Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-12-09
TRAGEDY OF SUBMARINES
How Many U-Bonts Have Been Melted,
Rammed or Destroyed.
(From the Scientific American)

(From the Scientific Americana
In the recent complete breakdown OF
the German submarine attack on mer-
chant shipping, we witness another OF
those silent victories over the German
navy, of which the present war mas been
go fruitful The first and greatest OF
these, of course, was the complete I'M
mobilization Of the German high sea fleet
whose 20 or more dreadnaughts and pat
tie cruisers have been shut up helplessiy
in German North sea ports and IN the
Baltic from the very day that war was
declared.
To what are we to attribute the sud
den collapse of the German submarine
raiding expeditions? The answer is to
be found In the two fields of mechanics
and psychology. We stated many months
ago, when the submarines were at the
height Of their activities. that the eX-
perience Of past naval wars justified the
expectation that some effective means
would be discovered for defeating the u
boat attack: and the event has proved
that we were right. 1t is safe to say that
no branch of the great naval and military
operations Of this war has been the sub
tect Of more thorough investigation py
the scientists and the inventor than That
of submarine warfare on its defensive
side. Very fruitful has been the study or
this problem and most efficient have been
the means adopted
Not until the history of the war comes
to be written. probably, will it be known
which of the defensive measures have
proved to be the most successful. PROB
ably more submarines have been account
ed for by nets than by any other means,
although large number have been sunk
by destroyers and swift motor boats rush
ing In upon and ramming them or de-
stroying them with their rapid fire guns,
We are informed that not a few boats
have been lost when they come to the
surface at night to recharge their bat
teries. The exhaust from the oil engines
Is very noisy and can be heard over
great distance and naturally the sub
marines choose the night time for bat
terry charging The destroyers and armed
motor boats gather in the subnarine-in-
Tested area after night has fallen and by
careful listening detect the location of
the submarines, creep upon them quiet
~ and then make final dash to get
them with the gun or the ram before
they can submerge,
The contemplation of a lingering death
In a sunken submarine may well strike
terror to the stoutest heart, and the Brit
ish admiralty have made deadly use of
the psychology of the situation by re-
training from making any mention OF the
time or place of the destruction OF tho
U-boats. When the disturbance of the
floats at the top of n torpedo net showed
that n submarine was entangled the L.
boat was hauled to the surface shot full
of holes and allowed to sink without &
word being published Of the occurrence.
The psychological effect upon the per
sonnet Of the subma rine service OF thl.
absolute silence as to the fate of the
submarines after they have left Wilhems
haven or the mouth of the E,lbe must b'
simply appalling.
SO long as the fate of the U-boats which
were destroyed or captured in the earle
weeks Of the war was made known thu
horror Of uncertainty was missing. bu
during the past few months over half ;
hundred boats have failed to return. The!
ealuted as they steamed out from thei
naval base and that was the last tina
was seen or heard OF any Of them
Won Hndenburg has said that the pres
ent contest is one of nerves II so, l
may well be a question whether this por