SUBMARINES FEAR DESTROYERS

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 23, 26 January 1918, Page 10

SUBMARINES FEAR DESTROYERS

DIARIES OF CAPTURED CAPTAINS.

Base of the American Flotilla in British Waters, 16th October.—(Correspondence of The Associated Press.)— Diaries taken from, captured U-boat commanders furnish documentary evidence that the destroyer is the most effective of present weapons against the submarines. "Avoided destroyer" is the oft-repeated entry. In fact, these logs show conclusively that the submarines are having a hard time of it. ' ■ ..

The result of the: destroyer activity during the last four weeks has been not only a decrease in casualties of merchant ships but; a still more satisfactory increase in the number of submarined sunk. . .■:.-'

The convoying of merchantmen has now reached a state of considerable perfection after many months' work in training both the officers of the merchant ships and the personnel of the patrol flotillas. While systematic convoying was undertaken primarily as a defensive measure, it has now. developed that convoying is at the same, time the best .offensive measure yet. devised against the U-boat. . .

The . offensive side of convoying may best be shown by ? an illustration. When a submarine tries to ' torpedo a convoyed Ship—as submarines are now compelled'to do owing to'the infrequ'ency of unconvoyed shipping—there is always a destroyer on the scene, and the chances of her "getting" that particular submarine are correspondingly increased. The wake of a torpedo is generally seen by the destroyer's lookouts, and it gives a good line on the direction where the submarine is lying. The destroyer immediately steers a course full speed in the line shown by the torpedo's wake, and'drops repeated depth charges along this coui'se. In a considerable proportion of cases this proves effective, for. these depth charges cause serious commotion over, a considerable radius.

The ' Associated Press correspondent was told of three cases in the last fortnight in which submarines were thus destroyed. In many instances, no doubt, submarines are destroyed without any visible indication above water of their loss. Still others are badly crippled, as in the case of the damaged German U-boat which was' recently interned.'in Spain. Another. submarine . which will never return to Germany was sunk under peculiar circumstances a short time. ago. This U-boat torpedoed a ship bound from the United States, firing its torpedo at a range of only about a hundred-yards. It is extremely unwise and safe to fire a torpedo at such close range, but the U-boats must take their targets ac they get them these days. The torpedoed ship was loaded -with a cargo of heavy war materials, and the explosion was so forcible that it' blew a. large piece of heavy material through the deck of the ship and dropped it on the submarine as the latter was submerging. The hull of the submarine was crushed like an eggshell, and she sank with all on board.