Evening star., 1914-11-12
SUBMARINE WARFARE.
BY Frederic J. Hask;2.

That naval warfare is entering upon
! Il stage when mastery of the sea is to
| be won and maintained from the
depths of the sec is an opinion wi:ich
was more and more confidently given
| By certain marine experts during the
last few years before the war. one
English naval strategist has gone so
! far in his estimate OF The fighting
qualities of the submerged torpedo
Graf, as to express the belief that their
invention has made the dreadnought
obsolete: that with the deadly hidden
tleep-sea wasps securing for prey
money is only wasted which is put into
huge surface war craft. 1T was upon
the effectiveness of her submarines
that the Germans founded their hopes
of being able to challenge Great Brit
aims regency of the seven seas.
| The qualities of the improved sub
marine We're never tested out before
this war, and up until now they have
, hardly begun the test which shall de-
termine their values to the navies OF
| the world. So far they have proved
to be above the expectations of their
more severe critics, without in any
way having justified the sweeping
claims of their friends. The submarine
has yet to demonstrate that it has
that by it's aid the sea mastery of the
next few years is to be won or held.
In the beginning the submarine was
received with the same disfavor as is the
bomb-dropping Zeppelin of-today. The
people and most military and naval men
were "agin" it When Robert Fulton
& century ago made known his plans for
an underwater scheme, it was received
as something revolving to every manly
principle. He himself was denounced as
a crafty, murderous villain, and his in
vcntion was branded as a mean, cow
ardly. ignoble'' instrument for war. The
submarine was written Of as the as
sas ssins TOOL much as writer's OF today
are describing Zeppelin war craft.
Stealthy destruction dealt to the un-
suspecting from under the covering
blue-green of the water first appealed
to the imagination as something bar
bai Gus and d;shonorable.
Opinion. however, has sharply veered
with the years. Man has become accus-
toned to his new
Opinion Alters submarine weapon
with the Years. and today military
men regard it, not only without malice
and contempt, but with lively enthusi-
asm for its deadly powers Tomorrow
they may praise the bomb-dropping air.
ship, following the regular path of sus-
picion. condemnation. acquiescence, en-
thusiasm. The inventions of peace as
we'll as the inventions OF war, have all
lad to go through the same des,ees of
popular estimation. Today the naval
officers of tie various nations see in the
submarine service one of glorious daring.
and one which offers to the young sea-
The United States led the way with
the submarine. French and English for
time were bitterly opposed to it's adop
,ioh The Frenchman was opposed he
cause the Frcnchman of TODAY wo,,,d
rather meet ar so:,ally sturdy foe bre,st
10 breast with the flourish of persona1
combat and battle axes than mecha nicajIv
10 shoot his enemy while half :, mile
away The Englishfaan was opposed he
20 80 "i. country mas won its mastery
OF tae seas by the DEVELOPMENT of a
strength upon the surface of the water
ana the invention which might cause the
hazard of this mastery stirred his bile
.1 Cte Hrst iord OF the admiralty decided
tEat the submarine was no veapon for
, Englishmen'' i''' ioi
| nevertheless, the submarine came to
stay. much after the fashion of gun
powder: the ungallant use of which
| shocked a passing chivalry In this
war the submarine is expected TO nlav
deciding part by some, while. since
| It's recent achievements. it is .Eener
! aiiy expected that it will take n sip
! nincant part. The Germans look upon
thelr submarines looked upon
them so FOR the last ten years-as :,
means for eaking fLngIand's MONOPOLY
t or the open sea. Invention has followed
invention in the evolution of the Ger
man submarine, and the members of
! it's service have strained every talent
against the coming Of the day when it
| would devolve upon them to get under
| the mi2htiest floating power of history.
| when 1t would be their duty to pre-
serve their nations future by destroy
| ing power of cruiser, battle cruiser
| dreadnought and superdreadnought
which has long been tacitly conceded
| surface invincibility
So far as the laity knows, and its
! knowledge is very likely pretty ac-
| curate, in the main. there are num-
! ber of serious defects in the subnia-
| rine which must be overcome before it
| can become q terror of the seas In
| the first place, the cruising radius of
| one of these craft is limited, and this
radius is still more limited under
| water. Further, when submerged. the
underwater torpedo boat is not capa-
BILE of enough speed to enable it's most
effective manipulation. Lastly. under
| sea eyes have yet to be developed which
| will make the submerged boat entirely
! independent Of it's telltale periscope.
Naturally, when entirely submerged,