about the submarine menace," he added. Problem Will Be Solved. The Admiralty,woro doing their best to deal-with it, but other steps would have to bo taken by the country on the assumption that only by degrees would the danger bo mitigated, and that it might nover 'be entirely eradicated. The Food Controller's work and the Food Producer's work would all help, and imports must be reduced. As to the. new construction being undertaken, he indicated that there was no. groat battleship programme in hand. "We have an. entirely, different .sot of. circumstances .to dealf with now. Wo want .to build, of courso, .such-craft' as. will.most: readily' be r -available, and ,WC adsp .want to.niake .good' the losses .in.the...mercantile-..fleet.- -. • Thg-neces-'' s;>i'y..,.:-programmos.,; of ■•'-shipbuilding Would, be. adjusted between--tho, Admiralty and the merchant.service,- -and no single ship,.in the : country? would be .left..empty... Tho .concluding sentence/ of 'the .First:,-. Lord,.', reverting- .- once' again to. thi.s.ubmaf.ine,monace,-.-was as : follows.:—,' ; 'l believe -the .menaco .-'can be and/will :be defeated, -but I ■■ believe it can only be solved by tho.nation acting in. the'. ways I have indicated, in conjunction with the Navy. . But that it can and will be .'solved is certain.'? (Loud cheers.) : . Mr. Churchilifs Praise. "No greater danger menaces us today, said Mr. Churchill, who congratulated Sir Edward Carson on his frank and manly statement of the difficulties of tho situation,. He claimed that a year ago he pointed out how the German mind w:as working in tho direction of large, ocean-going submarines, and' said tho Board of-Admiralty at that time had not the driving virility.and resourcefulness which the situation required.- The anti-submarine department ought,, to 4mve been started a year ago: Our blockade had operated more slowly than it was reasonable to- expect before tho war, bui it- was now beginning to grip the innerand vitajs of the•■ enemy.- (Cheers'.) The Foreign Office andc.tho /Admiralty -had::had:'different- poiuts'of: view-on-this'' question:-.-.. In.vFabruhi-yjiJ.'SlSj-rtherAd- ■ mi.ralty.proposed to-the.-Cabinot a system of rationing for neutrals. "No one, can sayi whether more weight was assigned to the considerations which the Foreign Office had in mind than should hare been the case, but it is a very remarkable thing that wo have at last-reached a very high degree of stringency in our/ blockade without losing the good will of the neutralworld."

Commander Bellairs suggested that news of TJ-hoat sinkings might he given three or four weeks after the event.

Mr. France, who moved a motion calling for more frankness and consistency in tho statements of the Government relating to the mercantile marine, said there- wag a strong impression in the city that some shipping losses were concealed, particularly those inflicted by a raider at large. Sir Edward Carson: Sometimes a ship is overdue, and a ship has to be overdue for a considerable time before you can reckon it a loss, but, subject to .that, so far as I know no lossos have been concealed. A 'member': Does thai> : include the losses through the raider? Sir. Edward Cars/oil: Yes: ■ . ;\. ' After, further discussion the motion was negatived. The" Committee stage' of the Estimates was adjourned.