Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-31
u. S. NAVY C0NVOYS
| MERCHANT SHIPS
ACROSS ATLANTIC
Loss of Escorted Vessels
Averages Less Than One
Half of l Per Cent.
OFFICIAL DISCLOSURE
AT STATE DEPARTMENT
Protection Supplemented When
Danger Zone Is Reached by
Destroyers and Patrols.
GRADUALLY CHECKING U-BOATS
Many Devices and Methods, Includ-
ing Depth Bombs, Proving
Effective.
OFFICIAL DISCLOSURE
AT STATE DEPARTMENT.
GRADUALLY CHECKING U.BoATs
[Bv Associated Press.J

WASHINGTON. August so.-Ameri-
can naval forces are conveying mer-
chant craft across the Atlantic it was.
disclosed officially to-day at the Navy
Department and examination of the
records shows that the loss OF con-
voyed ships by submarines has aver
| aged less than one-half of 1 per cent.
| Details of the convoy system are
| withheld. It was stated, however, that
| American war vessels are regularly
escorting fleets of British. French or
other allied merchantmen across. tho
protection being supplemented when
| the danger zone is reached by the de-
stroyers and other patrol craft.
American naval officials believe that
an effective system for checking the
submarine menace is being built up
gradually. but certainly. Many de-
vices and many methods enter into the
task. Among other things. depth
| bombs are proving effective. Otfcial
| reports indicate that American destroy.E
| crs have accounted for several U-boats
with these weapons Nc announce
| ment Of such incidents will be made,
| however, unless absolute proof of the
fact is available.
No O-boat has been captured by tho
Americans. Reports from London that
the submarines are working now fur
ther at sea than formerly. were con-
frmed by the Navy Department. It
may be that new boats Of greater size
and better sea-keeping qualities led
to this extension of the zone activities:
but 1T is regarded as more probable
that the increased and increasing vigil
lance of the antisubmarine forces Ia
mainly. responsible s5.Ss h ~; 3 ts.ii
u-BOATs FORCED TO GREATER
| DEPTHS UNDER WATER
The effect of the increasing patrol
of the employment OF airplanes and Of
the addition of the new devices to the
ant1submarine weapons. has been to
force the U-boats under water to
greater and greater degree. Their ef-
fectiveness is limited in proportion,
They cannot run down a merchant
ship OF average speed if kept under
water. They can operate only against
ships that almost stumble upon them.
And all the time they are under water.
! they are consuming the stored power
| OF their storage batteries. decreasing
their range of underwater action, and
compelling them to come up at night
and lie idle ON the surface while their
oil engines arc used to recharge the
! batteries.
The decision OF the Navy Depart-
ment to spend s350,000, 900 on new de-.
! stroyers and destroyer building facili-S
ties. approved yesterday by President
| wilson. is based on the effectiveness
of the swift fighting machines. as
proven by Admiral Sims's forces.
American experts have developed i
depth bomb for use against sub.
marines that is deadly at considerable
range The bomb, containing high
explosives. is dropped from a de-
stroyer over spot where the pres-
| ence OF submarine is indicated. IT
is timed to explode at a certain depth.
II the explosion occurs below 2thas
| U-boat. and within reasonable dis
lance. the hull Of the underwater craft
cannot Withstand the pressure, but In
crushed like an eggsheI.
fHf 70 CREATE. IMPRESSION
THAT BOAT HAS REI;N SIJNK
Signs of the destruction in this way
appear on tho surface in the share
of oil from 'ruptured fuel tanks nitss
or hoatinS wreckage and the like. IT
is very difficult. therefore, to be cer-
tain or hit, as the Germans on more
than one occasion released oil pur
poSely' turned loose wreckage prepared,
IN advance. and did everything else
possible to create the Impression that
boat has been sunk
Airplanes are being used in con
junction with the destroyer work oft
.he ailies along the French coast ana
IN tho channel. So far the American
craft. -
me underwater radius of the aver
age O-ooat is less than $50 miles uns sa;
der most favorable circumstances. Tosa
So .hat distance 1t would have to
'ravel at rate Of very fcw miles
an hcur. It is argued, therefore. that Z.
oy means of aircraft dsstroyers and
an other agencies for the detection
OK SUBMARINES. zone $50 miles or less
IN "idth could be drawn about the
herman bases or the entrance of the 6
I>orth sea In which submarine could
come TO the surface only at rare in
terVais' the Germans would not be-
able to operate on "a scale to threaten
supply lines except inside that zone.