The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-21
Facts About the Undersea Fighters
and What They Can Do Told in
Language for the Layman

~
Tho whole world has it's at
;eu'ou centred on tho opera-
lions Of the German fiotill1
around thr British Isles. and yet To-
~os. people submarine IS merely a
,amc l.vc"> body knows IF the mod
! IN submari.e torpedo boat, hut very
Ny know much about Il. Charles
A DpmviLc-fItc has issued a book
ohich tolls zoo language for the lay
men Just what they are and how
o,erl;ed. II - entitled "Suhma.
,eae.. Mines and Torpcdoes in the
war" and is published by the George
n poran Company.
The submarine torpedo boat" avs
80 author. as to most people n com
r,.te mystery. and before describing
mo composition ana strength of the
gbmarinc fleets AT war IL may there
,o-e be of interest 10 say something
n the principal features common To
A types If submarine craft.
II may sound ridiculous In face Of
/ re mauv accidents which have oc-
Cured. go say that n OF the greatest
-Hcuities Is IL make "A submarine
INK sufficiently quickly. and one of
ne easiest NJ operations to make her
rse. and Yet such is undeniably the
case
II, will be readily understood that
AIS delay IN disappearing beneath
,se surface when attacking would be
great danger to a submarine in ac-
.on. For example. "A number of hos
lie torpedo boat d~cstroyers arc scour.
" The sea IN advance Of 0 fleet and
,-e discovered at daybreak 10y the sub
narines, which are waiting 70 attack
~ fleet behind, approaching at a
sceed n thirty knots an hour. \
,lrricd dive beneath the surface is
>receSsary II the waiting submarines
you'd avoid detection, which would
all probability mean destruction by
re quick firing guns OF the destroy
f.s
when a submarine is travelling on
he surface she is in what * techni-
| clly called the light condition: that
T. 10 say. with her water ballast tanks
empty; but when IL is required to sink
Ger so that only the tiny platform or
eek and coming tower are above the
C-face water Is let into these bal
Is. tanks and the additional weight
agses her 70 sink into the sea until
=, hack f. almost flush with the
r1icc-that IS known as the awash
oldition.
4, is not difficult to perceive that
| rhen travelling awaSh a wave might
4 any moment roll along the tiny
Unprotected deck Of the submarine,
weak over the mouth Of the con-
TX tower ana descend like a water
l'l; into the Interior. Were this
happen "a terrible disaster might
,j lt. FIR i' must toe remembered that
F, edeu travelling awash a very little
t'!'Hdl weight would cause the
s.mdrinc tu plunge beneath the sur
Ia order To- obviate this risk
.as become a rule that when pro-
-du- with this small margin Of
'dgCy the hatch covering the
itu oi the coming tower should
~rcNed down and the submarine
-metra.ly closed, ready To sink.
To many II may appear strange that
20. su.mersoace is not accomplished
=" ,et,iL- still more water into the
last ,auks, hut entirely with the aid
the propellcrs ana rudders. A sub
r1rn- has TWO. ana sometimes three.
ans Of %rudders; m pair OF ordinary
vertical one 10 guide her 10 port or
'aFboard, and "A horizontal pair 10
calse her to dive and rise. Two add
ctona. fins are frequently placed on
ach side of the forepart OF the vessel
10 assist the diving and rising.
10 order 70 make the submarine
dive beneath the surface the horizontal
-ldders are detected when the boat is
lrcoeedlng at FUN speed. The action
. the water against the rudders is
1ch thai the bows r" forced down
nd The whole vessel slides under the
lTaoe The principle is much the
alne as that OF steering an ordinary
sIrface vessel, where the force of the
water against the rudder causes the
ressel 70 swing TO right or left.
From this f. viii be seen that a sub
Marine Is only held below the surface
he action Of her rudders on the
ess!ng water; should the propellcr'
CRYING her along cease to revOlve and
ne vessel slow down she automati-
ally rises to the surface because the
Naders have no longer any effect.
Although the steering both on the
'erocal and horizontal plane IL con-
ro.led by hand. it would be quite be-
mhd the strength Of a man to move
70 various rudders as required, 50
'tctric motors are installed to per-
"T7n mo actual work. In fact, almost
'refything IN q submarine is operated
~ electricity.
IN Tho earlier types Of submarine
'ais a considerable time was required
% open the valves and allow suffi-
EN- water 70 enter the ballast tanks
. make them sink 10 the nwash CON
auor Some OF the nov obsolete
.. reach naval boats took as long as
Ileen go twenty minutes 10 carry out
MS simple operation. The main reason
~ ta,s Was that they We're designed
WIN 20 much surf ce buoyancy; thai
NNfH Any iplt f'O Ilkll III lAA'
"@er when floating IN the light condi-
Ton compared with the Inadequate
mans then employed for the inlet Of
sa'er into the ballast tanks, and were
'"1s forced to let in mn enormous
euahflty of water AZ a very slow rate
0oN' hey settled down sufficiently
% Enable totnl submergence t. he ac'
emphasized by the use OF tho hort
.oAtai ms and ruddcrs. This great
4'awpack has now been completely
V'e7coine and the modern submarine
aN s'rt below tho surface in about
t'fee minutes.
"6'n water Is pumped into the
.as, tanks in order TO- make tho
"'mariU" settle down the air which
"'maI'I i!lls these tanks is com
H'aseQ MO "A fraction Of .tg prnDnI