SUBMARINE WARFARE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 15

SUBMARINE WARFARE.

Tho British Admiralty supplies the following figures of shipping for the week as relating to submarines, which compare- with the previous week as shown: — Deo. 23. Dec. 30. Arrivals for week ... 2311 2111 Departures for week ... 2460 2074 Vessels over 1600 tons sunk ... 11 18 Vessels under 1600 tons sunk 1. 3 Unsuccessfully attacked 12 8

French official: Arrivals, 736; departures, 756. Sinkings: Two vessels above 1600 tons Two steamers were unsuccessfully .attacked. two.

Italian official: Sinkings, one steamer over 1500 tons, ono sailing vessel under 100 tons. Two steamers were uncucccssfully attacked. Throe hundred and sixty-seven Norwegian ships, totalling 566,000 tons, were torpedoed during 1917. Norway now possesses 1669 ships, of 1,996,000 tons, and is constructing 127 ships, of 97,000 tons. Two hundred and fifteen Danish ships, totalling 223,912 tons, were sunk, and 234 Danes were killed. Tho Corriere dTtalia learns from German sources that the submarines sunk during the last quarter were 10 in excess of those constructed during the same period. Tho Allies have sunk nearly half the German submarines operating sinco tho outbreak of tho war.

The British Admiralty reports that threo British destroyers were mined or torpedoed off tho Dutch coast on tho night of December 22-3. Thirteen officers and 180 men were lost. Naval experts aro of opinion that the three destroyers ran into a minefield laid by a submarine minelayer. - The British Almiralty reports that tho mine-swcepinir sloop Arbutus was torpedoed and foundered in severe weather. The commander, another-offioer, and seven men are missing. Tho boarding steamer Grive was also torpedoed, and sunk, but thero were no casualties.

German newspapers attribute Admiral Sir John Jellicoe's retirement to the success of the submarines. They declare that he has fallen a victim, like other Admiralty chiefs, to the U boats. Tho war rates for insurance of vessels trading in the Atlantic between the United States, Canada, and Australia via the Capo have been reduced to 3 per cent., and to 1 per cent, via the Panama Canal. Tho Court of Inquiry at Washington found that tho transport Antilles was sunk owing to lack of a proper escort. The Antilles was torpedoed on tho return journey westward across the Atlantic. A returned New York journalist states that four submarines were captured by 12 American torpedo-boate. Tho submarines were lying on the surface, with their conning towers open, when the destroyers arrived and captured them without fighting. Another submarine, flying the white flag, arrived at a French port, and surrendered. The crew had mutinied, and had killed the officers. MINES AND MINE SWEEPERS. An authoritative source states that 967 mine-sweepers are employed around the British Isles. They swept up 4615 mines in 1917, and altogether have swept up about 9000 mines since the outbreak of war. They are sweeping an average of 2000 square miles daily, and between 15,000 and 20,000 men aro involved in these operations. A mine was washed ashore at Pegwell Bay (near Ramsgato, Kent). A number of men tried to drag it ashore, but an explosion followed, killing seven men and injuring 24. CONVOY SYSTEM A SUCCESS. Sir G. Chiozza Money, M.P., in an interview in the Pall Mall Gazette, says that the convoy system is proving a magnificent success, and is circumventing the submarines. Out of 176 homeward-bound convoys, comprising 2430 ships, with 17,500,000 tons of cargo, tho losses were .only per cent.