The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-08-06
X CLASS DIVERS
ARE COMING HERE
UNDER0WNPOWER
Four Latest Type Submarines
win Try Contiguous Voyage
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LONGEST ENDURANCE 49,
RUN OF KIND YET MADE
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Experts Of Navy Have No Doubt
! Little Craft Can Cover
H.. Distance x

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l-Adviees received here yesterday
from Washington confirm an exclusive
story published in The Advertiser
nearly three months ago to the effect
that when the four X type submarines
came noxt month to Honolulu from the
Coast for station they would under.
take to make the voyage under their
/ own power.
The confrmatory information = to
the effect that these newest undersea
raiders Of the United States Navy will
be sent from San Francisco to Hawaii
under their own power, in the longest
endurance run tackled by any vessel Of
this type In the navy. The units 10
be despatched are the K-3, K-4, K-7
and ks. The distance to be negoti.
ated is 1000 miles and this win be at
tempted in continuous aud uninter.
rupted run, The Submarines will ne
accompanied by a convoy Of submarine
tenders to care for them IN an emery
eney.
These submarines were built on the
Pacific Coast under contracg with the
Electric Boat Company; and have hsen
uhueiBoinB testB lOr nearly year Ia
western waters. They are to be sta
which win bring up tho submarine
defense Of the Hawaiian Islands to
approximately two divisions: The di-
vision already here comprises the FL,
Fs2 and F3. The FL, which was also
attached to this division still lies sub
merged in the harboi.
Experts Certain of Ability
Submarine experts in the navy have
no doubt Of the ability of the four
vessels Of the K class to make ,thc
projected continuous run. The UPS
of the X class are designed for con
tinuous run of $500 miles on normal
fuel, and by carrying extra fuel are
expected to make 200Gmiles additional.
Experts familiar with these vessels
assert that they could cross the AT
lantic and return under their own
power. The distance from New Yorn
to the English Channel is shown 10
be about $500 miles on the hydro
graphic charts, or about 5000 miles for
the round trip. Starting from a point
on the New England coast these sub
marines, it is asserted, could make the
round trip voyages to England and re.
turn without refuellng.
The submarines of the X class rep
resent the latest and best that bavo
been actually commissioned in the
United States navy. The navy Is
building boats of the L and N classes,
and is constructing an experimental
submarine Of the NJ type, which is 20
mount the new submarine defense gun,
but none of these have been commits.
stoned. The four submarines are SINH
lar in design to the four submarines
Of the fourth division of the Atlantic
fleet, which recently made a cOntin"-
Ous run of about 1900 miles from Key
West to New York. These were the
XII, K-2, KS aud K-6.
Defects TO Be Studied
Capt, A. w. Grant, who was placed
in charge Of the submarine service Of
the navy with instructions to discov-
er its defects and bring it to the front
as the best in the world, has now been
employed q month in his new billie.
He has reported to Secretary Daniels
and officers of the department on thn
result Of his first month of preliminary
study of the situation.
1t is understood that the most striH.
ing feature discovered by him has
been the fact that, in his opinion, 80
per cent of the faults of the submarine
service have been due to inexperiChrs
of American naval officers in handing
submarines. Captain Grant, 1t is nn-
derstood, has found that in the past
submarines have been built faster
than officers have been trained to OPP
crate them, and he viii recommen
that more officers Of higher rank than
ensign and junior grade lieutenant he
trained to take charge Of the s"oma-
rines, in addition to those already
assigned to submarine service: There
win be no difficulty In finding such
officers as there is already a waiting
Hist of officers who desire to engage IN
instruction as submarine experts.
One Of the first things done by Cap.
tain Grant after he took charge of the
dew duties was to ask that all the
submarines of the Atlantic feet be
sent to the New York navy yard for
examination and Overhaullng. During
the past month every submarine il tn.
Atlantic feet has been examined aC
the New York yard and overhauled.
All these submarines Will be sun
ieeted to severe tests to discover de.
fects. These will be- designed to brirg
out defects of material and of per.
sonnet. 1t Is probable that in tho
course of the development, OF the smI'.
marine personnel of the navy that ITO
number of officers on submarines will
be doubled, so that those with expert
ence will be accompanied, wheneHe+
this can he done, by other officers un'
dergoing training aud instruction.
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