The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-11-16
SEA WASP STINGS
GIANT ADVERSARY
British, French and Private
Ship Yards Are Working.
Night and Day to Have
New Submarine Destroy
ers in Service Within Next
Few Months.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS.


Washington, Nov. 15.-Out of the
dearly bought lessons of naval war
fare in the North sea, a new engine Of
destruction IS coming-the submarine
destroyer. Larger, more powerful and
with greater radius of operations
than any of it's predecessors, this now
wasp of the sea will not only he
equipped to sting it's giant adverse
ries but to destroy its cwn kind on
the surface of the sea.
British and French navy yards, and
privte ship yards as Well, are work
ing night and day to have the new
submarine destroyers in service within
the next few months. This inforna-
ton 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 on which the new seq
fighters are being built IS that they
shall be armed for battle either Ja
the surface or below. They will le
of much greater tonnage than existing
submarines. Tentative plans have
been made for boats of 1000 tons.
submerged, which would permit fuel
capacity to cross oceans with battle
fleets and allow adequate provision for
crew quarters The close attendance
of a 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 i
greater supply Of the prOjectiles en-
ployed with such terrible effect in the
European war. For surface fighting
oa inc
carry small guns, mounted in water
tight compartments and placed On
elevators to lift them to the upper deck
of the ship as she rides a foot or two
out of the water. A quick fire six
FOUNDER probably will be the largest
weapon that can be employed for that
purpose because greater weight, set
tfgh above the vessels center of grav-
ity, would tend to render her top
heavy
HOW THEY WORK.
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, spottlns
an enemy's pertscope, then swinging
up the six-pounder to open fire, rely
ing on greater speed to keep in range
and upon the fact that x-pounder
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 and so
he would be compelled to lie on the
eurface at the mercy of the destroyer's
guns.
The equipment Of the new British |
fighters 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 highest |
fuel economy in power generation yet !
achieved and on it's small fuel con- !
sumption depends the greatly increased !
cruising radius Of the new ships.
American naval engineers are CON |
sidering the application Of Diesel en-
gines to warships in another con-
nectfon also The result may be the |
complete revolution of the power |
equipment the CDullIlE SGpIA vi ga
noug!.ts. Experiments have been mad.
successfully with the new collier JIJI-
ter, in getting greater efficiency out |
oe steam turbines, by using them TO /
drive dynamos and using electricity
thus generated to propeI the ship. The 4
theory is that by operating the tur
lines at higher speed, than IS possible
I'm applying their power directly TO
the propellers, added power is gene
rated per unit OF weight which more
tbs offsets losses through changing
steam power into electrical energy.
When the plans for the great battle
ships provided in this years estimate
fCar4s,uad On paoa rTvvol