New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-28
DANIELS ADMITS
u. SUBMARINES
USELESS In WAR
Recent Man9uvreS Proved
Undersea Craft Unable
to Fight.
From Tn. Tribune Bureau. ]

Washington. May 27.-While navy Of
fcers were pointing out to-day that the
recent war game proved the imperative
need of more scout cruisers Secretary
Daniels issued a statement virtually
admitting that the present submarine
fotilla of the American navy is pracu-
calJy v-rtbIess as factor In modern
warfare. .
Secretary Daniels's official admission
ia based on the numerous breakdowns
and the entire failure OF the subma-
rines to figure as a part Of the potential
fighting force of the defending navy
in the recent manpuvres The Secre-
tary's statement bears out to the letter
the charges made last December in Inc
Tribune that snch submarines as Uncle
Sam possesses are unworthy OF consld-
Grafton as an actual fighting part OF
the navy.
II Is admitted that down TO Glass E
Of the submarines none may be con-
sidered as useful, because all are
run on the surface by gasolene, and
every navy of the world has found 1t
necessary to adopt the heavy oil engine
as the propelling power.
Still an Experiment.
"With the growing Importance Of the
submarine as an instrument of war
fare" says Secretary Daniels's state
ment, 81 feel that too much attention
cannot be paid to this branch of the
service, and every effort OF the depart
ment will be directed to improving the
records made by the submarines during
the recent maneuvres. The submarine
is still in an experimental stage, and
the boat of two years ago. as com
pared with those now in active service
abroad, is probably even more compara-
tiveIv obsolete than an automobile OF
three years ago would be to-day, as the
Improvement in the design and build
ing Of submarines here as well as
abroad has been even more rapid than
in the case Of motor vehicles.
"Of the twelve submarines which
came TO New York for the manGuvres
one was unable TO proceed, and various
others suffered from breskdowns ne
cessitating repairs Of greater or less
importance, which took them out Of the
game for varying length Of time. The
full reports are not in, and 1t is I'M
possible to name which boats were out
Of commission iroI. various causes and
which had mer ~ the u-ual trivial de-
fects which must be expected at any
time and which can be remedied with
out any serious delay or impairment OF
their efficiency Reports, unofficial,
give a number varying from hve to
seven as the total submarines effective
during a certain period of the maneu-
vres.
The machinery OF submarine Is
very delicate. There is, first OF all, the
propelling machinery for surface WORK.
which is subject to all the faults Of an
automobile engine hHu -" So '
It's various diseases There are, in ad-
dition. the storage batteries. which do
nc. anywhere near approach perfee-
ton as yet and which are continually
giving trouble in their use. Then there
ar, the motors used 20 drive the boat
when under water, which. like all cleo
,ricsl machinery. are delicate and sub
ject to sudden breakdowns.
Breakdowns Expected.
The failur- of any one OF these
,hrss elements means the putting OF
,bs boat out OF commission until re-
nair, are made, and il can thus be
ss.ily seen that a much higher per-
= ntage of breakdowns must be ex-
nacted than in other boats. The bat
iery trouble. as already announced, We
hope 10 have eliminated in our newer
boats. il the Edison battery lives up
20 its preliminary tests. The other
troubles are being eliminated with
Continued on page 4. column