SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3313, 12 September 1917, Page 15

SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN.

Tho British Admiralty supplies the following figures of shipping for the week as relating to submarines, which compare with the previous week as shown: Sept. 2. Aug. 26. Arrivals for week 2384 2629 Departures for week 2432 2680 Vessels over 1600 tons sunk 20 18 Vessels under 1600 tone sunk 3 5 Unsuccessfully attacked ... 9 6 In the week ended September 2 the arrivals at .French ports wore 828, and the sailings 743. Sinkings: Three vessels over 1600 tons and nine vessels under 1600 tons. Unsuccessfully attacked, one steamer. For the week ended the 3rd hist, there were 506 arrivals in Italian ports and 468 departures. Three steamers and one sailing vessel were sunk, and one steamer was unsuccessfully attacked. Twcnty-ono Norwegian ships were sunk during August.

The Now York Times London correspondent states that since July 13 the losses by submarine haye been reduced by 150,000 tons a month. A high naval authority states that the increases in submarine sinkings are mainly duo to flukes. Though Germany has put all her strength into submarines, and is building larger vessels, there is no prospect of their eventual success within the time allowed, for America's help fixes a time limit. Besides, the British offensive measures are in full blast. The French Minister of the Mercantile Marine has planned to build during the current year thrice as much new tonnage as tho annual average output before the war. Tho Tidens Tegu (Norway) publishes from a well-informed correspondent a statement that tho U boats now number 300, including 1500-ton submarine cruisers, with crews of from 40 to 50, carrying upwards of 50 torpedoes and many shells. Some are fitted as mine-layers. Tho Foreign Minister in Madrid has announced that King Alfonso has obtained from belligerents an agreement permitting the free circulation of Anglo-French hospital ships in tho Mediterranean and Atlantio as far north as the English Channel. MERCHANT FLEET ATTACKED. The Now York Tribune says that four merchantmen havo arrived at an Atlantic port. Tho officers staled that a fleet of 22 Allied

merchantmen sailing to America were suddenly attacked in clear weather. Two periscopes were sighted, one on each side of the flet. The U boats immediately launched their torpedoes. One struck the me.-fthant flagship, which sank within an hour. Another was hit in the stern. The second merchantman was sunk in half an hour. The merchantmen opened fire quickly, and sank a pair of U boats, whereupon five other U boats emerged and launched their torpedoes, submerging quickly as the merchantmen fired. The officers say that one of these U boats was positively sunk. Two additional merchantmen were struck and sunk. A wireless messago brought up destroyers, and the merchantmen were convoyed back, and later sailed for America singly. SUBMARINE BOMBS SCARBOROUGH. A submarine appeared off Scarborough on the evening of the 4th inst., and fired 30 rounds, half of which fell on the land. Three persons were killed and five injured: but the material damage was slight. A dozen shells fell on .the seashore, which was crowded with visitors, while others fell in the town. Mine-sweepers returned the fire, whereupon the submarine submerged and disappeared in a few minutes. ANTI-U BOAT METHODS. Mr Charles Grasty, the New York Times London correspondent, states that the convoy system and other anti-U boat methods of the Allies, which have been firmly established for the past few months, have been most successful. Large numbers of cruisers and destroyers in the English Channel have been thwarting the U boats, and the transports to France are practically immune. There is reason to believe that Germany is planning to carry the U boat campaign to the ocean in order to offset the Allies' attacks. It is generally known in naval circles that the U boats in the Atlantio Ocean never exceed 20, and off the British coast 10. Germany has constructed less than 300 U boats, and 150 are now existing The necessity for constant repairs and supplies, and the difficulty of obtaining crows owing to the sailors' demoralisation and fear of destroyers, together with the difficulty in obtaining torpedo material, accounts for the few U boats in actual service. The correspondent sends figures, which may be relied on as accurate, showing that the Allied and neutral losses for the past eight months (including August) approximate 4.000,000 tons, exclusive of ships damaged and beaohed. The zenith was reached in April, when 200,000 tons were sunk weekly. The U boat men were unable to maintain this high pressure, and a reaction was noticed in the comparatively small losses for July and August, the multiplication of losses greatly increasing the nerve-racking U boat duty. The men are in deathly fear of destroyers, and it is therefore only necessary to maintain sufficient destroyers to reduce the sinkings to the lovel of the new construction, and this will defeat Germany. BRITAIN'S SEA SUPREMACY. In a speech at Birkenhead Mr Lloyd Georgo said the whole allied cause for the fredom of the world depended on our sea supremacy, which, he wap certain would bo moro than maintained. The figures which ho recently gave in the House of Commons regarding submarine activity were absolutely correct. They had put an end to the enemy's hopes. The Russian leaders were repairing under fire the revolutionary machine, and he was confident that they would finally succeed. His chief concern was not the effect which Russia's failure would have on the war, but it 3 effect upon the causo of the world's democracy. Germany had only now decided to invade Russia, becauso all her other methods and machinations there had failed. The crisis in Russia should be viewed hopefully. He believed that Russia would recover and play a great part before the end of the war.

Lloyd's Register shows thnfc 63 now British ships, mostly large ones, have been added to the register within six weeks.

A committee of employers and men at shipyards on the Tyne has been formed to accelerate shipbuilding and avoid wastage of man power.

DRIFTING MINES. A thousand mines are drifting on the west coast of Norway, and shipping on several const routes has been stopped. One hundred mines and much wreckage have been washed up on the Jutland coast. The Germans were scattering a new kind of floating mine, consisting of a small bomb, sighted only with great difficulty, and exploding on trie slightest contact. The survivors from the four destroyed trawlers describe their methods. They worked in pairs, with a great steel net between each pair, with the purpose of breaking up the British minefield. Two submarines accompanied each steamer slowly as the mines were being removed. Several submarines at various times thus traversed the minefield.