Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-11-03
ISN'T READY TO
ABANDON BUILDING Of BIG SHIPS
81 . -. &c .aAe "a H------ a.s go.
War Department. Officials" Take Occasion to Answer all
Suggestions Relative to Construction Activities
Submarines Uses Not Yet Determined.

Washington. Nov, 3.-Ever since
the sinking Of tho British cruiser
Hawke by the German submarine
Us IN h e*North sea. the navy depart
ment!.has been deluged with letters
containing. suggestions from individ-
p~roHeinent of the submarine and for
a great extension fof its usefulness.
Satisfied that most OF. the writer's of
these communications has acquired
an exaggerated, idea ;.of, the. fighting
abilities Of the submarine and that
there was very. preHent danger. of a
serious in~terfereneesw with the naval
building program and perhaps an al
most total suspension of the construc-
eous ideas obtain common c%redence,
the naval officials have been trying to
correct this impression. They have
made it a point to reply to each Of
the letter writer's. setting out in de-
tail the reasons why. in the judgment
of the department officials it would be
disastrous to abandon other naval
construction entirely in favor of the
submarine, and pointing the limita-
tons which surround these little boats.
These arguments-have been reduced
to form in the following statement
which it may be said accurately repre-
sents the views Of the technical off,
GERS Of the navy I'M regard to the mer-
its of the submarines: i
THE land operations of the war
have been:so overwhelming, and the
naval conflicts SO comparatively few
that the Importance of the sea OPP
erations of the various nations is apt
to be lost sight Of. It is the brilliant
feats which strike the eye. the dash
of the British against Helgoland, the
destruction Of three, cruisers by a
German submarine. rather than the
slow bearing: down by sheer weight
of. the allied feet. against the whole
German coast line. a..
$50. far. the submarine has carried
off the hnnors, and tat. the same time
has greatly disappointed Its admirers
in :that.it has not done more. It:waE;
the day of the dreadnouEht was pass
ed; that. the submarine would driN
THE destruction Of the three Brit
ish cruisers, Hogue, Greasy and Abou
kir, by the German submarine U9.
and later the sinking OF, the Hawke
by the same submarine was taken. a.
proof Of the impotence: OF surface
craft. .. ,.f. y , .s.,
Nevertheless, the advocates Of
signs Of impotence at. the paucitY
Of results. They, realize that there
are over two hundred submarines in
the; nayies Of the WaFrinE nations,
and so@far only oneehas done any
thing. Not a dreadnought has even
been menaced. The cruisers which
were struck were old, hastily COM
missioned with. naval reserve crews.
two Of them were engaged In lower
ing boats and picking up the survivors
Of the first when they too We're tor
'pedoed.
1.-THE loss Of these vessels has has
no more effect on the result of the
war than the repeated, capture OF "a
German aeroplane by q British sub
marine No one would seriously ad-
yocate submarines . s proper wea-
BON to use. againSt aeroplanes, but it
Is nevertheless .repoyteds that an aero
plane. which had aliRhted on the wa
ter was captured .hY a. submarine
SSThe ideal. conditions for . SUBJ
marine attack consist IN hnding. the
enemy motionlesA. N the water; then
and only then can the. submarine hop
But ever 50 fhs odds are against
the submarine X sproper.s precautions
are taken. az jsrshosFn BY. the actions
Of. the allied sea .forces Which have
been Smelling. stthS German flank for
several days. ThasA XesselA haye been
operating sinA INTERCHANGEABLE rsa Tor
pm time. certainly gumciently Ions