THE SUBMARINE MENACE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3348, 15 May 1918, Page 14

THE SUBMARINE MENACE.

An official statement from England to tho United States says that more than 40 German warships have been successfully attacked by British submarines since the beginning of B tho war. -French figures show that the allied loesos of shipping during April were one-half those of April, 1917. Official statistics from France state that the total submarine losses of the Allies and neutrals for April was 381,531 tons, as against 634.685 tons in April. 1917.

The American steamship Tyler was torp"d'"v] and sunk off the coast of Franco on May 3, 11 of her crow being killed. Mr Poynton (Acting Minister of the Australian Navy) announced that two Commonwealth Government steamers have been toi'pedocd and sunk. Tho Australdlae was sunk in October, 1917. One man was killed by the explosion of tho torpedo; the remainder were picked up. The Australbush was lost in November, 1917. Two persons were drowned, and one boat, containing tho chief officer and 24 men, was still missing; the others were saved.

A now German regulation withdraws proicction clor'vr"! from a neutral flag from any ship belonging to any country which has concluded an agreement with the enemy respecting the cession of tonnage, or if tho greater part of tho merchantmen of tho country concerned is sailing for the enemy. Henceforth such vessels will bo treated as enemy ships. SINKING SUBMARINES. Tho first Cana'lian ship to sink a submarine has arrived at an Atlantic port. Sho sighted the foo in European waters, attempted to ram her, and then fired, hittino- the submarine amidships. An explosion followed, and the submarine sank. The United States Navy Department announces that the American ship Tidewater, on March 17. had an encounter with a submarine in European waters. The Tidewater's third shot hit and sank the submarine.

• A United States warship fired three shots at a submarine in European waters. The third shell lifted the end of the U boat out of the water, and sank the U boat. There were no survivors.

The story is published of U boat 39, which sank the steamers Ida, Hanna Larsen, and Sans Kinch during February, 1917. Otto Ehrentraut, who was a personal friend of Prince Henry, of Prussia, commanded TJ39. The Princess Henry came to the pier at Kiel and wished the boat bon voyage. The submarine secured its three victims within 35 hours. When the Ida stopped after the first round from the submarine, the latter continued firing. The gun-layer asked von Ehrentraut whether ho would cease firing, and the captain said, ".Carry on." Twenty-five rounds were fired. A few hours later the submarine fired at another steamer. The fire was immediately answered by a British destroyer, and U 39 dived, but a depth charge shook her vitally. Water poured through the- conning tower, the crew became panic-stricken, and the submarine rose, whereupon the destroyer raked her fore and aft. Von Ehrentraut climbed out of the conning tower, preparatory to surrender, when a shell killed him. The submarine was still making speed on the surface, so the destroyer continued to fire. Three of the crew jumped overboard and were drowned; three others were killed, and several wounded. The destroyer hailed the submarine to stop, and this order was complied with, so fire ceased. Seventeen survivors were rescued, also two British prisoners. Mr T. J Maonamara, Secretary to the Admiralty, speaking at Bristol, said the sinkings of enemy submarines were steadily increasing, while the sinkings of merchantmen were falling steadily. The output of new tonnage monthly was well ahead of last year's* output. Mr Havelock Wilson, secretary of the Seamen's Union, said more seamen were losin'g their lives now than at any period of the war, although fewer ships were beinp; sunk. The explanation was that the Germans were carrying out their instructions to " leave no trace." The United States Government's rates for marine war risks have been reduced to 2 per cent. This is evidence that the submarine menace is growing less. It is moro than one-third less than the rates ruling last August

GERMAN CONFIDENCE. A Dutch correspondent states that among the German submarine men now no sanfrirne feeling exists as to the result of tho German blockade. Men doing the work are not imbued with von Tirpitz's confidence. The German public deos not know tho number of submarines which fail to return.

Admiral von Capelle, in submitting the Navy Estimates in the Reichstcg, eaid the reports of unrestricted submariniem continued favourable. -The increase in the number of sinkings exceeded the U boat losses more and more. As to the development in tho struggle between submarine action and the construction of new ships, ho claimed British shipbuilding had been reduced from 161,000 tons in March to 111.000 tons in April, or from 32 to 22 ships. America's building was far below expectations, and, even if it increased, America would require all tho increase. There was every reason to regard the submarines with trust and confidence, and their success was surely not far off. So far as tho other requirements of tho army and navy would permit, tho entiro war industry would be placed at tho services of submarine construction.

The Reichstag unanimously "voted in favour of unrestricted submarinism continuing. A GERMAN SPY CAUGHT. A German submarine recently landed a spy on tho Irish coast. Trio spy was arrested. In tho Houso of Commons Mr Macpherson confirmed the report that a man recently put ashoro from a German submarine on tho Irish, coast had been arrested and lodged in the Tower. He will be court-martialled. LOSS OF A MINE SWEEPER. Tho Admiralty reports that a British mine sweeper was mined and eunk on the Ist of May. Three officers and 23 men, including a mercantile crew, were killed. THE SHIPPING POSITION. REPLACING VESSELS SUNK. The British Admiralty statement on the new merchant shipping construction shows 7oa* 0110 11 t * lG *" st tnree months of this year 320,280 tons were completed in the United Kingdom yards, and 544,327 tons were launched in allied and neutral countries. The respective totals for tho whole of 1917 were 1,163,474 tons in tho United Kingdom and 1,774.312 tons in allied and neutral countries.

Ihero were 111,533 'tons completed and entered for service from tho United Kingdom yards last month, compared with 161,674 tons- in March and 58,568 tons in January. The year's completion to April 30 totalled 1,279,337 tons, showing a regular progressive increase since April 30, 1917 when the total was 749,314 tons. (All the foregoing figures aro gross tons.) It is pointed out that last month's output was achieved notwithstanding a very large increase in repaired merchantmen, amounting to 40 per cent, alone since January. Tho United States Shipping Board launched 10 steel and six wooden ships for the week ended May 5. The total tonnage was 89,159. In addition to 10 steel ships, six wooden ships were launched during tho week ended May 5. Eighty 'thousand one hundred and eighty additional tons were acquired by contract at the same price. Mr Hurley has made an official statement that the American shipbuilding bill for the year 1918-19 will be 2,223,000,000d01. The shipbuilding estimates include : General construction 1,386,000,000d01, and plants 652,000,000d01. These figures show an increase of £00,000,000d0l over the original estimates.

_lt is officially announced that four Japanese ships, the first instalment of the 250,000 tons of shipping purchased or chartered by the United States from Japan, have arrived at a Pacific port. ■At a dinner at the National Sporting Club attended by 1000 American military officials and men. Admiral Sims said that a. year ago enemy submarines had destroyed a million tons of shipping in a single month. If this rate had continued the Allies would by now possibly have been seeking peace. Since April, 1917, the sinkings had gone down, while building had gone up. The two curves on a diagram of sinking and building would cross next week. We would then be increasing our tonnage by shipbuilding, instead of enemy submarines decreasing it by sinkings. Germany knew this, hence her desperate effort on tho west front, which was her last chance of victory.