The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-07-17
TO BUILD THIRTY
new SUBMARINES
United States Soon to Have
100 UnderSea Craft.
PRESIDENT FAVORS PLANS.

Naval Heads to Ask Congress For APP
preparation to Construct the Most
Efficient Submersibles In the World.
Twenty-six Are Already Under Con-
struction and Seventy In Service.
The next building program for the
United States navy will include esti-
mates for nearly double the number of
submarines appropriated for by the
last session of congress. From officials
in close touch with the plans for the
navy it was learned that Mt least thirty
and probably more submarines certain
ly would be requested.
Some naval officers of high rank who
are being criticised think that as many
as fifty or seventy-five submarines
would not be too many. The last con.
gress IN three sessions authorized TWEEN
ty-siX submarines, and the United
States has a total now Of nearly seven
ty in commission or building. Within
two years the total, II il estimated,
may be brought up to 100 undersea
craft.
Secretary Daniels, ii is understood,
fayors n large building program, be
lievlng that in the development of the
efficiency of the submarine arm lies
the most important task Of the navy
today. The action of the last congress
In nnpnnpiuffn nnnnaN fps gfNfn,r. aath
marines when only eight or more were
asked for is believed to have given the
secretary confidence that the next SEES
sion of congress would be even more
generous in its grant for the underwa-
ter vessels.
Presidents Approval.
President Wilson is expected to ap-
prove an extraordinarily large program
for the construction Of underwater
craft.
Information Is being gathered rap
idly abroad by the experts of the navy
department concerning the latest i'm
provements I'm the underwater boats.
One of the reasons why some Euro
pean countries have been able to man
ufacture submarines rapidly has been
because of their development of inter
nal combustion oil burning engines.
Experiments are being conducted by
the navy for the use of electric bat
teries in propelling submarines for sub
merged operations, and II Is believed
that when the general board is ready
to make its report next September the
number of submarines recommended
will depend almost entirely on the num-
Der of batteries and engines that can
be supplied.
Disappearing Guns.
Greater efficiency than has been
achieved by any foreign navy is conf
dentially predicted by high naval Off
GERS for American submarines as a re-
suit OF the new batteries. Already
Secretary Daniels has announced that
all submarines built viii be equipped
with one or more disappearing guns
fer surface action. A school devoted
entirely to the training of officers and
crews for submarines now is In opera
ton.
While the development of the sub
marine is being worked out plans for
the two superb readnoughts provided
for by the last congress are being de-
layed pending the results of expert
ments now In progress with defense
against torpedoes. Secretary Daniels
said that Rear Admiral Taylor, chief
OF the bureau of construction and re-
pair, was directing the series of exper-
iments, using armored caissons to rep
resent battleships.
The thickness OF armor necessary to
withstand the explosion OF the modern
torpedoes and the amount of hull sub
division required to keep a ship afloat
after her bottom has been torn open
by mine or torpedo are the problems
upon which navy officers are working
now.