The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-10-06
I'm Reports on the Sub
Marine Failure.
THE FLEET or DREADNAUGHTs
May be Increased on Account
of Lesson From the Eu.
rOpean War.
UNDERSEA CRAFT

Washington, Oct. 2.-The Aneri-
can naval policy for the coming
year, tentative plans for which rec
ogni2ed the sudden development Of
submarine warfare, with provision
for a large number of under-sea
boats. will be broadly affected by the
British Admiralty's development of
successful means for combating the
submarine peril.
Confidential reports to the Unites
States Government, disclosing taat
the destruction of from so to ~
German submarines had been effect
ed by the use of nets, submarine
telephones, new types of mines and
by covering the submarine area with
a feet of thousands of high-spees
motor boats armed with rapid-frs
guns. have fulfilled the convictions
of American naval experts that
means would be found successfully
TO combat under-sea warfare.
Likewise these reports have reaf-
firmed the faith of American ex-
perts in the all-big-gun ship-ths
dreadnaught-as the effective fight
ing force OF any navy.
One mediate development OF
this newest lesson drawn from the
European war probably will be
provision in the new naval bill for
additions to the dreadnaught deet
instead of building submarines oa
such an extensive scale as has been
desired by many.
1t is plain, however, that the de-
velopment of successful means OF re-
polling submarine warfare wiil not
mean the abandonment of substan-
tial additions to theAmerican subma-
rine feet. The new naval building
program probably will include more
than the usual number of submersi-
bles, and they will all be of the new
high speed sea-going cruiser type.
carrying rapid fire guns recently de-
veloped in the naval gun factory,
but the official plan will not centenl-
plate development OF the submarine
arm of the service at the expense of
the big gun ships.
Naval officers realize that the re-
markable success of the German TN
der-sea boats created a profound im>
preston throughout the country aud
was the sentiment for the building
of large numbers of submarines al
most to the total exclusion OF battle
ships on the theory that a subtnersi-
BILE had proved its ability to destroy
a fighting ship costing ten times as
much.
Now that successful means of
combating the submarine have
been developed. the strategists feel
that the naval defense of the coasts
of the United States still rests where
they always have contended il has
on the big gun feet.
They feel. too. that white. the
navy should be equipped adequately
with submersibles. the next develop
ment should be TO provide means OF
repelling submarine invaders, as aas
been done in Europe. and to carry
out a logical. progressive building
policy for the big feet along the
lines laid down by the Naval Gen
eral Board. which stands for IS drst-
line dreadnoughts by 1920.
Various means for developing de-
Tense against submarines now are
being tested in the American navy.
All these experiments are of a most
confidential character. but IL is
known that the best experts of the
technical corps are working ON ssw
ideas in mines. nets and submarine
telephones.
Plans for the two new dread
naughts authorized by the last Goa
gress include means of defenss
against submarines which probably
are not known TO any Of the Europ-
can naVies. and in the shallow wa
tiers OF the Atlantic Coast. adjacent
TO large cities whose harbors might
possibly be ne targets OF sabns-
rine invaders experiments constant
ly are being carried on. Obviously
the natue OF these will not be dis
cloEea by the Navy Department.
Continued on eighth page.