Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-05-21
BRITISH SUBMARINE
U. S. Naval Officers Think They Have
Failed to Keep the Pace.

Failed to Keep the Pace.
A Washington dispatch to the New
York World says: Ranking officers of
the American navy expect a radical
change in the administration Of the
British admiralty as a result Of the de-
struction Of the Lusitania- It is their
belief that Great Britain has fallen far
behind Germany in submarine war
fare.
They also look for more daring raids
by German submarines, possibly on the
allies Dardanelles fleet, and If the war
attack on the British battleship fleet
by new German dreadnaughts that
are believed to be in course of con-
struction.
When Germany finally announced
her intention to make war under the
waters by the use Of submarines, and
to blow up every British ship that
passed within torpedo range, Ameri-
can naval experts appeared to be sat
isfied that this movement would be
| checkmated without delay.
They were convinced that the Brit
ish fiotilla Of destroyers would be
waiting for every German submarine
that poked its periscope above the
surface They believed that the Brit
ish destroyers would send the subma-
rines to the bottom with such rapidi-
ty that the German admiralty would
decide to change its tactics without
delay.
Great Britain's failure to take dras-
tic steps to put an end to the COM
merce war has given American naval
experts the impression that there is
something radically wrong with Win
ston Churchills management Of the
admiralty.
This belief was strengthened q
thousandfold when the news that no
patrol had guarded the Lusitania was
flashed to America
Officers pointed out to the fact that
upon the British admiralty must rest
the blame not only for the destruction
Of the Lusitania but much more so on
account Of the tremendous loss of life.
They pointed to the fact that II the
Lusitania had been accompanied by
four or six destroyers, the submarine
might have been enabled to strike her
a chance blow or two with torpedoes,
but at least the passengers and crew
would not have been lost, because the
patrolling vessels would have been
present to pick up the victims.
IF the British admiralty had used
little foresight and withdrawn the
fleet Of cruisers which are hanging
around American ports, for no valu-
able purpose as far as I can see," a
naval officer said, these vessels might
have been on hand to pick up the in
nocent non-combatants who are now
dead.
I'VE are simply dumfounded by
Great Britain's failure to fill the seas
in the vicinity Of Ireland and England
with destroyers and submarines.
1--WE have reason to believe that Ger
many has turned out more than 100
and probably 200 submarines since the
war began. She has passed Great Brit
aims supply, and as far as we are
able to find out, Great Britain is do
ing nothing to combat this handicap.
The same thing is true Of destroyers.
Germany is turning them out in great
numbers and Great Britain appears to
be completely at a standstill.
For several months we have been
quite we'll convinced that Germany in
tends to carry on a warfare under the
sea and in the air. 1t is apparent to
any one that she has no intention of
actually testing her strength with
Great Britain's first fleet at this time,
because she could not expect to win a
great battle.
IF she continues at the rate she is
now going in the construction Of sub
marines and airships. I believe she
will be enabled to exert tremendous
pressure upon the allies before fall.
1t would not surprise me in the least
to see q submarine raid on the French
fleet which is guarding the mouth Of
the Adriatic OF course, the subma-
rines would be German made and
shipped over land to some Austrian
port"