The Washington herald., 1914-09-06
War in Europe Is Expected to
Show Effectiveness of
Under-sea Fighters.
GREAT THINGS PREDICTED
Believers in that Style of Naval Graft
Given Rude Shock. However,
in Early Days.

Submarines, with which all Of the naval
nowers of rhe world have experimental
for many years, are destined 10 have
their frst practical war test In the great
struggle now raging in Europe
The great battle that is daily oeins
exnected in the North Sea, where the
British and German ships went under
sealed orders as soon as war was
cIared. will see the great modern SUD-
marines in action for the first time
Relievers in the submarine, though soI
= nude shock a few days after the war
heran. when a British cruiser Destroyer
German submarine with only Two
sbots bv the simple eXpedient OF ollno-
ing" the diver, shooting out It's eye
Every submarine is equipped with a
contrivance known as perlscope, "hlCh
enables the navigators OF the diver 10
see what is happening on the surface
This is the vessels eye.
When the Germans attacked seVeId' seVeIa
British ships. their flotilla was accom-
panied by submarine. Brltisn
cruiser singled out the submarine as the
most dangerous of the enemy ana sent
= she'll crashing through her perlscope'
with her officers and crew unable 10 see
what was going on, the aver was
bslpless as a blinded thing and staggered
Straight toward the British cruiser the
GIIIte close. When the German ship was
y,itbin essv range, another shell, the sec
or5 NJ the battle, was fired into her
buu and the submarine went to the DOL
rorn Of the North Sea, carrying her ere"
to death.
shock to Naval Experts.
That was the ignominious fate Of the
first submarine engaged in the war ana
the ease with which the vessel was de-
stroyed was a great shock to those naval
experts of England. Germany. and
France. who had believed that type OF
sea fighters almost invulnerable.
That the Germans should have utilized
some Of their newest submarines TO at
tack a part of the British main fleet
in the North Sea caused no surprise to
those familiar with the war 1t was
quite in accordance with the anticipation
that the Germans, by surprise attacks
would seek to overcome the preponder-
ance Of the British navy. BY succeed
ing in such surprise attempts. the Ger
mans would greatly increase their
chances of winning when the great naval
battle of the North Sea finally is fought
Almost everything connected with the
submarine branch of the German navy
has been kept strictly secret, but 1t Is
generally understood that the organiza-
tion OF the notllla Is thoFough ana EN-
cient Kiel is the submarine headquarters
and the base of the principal boats as
well as the light cruiser Hamburg, which
acts as q parent ship, and the salvage
ship Vulcan, the utility of which was
demonstrated at the time Of the sinking
Of the German diver Us in January, 1911
There were twenty-four German sub
marines in commission last year and
fourteen more building, Of which prob
ably half will be completed in time to
90 into action in this war. 1t is possible
also that several submarines being built
in Germany for foreign powers have been
taken over by Germany. as the British
government took over warships being
built in England for Turkey. Germany,
therefore, has at least thirty-six sub
marines in use. Great Britain has sixty
divers in commission.