Semi-weekly herald., 1915-02-25

ness will be over for many long
month to come. One of the most
striking evidences of German fore
though was their designing of spe-
cial type of submarine torpedo, hav-
ing limited range of only 1,200 |
yards, but carrying no less than 420 |
pounds of high explosive in the war
head. The fact that every warship |
which has been struck by German
submarine torpedoes has gone to the
bottom is conclusive evidence of the
terrible efficiency of these weapons.
Protection against the submarine
may be sought both in the defensive
and offensive direction. One of the
principal efforts of naval construc-
tors for many years past has been to
afford such effective defensive pros
lection, by means of extensive sub
division below the water-line, that the
inflow of water from a torpedo ex-
plosion would be limited-so limited,
in fact, that the ship would remain
afloat and proceed to port under its
own steam. The rapid sinking of the
"Aboukir," "Cressy, "Hogue" and
formidable" and later of the "Au-
dacious" (Which, even if it was struck
by mine, received blow but little
greater, probably, than that delivered
by the German submarine torpedo)
has shown beyond all disputation that
the submarine, if it once gets within
effective range, has the mastery even
of the most modern and largest of
warships. 1t is our opinion that, no
matter to what extent subdivision
may be carried or how great part
of the displacement is sacrificed to
torpedo defense cofferdams or COM
partments, in view of the increasing
size of the submarine, its increasing
speed, and the possibility of yet
further increase in the explosive
charge of it's torpedoes, it will be i'm
possible to render the warship of the
future safe or even reasonably pro
tected against submarine attack.
The speed of the submarine is gen.
orally so low as compared with that
of modern warships, that the chances
of its getting within firing range are
very much smaller than the average
layman would suppose. One of the
principal lessons learned in this war
is that high speed and quick maneu-
vering of the ship attacked, combin-
ed with sharp lookout from the
masthead, are a most effective pro.
lection. In calm weather, when the
sea is fairly smooth, the course Of the
periscope of submarine is clearly
discernible by the long white streak
of broken water which it leaves be-
hind Naval men will tell you that,
even when the periscope itself is sub
| naAread, thora ic oertain disturb
ance of the surface of the water, in
dicating the presence of moving
submerged body.
When dreadnought, battleship, or
armored cruiser of first-class import
| ance is steaming in submarines -infest-
ed waters, it should always be ac-
companied by destroyers, which have
proved, in the operations in the North
sea, that they can "go" for subma-
rine with all the snap and dash of a
terrier after rat. There have been
several cases of successful ramming
of submarines by destroyers, and one
or two fairly well authenticated cases
of the submarine being sunk by gun
fire as it came to the surface for OBJ
servation.
The difficulty of detecting sub
marine increases as the water grows
rougher, and it will be remembered
that the most successful attacks on
large ships have been made in stormy
weather, notably in the case of the
Formidable" The wash of the per-
iscope then becomes very difficult to
detect.
BY far the most hopeful method
of protection against this insidious
form OF attack is to be found, strange
to say, in new form of naval war
fare and observation, the dirigible and
the aeroplane. Experiments by our
aviators during the occupation of
Vera Cruz and at other points have
shown that it is possible to detect
submarine, when the observer is two
or three thousand feet in the air, at
denths below the surface of the wa
ter which are positively surprising,
the submarine being visible in clear
and calm water at a depth of fifty to
one hundred feet. Now, submarine
which is contemplating an attack has
to keep pretty close to the surface so
as to "porpoise," as it is called, swift
ly and frequently, to take a periscopic