GERMAN SUBMARINES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 11 December 1914, Page 5

GERMAN SUBMARINES.

The London Daily Telegraph was probably quite correct in recently saying that Germany has considerably more submarines than was supposed. It adds in explanation that she exercised pre-emption over an unknown number that were being constructed at the Danzig dockyard and the Germania yard at Kiel. There is really no means of knowing how many of these craft Germany possesses. According to the latest Naval Annual she had about 30, and was building about a dozen for herself; but the North German Gazette was literally accurate both in regard to built and building craft when it declared that "there is very little heard of the submarine service, for in this department the navy does its work without desiring publicity." The number of submarines built in Germany for "lesser European and other navies" is just as elusive a quantity as the number built for herself, and if the truth were known it would probably prove that not a few of these craft have been laid down ostensibly for outside States, but really with the intention of their going to swell the German flotillas. However, be the German figures what th§y W&J, they are not likely to be within measurable distance of those of Britain. It is definitely known that at the beginning of the war Britain had just about 80 of these craft completed, and nearly a score well on the way. This would give us a considerable superiority, and as to the future, Britain can look forward with confidence, for her ability to turn out submarines is very much greater than that of her rival, and she will ha\-e no difficulty in maintaining her lead.