The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-30

use 10 UreaJ bTltaln, inc HuDIneTsiuO
may prove very valuable. In displace-
ment the latter could excel the torpedo
destroyer, and, so long as II had good
surface speed Of at least twenty knots,
its submerged speed would be matter OF
but slight Importance 1t is true that
submersibles of the Narval type at pres
ent require six minutes for submergence.
| and might, therefore, be destroyed by
shell fire while still above the surface
Mr. Burgoyne believes that the question of
rapid submersion has not received the atten-
ton it deserves. He says: Take, for ex-
ample, blockade. BY night cruisers
will be quite capable of doing all that is
necessary with the aid, perhaps, Of an
inner Gordon Of torpedo-destroyers As
dawn approaches the submersibles
(Which have been sheltered under the lee
of some friendly battleship or may perhaps,
have discovered a secluded cove close at
hand In which the crew would find perfect
rest), will steam to within the range of
visibility for torpedo craft "a range differ
ent according to the height OF the iand),
and then submerging until just awash
continue their course until within, say,
four or five miles, and at that distance
patrol the entrance to the blockaded port.
Save in exceptionally calm weather l doubt
if they would even be sighted and, should
they chance to be seen, it would require
miraculous workmanship to hit a small
object about the size of a rabbit-hutch,
moving at the rate OF between ten and
twelve knots, at a distance of four to Ave
miles. To find the range even would re-
quire no ordinary skill.
While condemning the Holland for SUBJ
marines for nations such as England-of
which nations, by the way, there Is but
one-our author willingly comedies that
considered as a type of defensive weapon
the Holland is as much in advance Of
the Orling-Armstrong. Brennan and other
torpedoes as the latt er are an advance on
the Whitehead He admits that subma-
rines Of the French Perle class would be
veritable pest to any blockading fleet,
for the reason that such fleet would not
be safe thirty, forty. or even fifty miles
from the land in any but very rough weather.
1t is ackno wledged that within their sphere
of action these submarines-we are speak
ing, of course. of submarines, and not
submersibles- would prove of immense
utility. They would not be REQUIRED to
make long sea passages, or to cross oceans;
that is not their work. They could make
il decidedly unpleasant, however, for any
over-officious bait leships coming within
their zone Of potency which our author
would put at between rs and 100 miles
from the coast line. In word, the ad-
vent of the submarine has doubled the cares
of hn lNlnplnHnr. hn
a menace hut the submarine is u grave
and constant danger.
In Mr.. Burgoynes opinion, the value
of the submarine is mainly on the side Of
the weaker power, That the submarine
initiates to a certain extent against naval
supremacy is pronounced undeniable Earl
st. Vincent, having heard that Pitt was
encouraging Fulton with all the means
in his power, said on hearing the result
of the we'll known Dorothea expert
ment, when the Danish bridge bearing
that name was blown up by u torpedo:
Pitt is the greatest fool that ever existed,
10 encourage a mode of war which We, who
command the seas, do not want, and which,
if successful, will deprive us of it." 1t is
certain that EnRland's possible enemies
saw their advantage even more clearly
than did Earl st. Vincent The continuous
researches made by France and Russia
from Fulton's time up to the present day
show plainly that those countries recog-
nized England's superiority in the "human
element" but also foresaw that the advent
of scientific age would place all nations
more or less on par
According to Admiral Paris, the further
nations go with naval impro vements the
more will naval war have to be waged with
money rather than with men. When we
look at the question of price, it becomes
evident that the submarine is the weapon
of the weaker Power. England is paying
f35 600 apiece for her Holland boats, but
the French manage to produce good SUBJ
marines for fl4OOO or f15,OOO each, and,
even if we allow them eco 900 for the con-
struction of each vessel they will yet build
seventy-one submarines for the price of
one battleship 1t is hardly fair, however,
to draw comparisons between the sub
marine and the frst-class battleship, for
the latter must for many years be the main
factor in naval warfare, and any country
renouncing the construction of such YES
sells disclaims any pretension to figure
as a first-class naval Power. 1t is with
coast defence ships rather than battle
ships that submarines should be COM
pared. Now, France has recently spent
G3,093000 on coast defence battleships:
Russia, f3,240,0 900, and Germany, Ell ,08l,-
500. Mr.. Burgoyne. calculates that for
these sums Germany could have had SO
submarines Of the Perle class, or % sub
mersibles lsuch as are described in the
second of these volumesl; France might
now be in possession of 1874 submarines,
or Al suhmersibles, and Russia would be the
owner Of a gigantic feet of 1872 submarines.
or 43 submersible torpedo boats The
distribution OF these fleets of submarines
round coast would make the harbors of
a nation possessing them absolutely safe.
1t is a common practice to jeer at the sub
marine on account of the little it can do,
but II the number of submarines be null
tipied that little becomes lot"
Another Use for the submarine Ia in
Dictated by Mr.. Burgoyne, and il is conceded
that in this direction this type of vessel
may prove of value to England. "If n
cruiser" he says, appeared before a town,
such as Torquay, Yarmouth, Havre, Cette.
Naples or Brindisi, ard started 10 lombard
that town, it would, in the course of its
bombardment, have cause to zgzag to
and fro across the harbor, bringing each
broadside to bear alternately. Now, II a
couple Of submarine boats were kept con-