Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-05
Work Against
The Turks From Three
Angles; Balkans St|
NOT
very VALUABLE
Navy Officials Puncture Idea That
Underwater Craft Is
Supreme.

Washington, Nov. 3.--Ever since
the sinking OF the British cruiser
Hawke by the German submarine u!
in the North Sea, the Navy Depart
ment has been deluged with letters
containing suggestions from individu
ais all over the country for the iM
proVement of the submarine and fOl
a great extension Of its usefulness,
Satisfied that most of the writer's OF
these communications had acquired
an exaggerated idea of the fighting
abilities OF the submarine and that
there was very present danger OF a
serious interference with the naval
building program and perhaps an al
NEST total suspension of the construc-
ton OF additional battleships ii err
roneous ideas obtain common ere
dence, the naval officials have, been
trying to correct this Impression.
They have made it a point to reply
to each ct the letter writer's. setting
cut in detail the reasons why, in the
Judgment of the department officials,
it would be disastrous to abandon
other naval construction entirely in
favor OF the submarine. and pointing
the limitations which surround these
little boats.
These. arguments have been re-
duced to form in the following state
ment which it may be said accurately
represents the views of the technical
officers Of the navy in regard to the
merits Of the submarine:
1.-THE land operations of the war
have been so overwhelming. and the
naval conflicts so comparatively few,
that the importance CT the sea opera
tons OF the various nations is apt to
be lost sight of. 1t is the brilliant
feats which strike the eye, the dash
Of the British against Heigoland, the
destruction of three cruisers by a
German submarine. rather than the
slow bearing down BY sheer weight
Of the allied fleet against the whole
German coast line.
Submarine Not Great.
so far, the submarine has carried
OIL the honors. and at the same time
has greatly disappointed its admirers
II that IL has not done more 1t was
freely predicted before the war that
the day OF the dreadnought was
passed; that the submarine would
drive it from the saas,
THE destruction Of the three Brit,
ssh cruisers Hague. Greasy and Abou-
kir, by the German submarine U-9.
and later the sinking Of the Hawke
by the same submarine was taken as
proof Of the impotence of surface
craft. #' .H' So
Nevertheless. the advocates of sub
marines are beginning TO evidence
! signs Of impatience at the paucity of
results, They, realize that there are
two two hundred submarines in the
navies of the warring nations. aud so
far only cue has done anything. Not
a ~dreadnought ahas even been men
aeed. The cruisers which were struck
We're old, hastily commissioned with
naval reserve crews two of them
We're engaged in lowering boats and
| picking up the survivors OF the first
when they, too, were torpedoed.
The less OF these vessels has had
no more effect on the result OF the
war than the reported capture of a
German aeroplane by a British sub
marine, No one would seriously adj
Vocate submarines as q proper
weapon to use against ae~rcplanes, but
1t is nevertheless reported that an
aeroplane which had alighted on the
water vas captured by a submarine
which emerged close at hand.
The ideal conditions for a sub
marine attack consist in finding the
enemy motionless in the water: then
and only then can the submarine
hope for success.
Odds Against It. .
But even SO. the odds are against
the Submarine ii proper precautions
are taken. as is shown by the actions
OF the allied sea forces which have
been Smelling the German flank for
several days. These vessels have
been operating in a very restricted
area for some time( certainly suf,
hclently long for a group OF sub
marines to proceed against them from
any German port. Their position has
been known to everybody and it would
appear an IDEAL chance for a few sub
marines to- either destroy them or to
drive them off. Esut nothing of the
sort has happened. These ships have
Deem left u~nmolested to harass the
German flank. to- prevent their ap-
preach to the coast, and to enfilade
their trenches for several miles in
land. They are small vessels OF such
low speed that they could not escape
frnm a sttomarineaM attacked:
IF the submarine is all that it's adj
mtfefs believe, it is ~ipeonceiyable why
these vessels have been left to inter-
fere so seriously with the major op-
eratlons OF the German army. The
fact that they have been so unmo-
tested on an open coast, testifies to
the power Ct the British tieet to pros
tect itself against all forms Of attack.
The war is only at its beginning
yet. and many lessons may be learned
before It's finish, but SO far nothing
mas occurred to encourage the belief
that the submarine Is supreme: on the
contrary, it is losing prestige daily.