SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN

Evening Star, Issue 16676, 7 March 1918, Page 3

SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN

GOING IN OUR FAVOR, UNLESS CONSTRUCTION IS HINDERED. U BOATS DREAD BRITISH WATERS. OUR MEDITERRANEAN ENTERPRISE. THE CHANNEL NET MYTH. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and ' Renter. LONDON, March 5. Sir Eric Geddas, First Lord of iho Admiralty, in the House of Commons, in introducing the Naval Estimates, said that generally the naval -warfare proceeded increasingly m our favor. It continued to be chiefly a trial of strength between the enemies’ submarines and the allied submarines (?). Wo depended on indisputable information from neutral sources. .With regard to the certain degree of success of other onomy enterprises, an occasional raid on our convoys and the English coast was the natural outcome of the blockaded enemy trying to harass the blockading fleet. He believed the exit of the Goeben and the Breslau from the Dardanelles was a similar raid. The loss of the Breslau was a serious one for the enemy. Regarding the recent enemy raid in the Strait of Dover, it was commonly believed that the passage of submarines through Dover Strait had been prevented by nets and other obstructions since early in the war. That was not the case. Undoubtedly a considerable number of submarines passed through the strait towards the end of last year. Recently a more vigorous policy had been adopted with regard to the surface barrage maintained across the Channel day and night in order to obstruct tho passage of submarines, and at night-time patrol boats, numbering over 100, burned flares, so that any submarine attempting to pass on tho surface had a reasonable chance of being engaged. Night raids of this kind would always bo undertaken by a determined enemy. _ As to anti-submarine operations, the Allied Naval Council decided to extend those utilised in Homo waters, where they had proved most successful, to the Mediterranean, -where the main operations were now placed, under tho charge of Vice-admiral Calthorpc, This was one of the first fruits of the Allied Naval Council, from which he hoped wo would derive material benefit. The British were establish-ing-at various points of the Mediterranean and Adriatic large works for combined aerial and naval warfare. British naval officers, at the request of the Greek Government, were assisting in the reconstruction and reorganisation of the Greek navy and dockyards. He emphasised the cordiality of the relations between the allied naval heads. He announced that tho forces in European waters will shortly bo augmented by Brazilian warships. Ho especially dwelt on , r V le , c^03e -Anglo-American co-operation. The losses of merchantmen were still tending to decrease. Tho loss of the world’s tonnage in February, 1918, was just oyer half that of the previous February. The loss in five months ended in 1 ebrnary was 10 per cent. less than for the corresponding five months. The output of ships in Great Britain in January was only 58,000 tons. Tho output in February was double. The main cause of the decrease was labor troubles. Unless there ■was a speedy improvement the point at which production balanced losses would be dangerously postponed. Ho emphasised that_ Great Britain must rely during the coming critical period upon her own resources, for a considerable time must .elapse before tho.desired: American outputof shipping materialised. '.-ir Eric Gocklcs reiterated, with regard to the submarine monaco, that although we had not yet mastered submarines they were, being destroyed in increasing numbers, and he was confident that this increase would continue. He knew that the German submarine crews were crowirm increasingly reluctant to put to sea, es° pecially m the North Fea, the North Atlantic, and the Channel. Tho chance* of submarines in those waters retnrninnru orn o'o l - S i abm,t one 1 - n fo,!r ; and recently the British and Americans were sinking submarines in Home waters ns fast as they were being built. Great Britain and the Allies wore now able to devote more attention to submarines in the Mediterranean. The enemy continued to increasingly exaggerate the tonnage sunk in order to hearten their people. The losses of convoyed ships continued low. ECHO OF SEE ADLER’S CRUISE. ‘ Tho Times.’ VALPARAISO, March 6. A Chilian schooner has landed at Talcahuano 58 officers and crew of the See Adler. They were rescued from the schooner Fortuna, which was wrecked in the vicinity of Easter Island. NORWEGIAN SHIPPING. Reuter's Telegrams. ' LONDON, March 5. The ‘ Daily Chronicle ’ states that the shipping controversy between Norway and Britain has been settled.