The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-07-06
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many American naval officers to be
the future Of the dreadnaught, So
far as is known not a single capital
ship has been engaged and the value
of those enormously expensive fight
ing machines is still as problematieal
as It was when England launched the
first all big gun ship, the Dread
naught England's newest super
dreadnaught, the Queen Elizabeth. has
bombarded the forts at the Dardan-
Giles: but so far as,navy department
advices go she IS the only ship OF
her class to have fired a shot so far
Defense Against Subs.
The reason for that, navy officers
say is the full realization of predic-
tions made for submarines when the
first undersea boat was constructed.
Against those small and comparative
ly inexpensive weapons, no adequate
means of defense has been found and
the first line ships Of the fighting
navies are behind mine field or
screens of torpedo boats and destroy
ers leaving the active work of the
war to the older-pre- dreadnaught
battleships, the battle cruisers and
lighter and less expensive craft.
When the first maneuvers of the
American navy in which submarines
participated took place, some officers
declared the day Of the battleshipi had
passed In theory every big ship
which approached shore during those
operations was destroyed Events of
the European war, so far as they are
known, apparently bear out that as
sumption of the superiority of sub
marines and that is proving vexing,
problem in deciding what shall be
the future American policy of naval
construction.
Navy engineers now are deeply en-
gagged with experiments looking to
the discovery OF some practical de-
Tense against submarine attack,
should they find solution of the
problem. the big ship program will be
indicated. While nothing has been
revealed Of their experiments, 1t Is
assumed that questions Of greater
subdivision Of hulls and stronger
bulkheads, of armor to extend about
the midship sections of battleships
below the waterliue and capable Of
resisting the blow of modern tor
pedo. and also the location of sub
marines at considerable distance
and their pursuit by swift, light. cas-
sly handled craft such as destroyers
are being considered. The latter de- !
Tense is the only practical one which
seems TO have met with any success ,
abroad. so far as is known, yet Of
ficers here point out that at best it
is like searching for needle in a
haystack and that the destroyer de-
tense does not meet the problem in
anything like an adequate way
Airships to KIN Pdungers.
Location and destruction of sub
marines by aeroplanes also is con
sidered Impractical in any but special
cases where weather, depth of water
and other conditions make it pos
sible Bomb dropping from aero
planes, even over far reaching land
fortifications and other easily visible
stationary objects has not proven so
as 10 give mueh promise
where a small dimly visible shape
beneath the surface of the water is
The target.
Similarly submarine against sub {
marine is not considered a possible
levelopl ent Of undersea warfare I'M
ess some new and startling device /
% give submarine commanders the a
,ower OF underwater vision is discoy- {
red. A submarine IS a blind thing =
inee its periscope is below the sur O.