The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-18
ONE YEAR OF GERMANY's
SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN

If was inst a wear ago today that
the German Admira1ty's war zone
decree, establishing a submarine
blockade of Great Britain aSad the
French coast, went into erect. Inc
terms of the decree had been an
nounced two weeks before, and
brought from the Washington govern
unent a. s.strict accountability note.
the first of a long series OF commune
cations which passed between the
United States and Gefman state de-
partments. On the day that the de-
cree became effective. Germany re-
piled to the American representations,
denying responsibility, but declaring q
Willingness to recede from the post
ton she had taken if the Washington
government would induce Great Brit
ain to permit foodstuffs to- enter Ger
many.
The submarine warfare of Germany,
which had been carried on in a desu1-
tory way from the beginning of the
war, began in earnest on Feb. 18. Be-
fore the close of the month seven
French and British vessels and an
equal number of neutrals had been
sunk, with loss of 10 lives In
March the victims in the war zone
numbered 20 ships of the Allies and
27 neutraIs, with q. loss of 166 lives,
of whom III went down with the
British ship Fa1aba. The April toll
in the war Zone was % vessels flying
the flags of the allied nations, and five
neutra1s, with loss of 80 lives.
The month of May brought the
greatest tragedy Of all, the sinking Of
the Lusftania, which cost 1880 lives,
of whom 107 were Americans.
Twenty-four other allied vessels and
Eve 11eutra1s were sunk by the deadly
torpedoes in May, including the
American ship Fu1fight. Twenty-Five
lives were lost, in addition to the ter
ribIe toll of the Lusitania. The latter
tragedy resulted in renewed and Wig
orous protests from the United States
and other neutral nations.
iSxty-eight allied merchantmen,
mostly British, and nine neutrals were
sunk in June. at a cost of z 8 lives The
July toll was "a ships of the warning
nations and six nentra1s. with a loss
of rs lives Most Of the vessels sunk
in June and July were trawlers.
Fsorty-six vessels and So lives were
lost in August through German SUBJ
marine attacks in the war zone. In
September 35 vessels were sunk, and
80 lives lost. The Mediterranean was
the scene of several OF these tragedies.
In October only q. dozen ships were
sunk in the war zones but % went
down in the Mediterranean. In Noe
vernber the submarines disappeared
from the British and French coasts,
but became very active in the Medit-
erraneans and the sinking of the An
coma, an Italian liner. cost 312 lives,
eleven of whom were Americans.
The German submarine tblockade''
of Great Britain. terrible as it was in
its stolI of ships and lives, failed ut
ter1y to accomplish its purpose, which
was to put an end to British and
French commerce. British and French
ingenuity soon found a way to cope
with the submarines-severa effect
i've ways, in. fact-and after a few
months the Won. Tirpitz plan for
starving Great Britain was demon
suit of the German war zone decree
has been to prove that the submarine,
like all other types of war craft, has
its limitations, and is not the terrible
weapon that it seemed to be early in
the war