The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05
BRITAIN GETS TEN
SUBMARINES HERE
schwab Builds Vessels and
Sends Them Into War Zone
in Record Time.
DONE IN FIVE MONTHS

Tie most amazing American indus
,,ial exploit in connection with the war
became known In this city yesterday
when IL was learned that ten American
brilt submarines, completed in FIVE
months, have crossed the Atlantic and
are operating with British fleets, FIVE OF
them in the Dardanelles and Ave with
The blockading fleet of Heligoland.
These submarines were constructed by
,ne Bethlehem Steel Company and the
Electric Boat Company. Their parts
we're made here and then shipped Sc
sretly 10 a ~shipyard In Montreal, where
they we're assembled by American work.
men.
The 0uickness Of construction, a proc
ss which vas greatly hampered by the
necessity of secrecy and by the assem-
bling Of the parts in Montreal, Is con
.idered remarkable, even without these
added difficulties. And yet the vessels
we're so perfect In all their details that
they made the trip across the Atlantic
without mishap and were Immediately
but into active service.
Bryan Presents Obstacle.
II was last December when Charles
N. Schwab. president of the Bethlehem
Steel Company, put the contracts into
his pocket in London and sailed back
10 the United States. The contracts
called for ten submarines. all of the
latest type, at a cost of 100000 each.
Mr.. Schwab had already started work
on orders for ten other submarines.
When he got here he found an obstacle
In Secretary Of State Bryan's belief that
the construction OF submarines for any
Of the belligerents was not n neutral
act. Mr.. Schwab called upon Mr.. Bryan.
The result of their talk was that the
steel man promised not to build any
more submarines on American soil for
the Allies. The ten submarines already
partly completed were at the Fore
River ship yards at Quincy. Mass. These
will not be delivered until the end of
the war.
Mr.. Schwab. who had made his ar
rangements in conjunction with the
Electric Boat Company. was not dis
mayed by this turn. He promptly ar
ranged to use the Vicker-Maxim yards
ct Montreal for fulfilling his fresh con
tracts.
Trusted American workmen were
shipped TO Montreal from the Electric
Boat Company plant at Bridgeport and
from the Bethlehem plant. and the steel
mills and the boat company set at
work on the parts. The need for Sc
crecy was believed to be so great that
extraordinary precautions were taken.
Workmen engaged on parts here did not
know to what purpose their products
were to be used.
The submarines are Of the standard
type, not different from the newest
American submarines. They are each
lao feet long. with four torpedo tubes.
and equipped with Diesel heavy oil en-
gines. built by the Electric Boat Com
pany.
The men were kept at work in shifts
covering twenty-four hours a day. All
records for speed I'm submarine construc-
ton were surpassed.
Five months after Mr.. Schwab had
left Dpndon he sent word to the British
Admiralty that he had completed the
contract. This was last May.
The Admiralty had expected great
speed from Mr.. Schwab-that Is why they
had let him have the contract-but ten
submarines In FIVE months was such
speedy execution that II astonished them.
But they Immediately sent ten COM
plete submarine crews to Montreal.
They found that Mr.. Schwab had done
everything his contract called for. The
vessels left Montreal for Gibraltar in
July. They arrived there In good con-
dition within two weeks.
The Bethlehem Steel Company is able
10 build, in conjunction with the Electric
Boat Company, 100 submarines a year.
but IT Is known that this capacity will
soon be enlarged to meet the require
ments OF the United States and the
European ~belligerents.
NEW LONDON, Conn, Sept. 4.-Charies
ii. Schwab made a mysterious visit here
several months ago. Shortly afterward
work men employed by the New London
ship and Engine Company began to
leave here in large numbers. Reports
We're current that they were going to
Canada 10 work on wal orders.