The Detroit times., 1915-05-26
Our National Defense
America Builds Submarine
to Fight in the Mid-Ocean
~ z. JAMES
ARTICLE tIi.

experts have long contended. that the suomaf
inc is the most efficient ship Of the navies o
the future. And yet. though the first 10 gag
war successfully under the sea, Germany VA
tee SLOW est and last OF the great naval power
20 recognize the efficacy OF the submarine
United States naval experts have long re
posed faith in the submarine The lact INA
today have only a comparatively smsiI nO
tia In due to the "cross-road" naval policy o
congress rather than 10 lack OF fcresisn' OF
the part OF sea fighters
The General Navy board. OF which Admira
Dewey Is president. has gone ahead, contestins
with the navles OF the world tor the de'eiop
ment OF the submarine
The result is that. at last, and probably De
fore Germany. England and France, the pom
has been reached where We are ready TO con
struct submarines capable OF sufficient speed
and large enough 10 be habitaole Tor IONS
enough period so they can 60 out to sea- accom-
panyirg the fleet of fast dreadnoughts. ana play
conspicuous part in a mid-ocean battle.
Whether such great progress has been mace
BY any other leading naval power Is not known
The submarine secrets OF the warning nAuons
OF Europe are carefully guarded.
With the idea of constructing . fleet OF dig.
fast. ocean going submarines the General NAVY
Board last November asked congress 10 autnor'
iEe three fleet submarines AMI sixteen coss1
submarines for the 1916 naval programme The
number was cut down 10 eight, one OF wncn
Is to be OF the ocean going type. In It's recon-
mencatIon the General Board said:
For several years past al leading nayies
have been striving to perfect a submarine OF an
enlarged type with Availability. radius. and
speed sufficient TO enable IL to accompany tns
fleet and act with II tacticaliy. both In ouense
and defense. Our designers ana builders are
now ready to guarantee such type The value
OF such q type for distant work Win the nset
can hardly be overestimated"
The comparative submarine strength on VT
ions nayfes In estimated by Secretary OF the
Navy Daniels. including craft building as well
"A in commission. as follows: England. "a:
France rs: United States, 81: Germany. 81.
course based on information obtained from
Germany before the war. IL 10 not known now
what she II doing in submarine construction
Theodore Roosevelt. when President. was a
great believer in the submarine. He was un-
doubtedly the first, and possibly the only, head
OF a great nation 10 take trip In q submarine
Certainly other president. king or emperor
thought Of such an adventure at that early stage
of the submarine.
No doubt his trip would have remained Sc
cret for a time at least. but for the com oinauon
Of a girl, young reporter. pair OF white duck
trousers. rainy day and thirsty sailor. The
girl was the magnet that drew the young re-
porter from his post of duty at Oyster Bay 10
New York The white ducks were worn BY the
reporter because the day promised TO be warm
The rain came later to confound the wearer OF
the ducks and the sailor was thirsty because
the grape Juice administration had not yet come
on the scene
The Plunger. now the Al. our first submar-
inc was sent TO Oyster Bay to be inspected by
Presidens Roosevelt during the summer Of 1905.
Lieutenant Evans. son OF Fighting Bob was
in command. The reporters At Oyster Bay got
word that the President planned TO make trip
in tie plunger The President denied most en-
phaticaliy that he had any such intention. But
the reporters were instructed by their news
papers to watch the Plunger. They worked In
relays, and from early morning until dusk pa
trolled the bay and kept a sharp watch for wish
tors 10 the submarine. This duty was perform
ed for a week. Then came the day when the
call Of the girl took the young reporter OIL TO
the city. The departure was followed by a
cold rain, and the other reporters sought TO ar
range an armistice with the President Barnes.
the Presidents assistant secretary, after com
municating with Sycamore Hill. assured the re-
porters that the President had not changed
his mind about going down In the Plunger. and
that he would not change IL that day" 30 the
watch vas abandoned.
The cold rain continued all day. A 10 o'clock
train that night brought the young. white duck
clad thoroughly chilled reporter back to Oyster
Bay He stopped at "Harry's" on his way from
the station 70 the telegraph office. There he
found member OF the P1unger crew entertain
ing the bartender with the story Of the Presi-
dents trip In the submarine made that day.
Mr. Roosevelt declared be had enjoyed HIS
trip immensely. He told a thrilling story OF an
attack on the Plunger by school OF porpoises,
which resented the invasion OF their submar
Inc domain by this strange steel monster
That trip fixed Colonel Roosevelts faith IN
the submarine. The naval programme Of his
| administration thereafter was responsible for
the rapid start In submarine building which
| today finds with 20 more boats than Germany
possessed at the beginning OF the war
| Six OF Germany's 81 original submarines are
declared by naval experts TO be entirely useiest
| and several have been sunk by the British. But
even 30 depleted flotilla has been able Ia
| harass the commerce OF Great Britain
| THE fourth article Of this series will deal
with the torpedo and submarine gun. The type
OF torpedo which sank the Lusitsnia will be de