SUBMARINE HUNTERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 April 1918, Page 3

SUBMARINE HUNTERS.

U-BOAT ENF/MIES. MOTOR LAUNCHES AND THEIR WORK.

Little grey ships, pleasure-boats except for their deadly armament, have patrolled the North S e » this winter, as they have patrolled it for several winters past. They go in and out of almost every port in Great Britain. They are eighty feet long, of a twelvefoot beam or breadth, can make over twenty knots—which is (considerably better than twenty, miles an hour—and carry two officers and eight men. They draw littlo water and thus expose a small surface to torpedo attack. The shallow draft enables them to lake shorts cuts over shoal places too. ’There is a gun mounted forward and astern lie depth charges, ready to drop overboard and set to explode at various distances under the water where the submarine may be resting. Of course tho men have rifles and pistols. This is the “M.L.,” as the English with a national love of abbreviation, have named the motor-launch which performs the work designated by the American Navy as “scout patrolling. The launches set out, regardless of any except the worst weather, every morning from hundreds of ports. They I leave “ lino ahead,” but as soon as they I are free of the harbour the signal is 1 given to form abreast. Deck rails come down, the gun is cleared for action, the lance bombs and depth charges are set, rifles and pistols are loaded. The launch may roll; in fact, she usually does; meals may he served at uncertain hours; everybody is pretty likely to lie soaked through and through. It is uncomfortable work, hut it is performed : and it is effective, as the German Admiralty can testify. Night nntrolling is a much more severe test of nerves. The launch runs as slowly as possible, and a sharp lookout must be kept, for anything abend, from a U-Boat to a mine, a wreck or a buoy. At any instant a challenge may come from out of the darkness, and certain lights must he reedy to display in answer; thoso are called recognition lights. There are no other lights shown, nor is it possible to show anv. In fact, there are no lights burning aboard the launch at night except one or two in the engineroom, invisible outside. A search -lmht is ready to ho flashed on any object that arouses suspicion.

At times tho launch’s ermine w stooped and she drifts in the blacknov with a hvdronhone. or underwater telephone. over the side, while, Rs it has been picturesquely put, “ a man in the

I chart-house with the receivers to his ears waits for a submarine to “ring | up.” | A submarine will not attack a patrol 1 launch if it can help it, and the launch often practices “sitting on a submarine.” This means locating the UBoat’s presence by means of the hydrphone while sending a call for other boats by wireless. The capture <>i destruction of the under-water boat can then be made pretty certain, though, of course, sitting on a submarine entails some risk -of her getting away. Motor-launches arc now used in increasing numbers for mine-sweeping. The mines area usually exploded by firing from n specially heavy rifle: they make excellent targets, and the sport is pronounced “great fun.”