Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-12
SUBMARINE WILL
RULE In THE FUTURE

Is the battleship doomed? Has the
silent, invisible xssubn1arine really
ushered in new era of naval warfare
in which monster dreadnoughts, cost
ing in the aggregate untold mllhons
will serve no better purpose than as
deep-sea tombs for the men of the
nat ons which have placed their trust
in them? VIII the ultimate decision
in the contest for naval supremacy
between Great Britain and Germany
lie in the battles fought from beneath
the sea?
For the first time since its inven-
ton and development the submarine
has been put to the test, and before
the eyes. of the world it has vindicaf
ed the faith of its sponsors. The ex-
plo is of the British and German sub
marines have furnished the only
thrills and been responsible for the
only real work so far accomplished at
sea in the war of the nations. The
survivors of the British cruisers
Aboukir. Hogue and Cressy can bear
witness to the efficiency of the Ger
man submarine, while the British
under water craft also have bulls
eyes to their credit. The letter of
sub-lieutenant tells how the Enghsn
submarine fiotilla penetrated German
past the German guns without caus-
ing a ripple on the surface to excite
suspicion of their presence, and, ap-
preaching within few hundred feet
of the dreadnoughts at anchor failed
in their mission because the Germans
with customary forethought and care
had SO hedged about the warsh'ps
with golfers and merchant ships that
the submarines were unable to get
their noses through the GORDON, the
water be ng too shallow to pass under
1t Silently and mysteriousy as they
had come, the British boats turned
their noses down stream again and
returned to English waters, 1t Is
doubtful if the Germans to this hour
are aware of the death which came
so near to them.
That the submarine is of far greater
value than was supposed at first even
the most conservative will admit. 1t
has proved it's right to place among
the foremost for it's efficiency. The
unanswered question Is to what de-
gree it's efficiency will be carried, and
to what extent it will be able to go In
wrestling the supremacy of the sea
from the dreadnought. Sooner or
later in the present conflict TINS ques-
ton will be answered.
Shortly before the opening of hos
tilities a British admiral a strong
supporter of the submarine. made
some verv radical statements in his
plea to the government for an in
crease in the naval budget for the
building of submarines. So radical
were his statements that he was very
severely "squelched" by the naval
administration.
While he did not claim that the
battleship was already obsolete, he
argued that 1t would become so in
the very near future Briefly, he pre-
scented his case along the following
lines: ..,,,..
TN1e uses to which the battleship
NAV be put and It's purposes for eX-
/. Destruction of the enemy's dread
noughts .,a
tions of the enemy, to run the gantlet
into harbors for the destruction OF
shipping.
g. Defense against invasion by the
seeking out and destroying OF the
enemy's transport fleet,
a destruction of the enemy's ship
ping at sea. ~.
Defensive action against the
enemy's fleet to prevent the lombard
ment of coast towns and fortihcations.
The first of these functions, destrue-
ton of the enemy's fleet, he claimed,
could be more safely accomplished by
submarine attack than by oyerpower-
ing him with superior armament OF
the same type.
The reduction of coast fortifications,
MS they are built today, he argued. is
an increasingly difficult task for war
ships. and one which, In view of the
i6oveIopment in coast artillery and
concealed Notifications, is rapidly be-
coming impossible. Furthermore, 1t