The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-03
The sinking of the Formid a bic In
the Channel.

According to survivors of the For.
midable who were picked up in cutter
by a Torbay trawler the battleship
was torpedoed. This means, assuming
the report to be true, that the German
submarine fotllla Is operating In the
Channel, for It was In that body OF
water about daybreak that the Formi-
dable foundered, so quickly that only
the men stationed in the superstructure
had n chance to save themselves.
German submarine manpuvres call
for the use Of four boats against each
torpedo training In the German navy
aims Mt perfection OF assaults delivered
under cover of darkness or of CORE
spondingly favorable weather condl-
| tons" The rougher the weather the
greater is the danger Of the enemy. II
was In heavy sea that the Formidable
received her death blow. In such sea
the periscope is shifting object and
practically invisible in a half light.
One submarine could, of course, have
sunk the battleship. and II Is not the
policy of the German Admiralty to adj
init that it's undersea boats are operat-
ing in hotillas in any waters The
British Admiralty would he glad TO be-
lieve, to make the best of bad bust
ness, that the Formidable was destroyed
by a single daring submarine. There
will be haunting fear. however, that
- ha nh tn he
Channel to startle England with New
Year disaster. II IL not the sinking of
one battleship, or even the loss Of six
or seven hundred officers and men. that
will give the naval authorities the
greatest concern; II Is the realization
that transporting troops across the
Channel TO France is now an undertake
ing Of great danger.
England can no longer afford to lose
battleships; still less can she afford to
lose trained officers and men least OF
all can she afford to lose troops that
transports. II would he an unwarrant-
able reflection upon the British navy
to suppose that 1t has not been using
every available cruiser, destroyer. tor
pedo boat and submarine to prevent In
vason OF the Channel by the enemy.
In spite Of all precautions and of the
utmost vigilance, in spite, too, OF skill.
fully laid mines, the German submit
rlnes have left their base and inflicted
serious loss upon the British patrol,
this time in the carefully guarded Chan.
mel. The enemy had reached Dover
before. aod had even sunk two mer
chant ships, the Malachite and Primo,
of Havre and almost opposite Ports
mouth; but nothing on the scale Of de-
stroying battlesbip OF the patrol was
accomplished.
II seems to he reasonable conclu-
sion from the disaster 10 the Formula
/ BILE that the German tactics are now to
he methodically directed against Brit.
ish ~arsbips In Channel waters with
the purpose Of holding up" troop trans
portation and ultimately frustrating at
I tempts to land the full strength Of re-
endorsements in France. The risk will
have to he taken by the British au-
thorities, however; such is the neces-
sity OF decisive campaign In Flanders.
The naval phase Of the war Is at pres.
ent of secondary importance from the
Brltisn point OF view. For fieei ac-
ton the first line OF battle ships are,
although not exposed, always prepared.
1t is imperative that troops shall be