ELECTRICAL BLOCKADE.

Western Star, 15 January 1915, Page 4

ELECTRICAL BLOCKADE.

The idea of submarines being automatically destroyed by an electric block, ‘ade is suggested by on© writer. The plan is to place a series of good conducting poles, supported by buoys, at suitable in, •tervals from one another, slightly below the surface, the poles being sufficiently long to reach the depth in which submarines move. Strong currents of electricity would pass continuously from pole to pole, and would, it is assumed, be of sufficient power to destroy any metal.built vessel passing through the current, either by .-firing her petrol or exploding her torpedoes. Sea water being a fair conduc. tor of electricity, says the writer, the current would pass from one pole to another, and by the use of resistance indicatoiis any defect in the apparatus would bo revealed and could bo quickly repaired, j The current would be supplied from the east coast by'cable, and to prevent in. ' lerference with the system it would be -necessary to guard it by an adequate pat. , tol. On a less expensive scale there is "the idea of neb blockade. , In this case the electrical appliances are replaced with •coir rope. Such net defence, the advev •cato of this system claims, would, if on'chorcd in suitable positions, be an effect, uve obstacle to the movements of submarines. Their crews would not know until they were well in the net what had happened, and the net would.first flingto their diving and steering rudders and propellers and gradually envelop them, so that they would bo obliged to come to the surface, where they could be easily captured by destroyers. Such nets, it is said, could be quickly laid by trawlers.