The Washington herald., 1916-03-26
Latest Engines of Death and
Destruction, Built in Last
Seven Months, Relied
Upon to Cripple Fleets.
By JOHN L. BALDERsTON.

By JOHN L. BALDERSTON.
Copyright 1916. b. Mcclure Newsraper syndicateJ
Paris. March S.-Certain details have
come into my possession concerning the
instruments possessed by Germany with
which to make effective her new submar-
Inc campaign, and their publication some
time after the commencement of the
new "frightfulness" Is possible. There
Is no reason to suppose that British apd
French naval Ingenuity will not be able
TO deal with the new menace, but specu-
lation concerning allied counter measures
is not permissible at present.
Germany possessed on March l not less
than twenty four and not more than
thirty submarines Of a new type. All
have been constructed since September
]. an almost Incredible fact, but one that
will be proudly proclaimed after the war
by the Germanlc yard Of Krupps, the
Vulkan works at Stettin, the Howaldt
yards, and the Schichau plant at Elbing,
where the work has been done.
It Is these submarines which rumor has
dignifed with the appellHtion submarine
cruiser" They displace about 1000 tons.
and are armed with six torpedo tubes
and four guns, quick hrers and high
power.
Speed and range are the two great ad
vantages possessed by the new class over
their unfortunate predecessors, now al
most all at the bottom of the sea 1t is
said that the submarines now ut work
can travel between 5000 and 5000 miles
without recharging, provided most Of the
journey is accomplished on the surface
at a moderate speed, and while this al
legged ability to navigate from Hamburg
TO New York Harbor and back again may
be doubted until proof is forthcoming, it
IS certain that the range-of the new class
Is far greater than was thought possible
4 few months ago.
Can Do Twenty-Five Knots.
More definite information is at hand
that these submarines can do twenty-five
knots on the surface and eighteen knots
submerged If this be true, one Of them
can catch any merchant ship now on the
ocean in a fair face above water, and
can pursue and run down while submerg
ed any freighter and most passenger
liners.
Scarcely less important than these Of
fensive advantages is a novel defense
possessed by the new models against the
deadly nets by which the British and
French, in the North Sea. the Channel,
the Irish Sea and the Mediterranean,
have trapped literally scores of U-boats
Projecting from the PROV of the super
submarine is a device operated by an
electric motor inside the ship, which can
cut way through netting in which the
C-boat finds itself enmeshed. A pair OF
gigantic shears is used for heavy netting,
while a rotary wheel made up OF sharp
knives is thought sufficient to tear to
pieces thin mesh
In addition to the super-submarine up
on which the Germans rely. they have
constructed short-ranse. mine-laying sub
marines, which do not carry torpedo tubes
or guns and are intended. it is believed,
for use in the North Sea and the
Channel. The mine is discharged in
most ingenious fashion. BY their instru-
ments the crew can tell the exact depth
at which they are submerged. and in
shallow waters mines are discharged
with chains Of the TeC.lired length and
anchors attached. When the anchor
grips the bottom. the mine. which has
been carried down by the anchor. as
Cends again, and il the chain is Of the
right length remains securely fastened
just below the surface of the water. In
water too deep for this method, mines
are released to drift on the surface.
Need More Trained Men.
British and French naval experts would
expect far more of the German super
submarine If trained crews were avail
able to run them. They point out that
a submarine, far more than any other
engine of war. requires skillfuI handling.
and in peace times two or three years
were employed in training a competent
naval officer for the work before he was
placed in command OF a British sub
marine. The same thing was true of
German navy. II is an undisputed fact
that a large majority OF German sub
marine officers and crews persisted within
the Hast year. The German naval au-
thorities have admitted the loss Of thirty
three submarines up to two months ago,
while the British privately claim the de-
structiOn Of hfty-seven. Admittedly a
destroyer cannot be certain in all Ca seS
whether her shots have taken effect but
even accepting the German statement as
complete, Won Tirpitz must be short OF
trained men. It is COnjeCtuEed that all
the old-type submarines which survive
have been turned over to raw crews and
that the remaining men Of experience
have been placed in charge of the new
ones.
Large numbers Of sUper-submarines are
already at sea, and the result of the
duel Of brains between the allied and
German naval STATS may already be evil
dent when this article appears. The
British and French, as before. will prob
ably not announce their bag Of sub
marines. while the sinking OF merchant
ships will be made public. I am tres
passing on forbidden ground. and can
only express the opinion that IL by the
end of March a great number Of allied
ships have not been sunk, II the worlds
commerce goes on as before, the German
campaign will be a failure.
To War on Commerce
What is the object Of the German cam
paign? Not to drown helpless passengers
on liners, or to 1Out the United States,
as might be supposed from pronounce
ments by persons of high position. The
new attack on allied commerce in At
lantlc waters is undertaken because.
short of a decisive defeat of the armies
or fleets of the coalition. nothing can so
influence the course Of the war in Ger
many's favor as Il radical reduction in
the number of merchant ships available
for the enemy's commerce. The moral
effect Of a successful campaign would be
even more Important than its influence
upon military transport" said a British
naval officer to me in London. 1T would
result in drastic restrictions placed upon
the import Of innumera0le articles for
our civilian population, and so tend to
spread panic and dissa abstraction. But 1
think you'll find that the navy will deal
with this new deviltry as 1t did with the
old"
The essentials of the situation were
summed up BY Arthur Pollen, we'll