The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-31
NAvV'S SUBMARINES
FIND DEFENDERS

New York, Aug 3o.--The American
submarine has come ir for more. abuse
of late than any other arm of the SER
vice Many critics have declared thar
the submarines now in the United
States navy are worthless. Captain
a. w. Grant, United States Navy. N'lo
IL now in charge of the submarine
service. has been investigating things
generally In a report made recently
he said that he found that more than
so per cent OF the difficulties expert
enced with the submarines was due
TO the inexperience of the officers in
charge OF the boats
This report has been attra citing much
attention in navy circles and the sup
porters OF the American submarine
are very pleased with the findings OF
Captain Grant. because they have
maintained for a long time that there
has been disposition to belittle the
submarine In the service. and ii has
been very easy to blame the boats and
their motors for accidents rather than
those In charge. Captain Grant In his
report said that the boats were well
built and turned over to the Govern
ment in perfect condition, but that
those in charge were not as familiar
with their workings as they should
have been and consequently accidents
have happened which have been blam
ed TO the boats themselves. The Army
and Navy Register, commenting or
Captain Grants report. says:
Probably no arm of our naval Or
military service have been more stu
pidly maligned than our submarine
boats. Everybody will agree that when
the officers OF our navy have had suf-
ficient experience in particular
branch OF their profession they are
not excelled by those of any navy in
the world. The Navy Department has,
however, practiced the anomaly OF
placing junior officers in charge of
boats containing highly complicated
machinery necessary for carrying out
the varied functions OF these vessels
and 1t would require little less than
native genius on the part of these IN
experienced officers to enable them to
keep the boats up to the high standard
in which they are delivered to the
Government.
Those acquainted with the contract
provisions covering the building and
trials of submarines know that the
acceptance trials are extraordinarily
rigid 1t has been established that
corresponding trials suitable for bat
tleship. II exacted for vessels of this
larger type, would cost The contrac-
toTH at ledSt mltHon collars. me
submarines are necessarily turned
over TO the Government in perfect
condition. but experience has shown
that In very many cases. owing 10 the
unfamiliarity of the young officers In
charge, the intricate machinery Is soon
out of order, the boats have to he
withdrawn from active service for re-
pairs.
The" critics have declared that
our submarines are junk. Such state
ments do serious injustice TO a mos:
efficient branch of our naval service
1t is true that there are a few expe-
rimental boats in our navy, which
have not been brilliant in their perfor.
mances, but the department is prob
ably not to he criticized for having
I tried out such types of vessels with
a view OF learning the possibilities they
/ possess. Unfortunately. the present
/ Secretary OF the Navy has fallen into
/ the same error that the critics have
labored under and Captain Grant.
| findings will probably come as a sur.
prise to him. Both the engines aDt
the batteries OF the United States boat.
have been condemned by the Score
tary of the Navy, yet II is fact tina
! the type OF Diesel heavy oil engines
used aboard our navy standard suhma
rines IL a German type, with Ameri,
can improvements. and everythin,
points 10 the fact that the German [
boats are using engines of this gen
erAl type"