LOSSES BY SUBMARINE.
It is evident from the returns of the past month that the allied navies are successfully taking the measure of the German submarine campaign. Tho Germans continue to take, their toll at the rate of between two and three ships per day, but we may expect this average to decrease as the allied methods of attack and defenco are perfected and multiplied For three weeks during April and May the British losses alone were at the rate of over seven ships per day. The Germans at the opening of their campaign had hoped to maintain something like this rate of sinking for months on end. That they attained to it and then dropped for a month to an average of three per day is as clear evidence as we can ask that the unannounced sinkings of submarines have been very heavy. The campaign opened on February 1. In the first eighteen days 47 British ships were sunk. Since then the Admiralty has issued a weekly statement of the British losses. The following table summarises the losses over the period of 15 weeks covered by the Admiralty statements:—
The figures show that the loss for the past week is lower than at any time since the campaign opened. Another satisfactory feature is that the number of ships unsuccessfully attacked almost equals the number sunk. The fact that the Germans have to attack twice for one success suggests either that great numbers of our merchant ships are carrying the means of their own protection or that in certain waters the anti-submarine craft are very numerous. It is apparent that no anti-submarine specific is yet in operation, but N it is equally clear that the submarines are being effectively fought and that their destructive capacity is being greatly limited.
Over Under 1600 tone 1600 tons . ... . sunk. sunk. ATflrage of eight weeks (Feb. m 19 to April 15) 16.2 7.3 Week ending April 22 ... 40 15 .• April 29 ... 38 18 •• .• May 6 ... 24 22 » ii May 13 ... 18 5 •• .> May 20 ... 16 9 May 27 ... 18 1 •> » June 3 ... 15 3
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16560, 8 June 1917, Page 4
Word Count
350LOSSES BY SUBMARINE. New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16560, 8 June 1917, Page 4
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