Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-08-13

SN>HN viz 90 AASN IIilSi hdioCl w IL
helm der Crosse off the west coast
of Africa; the drmed liner Car
mania sank the armed liner Cap
Trafalgar" il the West Indies, and
the Australian light cruiser Sid
ney," after 4 lnning fight, de-
molished the light cruiser "Emden"
and droye her ashbre.
Now in all these Aea fights, whether
between fleets or Individual ships. it
has been demonstrated very force
fully that a combhation of heavy
gunfire with high speed is likely to
prove the controlling factor in de-
termlning victory Tor defeat. The
ship with the heavy guns, as in the
case of the Falkladd Islands fight.
and of that between the Sidney"
and the Emden," Is able to choose
the distance most favorable to her
own batteries and last favorable to
the enemy, and the'result in every
case has proved fatal to the slower
and less heavily gurfned ship.
Germany, realizing that her naval
ships were shut up securely in her
own ports, and that her merchant
fleet being swept from the high seas,
she was cut off from the greater
part of her supplies by sea, had but
one form Of warfare left open for
herself, namely, the secret warfare
by mine and submarine. With
free hand she not only strewed
her own waters with mines, but
scattered them literally along the
highways of commerce. Because
of this, and no doubt largely
because the danger from submar-
ines rendered it impossible to main
tain a close blockade of German
ports, Great Britain declared the
North Sea closed, and established
her lines of blockade from Calais to
Dover and between Scotland and
Norway. The losses due to Ger
man mines were heavy in the early
months of the war, both to belliger-
ent and neutral nations, though of
late the casualties from this caseu
have been relatively few.
1t is with the submarine that
Germany has scored her greatest
success, and in this class of warfare
she has certainly done remarkably
well. Her earliest success was the
sinking by submarine of the "Abou-
kir, ." Cressy" and "Hogue," disas-
ter which is to be blamed as much
to British carelessness as to German
skill; for the ships were steaming at
only7knots speed and were unattend-
ed by destroyers. Later, the Germans
scored against the battle ship For
midable," sinking her as she was on
her way to Plymouth down the Eng
fish Channel. and, by mine or sub.
marine, against the 'Audacious. "
If we except a small cruiser, the
Niger" sunk at Dover, and two
destroyers, this constitutes the prin-
cipal German successes against naval
ships, for\it is fact that for
several months, at least around
the British Isles, submarines have
scored no successes against naval
vessels
There is little doubt that it was
the menace of the submarine that
forced the British main fleet to seek
a distant base, remote from the
North Sea. Touch is kept with the
German coastline, probably by a
blockade of submarines, and it may
be the presence of these off the Ger
man ports which is largely response
BILE for the absolute German immo:
bility so far as its battleship and
battle-cruiser fleet is concerned.
In the Mediterranean this same
comparatively new weapon of war
fare has demonstrated its efficiency
in dramatic fashion The Austrians
have sunk one of the finest of the
French armored cruisers and an
Italian cruiser, and lately in the
Dardapelles the German submarines
have accounted for two of the older
British battleships, the Triumph"
and Majestic" The British SUBJ
marines have sunk two Turkish cruis-
ers and German cruiser, Hela, "
in the North Sea, and the French
and Italians have scored frequently
in the Mediterranean.
Just here with regard to the Oar
danelles operations as a whole, it
shnnld he Said That the nttnrnnt tn