Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-17
SUBMARINE DESTROY
Err NOW NECESSARY
Shown by Disastrous Work of
German Submarines in North
Sea-Diesel Engines and Elec-
tricity Being Applied to New
Underwater Fighters

Washington, Nov. 16-Out of the
| dearly bought lessons of naval war
| rare in the North Sea, new engine of
| destruction Is coming-the submarine
| destroyer Larger, more powerful, and
with a greater radius Of operations
| than any of It's predecessors, this new
wasp of the sea will not only be equip
| ped to sting its giant adversaries but
| to destroy its own kind on the sur
face of the sea-
British and French navy yards, and
private ship yards as well. are work
ing night and day to have the new
submarine destroyers in service with
In the next few months. This inform
alton coming to United States naval
officers, commands greater interest be-
cause the United States Navy, too, is
TO have some of these newest ships of
war Its experts have been at work
upon plans for them for months.
The theory in which the new sea-
fighters are being built Is that they
shall be armed for battle either on the
surface or below. They will be of
much greater tonnage than existing
submarines. Tentative plans have
been made for boats of 1000 tons. sub
/
pacity to cross oceans with battle
fleets and allow adequate provision for
crew quarters. The close attendance
OF parent ship upon submarine fleets
would then be unnecessary
The underwater armament will con-
sist of torpedo tubes as in present
submarines. but more tubes and 8:
greater supply of the proiectiles en-
vii
European War. For surface fighting
against hostile submarines they will
carry small guns. mounted in water
/ tight compartments and placed on ele-
Vators to lift them to the upper deck
OF the ship as she rides a foot or two
out or the water. A quick fire six
FOUNDER probably will be the largest
weapon that can be employed for that
purpose because greater weight set
high above the vessels center of CRAWL
", would tend to render her top
| heavy.
Beneath the surface. the new de-
stroyers would operate as ordinary
200-ton vessels of their type, except
that they would have greater cruising
| range. On the surface they would
scout for hostile submarines, spotting
an enemy's periscope, then swinging
up the six FOUNDER to open fire, rely
ing on greater speed to keep in range
and upon the fact that six FOUNDER
projectiles would easily pierce the
thin skin of the hostile craft One
such wound would cripple an enemy
even if no vital part of his mechanism
were struck. The puncture would sink
him if he attempted to submerge AMI
so he would be compelled to lie on
the surface at the mercy of the de-
stroyer's guns.
The equipment of the new British
lighters is understood to be similar to
that contemplated for American craft.
Diesel crude oil engines driving the
propellers for surface cruising and
operating dynamos which keep storage
batteries constantly at standard
strength for under water work when
the ship is driven by electricity. The
German engine. now to be employed
against it's inventors offers the high
est fuel economy in power generation
yet achieved and on it's small fuel
consumption depends the greatly in
creased cruising radius of the new
ships
American naval engineers are con-
sidering the application of Diesel en-
glnes to warships in another connec-
ton also. The result may be the COM
plete revolution of the power euuip-
ment of the coming superdread-
thoughts Experiments have been made
successfully with the new collier Jupi-
ter in getting greater efficiency out of
steam turbines, by using them to drive
dynamos and using electricity thus
generated to propel the ship. The the
ory is that by operating the turbines
at hlgher speed, than is possible in
applying their power directly to the
propeilers, added power is generated
per unit of weight which more than
oHsets losses through changing steam
power into electrical energy.
when the plans for the great bat
tieships provided in this years esti-
mate were sent out to bidders. the
New York navy yard submitted pro-
posals for one ship to be driven by
electricity, and the navy general board
mas the project under consideration
IL is not necessary for a decision to
De reached for year, 1t is said, as IT
VIII take that time to construct the
hulls up to the point where installa-
ton of engines will be decided on
In the mean time the board has be-
fore 1t new proposal, which contem-
plates the substitution of Diesel en-
gines for steam turbines to drive the
electric generators. That, it is said,
would virtually double the cruising
radius of the ship per gallon Of fuel
oil carried. The board is giving it seri-
Gus. consideration although no an
nouncement of what experiments ana
tests have been undertaken has been
made