The farmer and mechanic., 1915-04-27
THE UNDER-SEA BOAT MARVEL
OF THE EUROPEAN CONF ICT
Little Craft Which Strikes Titan Blow From Depths Of
Sea Found to BE Most Practicable Engine of Destruc
ton Ever Launched.
Lawrence Flick, Jr., in PHILADELPHIA
RecOrd.)

ruan-deny that the submarine is the
marvel of the European conflict? The
..Iuder-sea boat" as the Germans call
e. within few months has twice
rcvolutioniZed ocean warfare. The
VAR has brought succession of sur
rrises, each called epoch-making
They are insignificant beside the sub
marine The little spindle shape
craft which strikes Titan blow from
the depths Of the sea was generally
reearded as an experiment when the
var began-a contrivance more likely
10 drown it's crew than damage the
enemy. In eight months it has be-
come the most dangerous and the
most practicable engine of destruc-
ton ever launched upon the seas. In
the hands of Germany it has been
used to upset the shrewdest calcula-
t.onS of the greatest sea power of the
world For all practical purposes it
has put the German navy on par
with that of the Allies, whereas be-
fore the war the ratio of ships and
euns was about thre to one against
Germany.
The submarine turned the accepted
ideas of sea fighting upside down
when a single German 'under-sea
boat" sank the Aboukir, Cressy and
Ho2ue 12,00O-ton British cruisers,
early one morning last September,
with that exploit, the submarine
proved beyond question that she was
a powerful ship of war. That was the
first evolutionary idea. The second
was even more sweeping. 1t brought
home to surprised world the aston
Ishing fact that a nation whose bat
tleshipS had been driven from the
seas could yet cripple the commerce
of her enemy by means Of subma
Ines.
\ Surprising Campaign.
This latter development is the more
Astonishing because entirely unex-
pccted. Whatever may be the status
of under-sea raiding of an enemy's
commerce before the tribunal of in
toruational law, the fact remains that
Germany has found a way to offset
Eugland'S maritime supremacy. Eng
land by her mighty fleets, has locked
the sea-door to German commerce.
Germany, unable to break down the
guard set upon the ocean gate by
Great Britain. has yet found it pos
sihe 10 disorganize and all but de-
moralize her foes commerce. This
has been accomplished by the under
sea boat unaided by cruiser or tor
pedo boat destroyer, and operating
hundreds of miles away from a
friendly port
Germany's first naval policy, when
Encland's superior force made it evil
dent that the German fleets would
not dare leave their sheltered an
chorages in the Baltic and the North
Sea. was the famous one Of ''attri-
ton the war of wear and tear y
Germany proceeded to wear dowr
Great Britain by destroying a cruiser
here and a battleship there as op-
portunity offered. Sometimes Ger
MAN light cruisers took part in these
brief raids; usually though. they
we're made by submarines. England
evened the score, however, and bOtf
I'M numerical losses and in proper
honate decrease in naval strength, tht
war of wear and tear cost Germany
more than it cost England.
Ihen began the more recent wal
"i blockade" In this German subma
rnes have had the field all to them
selves. Whatever embarrassment
england has been put to in recen
Won Tirpitzs famous submarin
blockade Of the British Isles. Tn
mere announcement of this blOckad
ihrew ship owners all over the worl'
INTO a state Of CONSERVATION. At frs
england made light of the German
threat. and "sailings as usual becam
a Watchword in Great Britain-untl
the phenomenal success of the Ger
man submarines temporarily drove a.
out neutral ships from the sea
around the British Isles. Eng1is
shipping has taken heart again. i
spite Of disasters that have been fre
quent within recent weeks. German
mas blockaded by means of submar
ines. and the blockade scarcely coui
nave been more effective If 1T ha
peen enforced by dreadnaughts an
battle cruisers.
The marvel of the submarines e1
leeuveness could not be better Illus
rated than by her success in this pei
alar kind of warfare. AS all tn
world knows, Germany and Englan
nave for years contended for the ma.
terry Of the sea- Admiral Won T1rplt
the greatest naval figure in German
and for nearly 20 years master
Germany's naval policy, has move
heaven and earth to make his coul
try's navy outrival Englard's- III