The Washington herald., 1917-03-11
TILE WASHINGTON HERALD SUNDAY MARCH IL 1917

are harder to hunt down than the old
ones Arthur Pollen. the naval critic. de-
clared recently;
The submarine navy Is that laid down
by Tirpitz In the beginning Of 1915. He Is
entitled to the credit Of having ~foreseen.
say in December, 1914. that Germanys
only chance for victory lay in undoing
the blunder by which Britain had been
made a belligerent. 1t was q blunder that
could only be undone by bringing Great
Britain to her knees. He therefore de-
termined to call q new sea power into
existence to redress the balance Of the
old-the sea power that made US invulner-
able"
just an Experiment.
The submarine campaign of 1915 was
undertaken with a small number of
boats; it was an experiment only; 1t was
undertaken SO as to evolve the principles
ana learn the elements Of a new warfare.
The material for this warfare was forth
with put in hand. A year would have to
elapse before any of its units became
available. Certain qualities the new SUBJ
marines would have to possess had been
made manifest. The nearer the submarine
could approximate to the cruiser, the
better 1t could do its work. 1t would
have to keep the sea for long periods; 1t
It must be able to overhaul merchant
ships and do SO rapidly. 1t would, II pos
slole, have to fight the armed merchant
men on superior terms. Hence the boats
laid down In the spring Of 1915 were de-
signed for a radius of action of 10000 or
iz:Wo miles. to carry guns effective at
quo or 5000 yards. to have a surface
speed or q knots and a submerged speed
OF L, TO nave upper works tough enough
to stand a few hits (deleted by censor)
and to be double-shelled and compart-
mented (deleted by censor).
The contrast between the February
October. 1915. and the Mareh-April. 1916.
campaigns lay principally in this, that
the nrst was carried on with the odd
torty to sixty submarines that Germany
had ready or was scompleting when the
war began. whereas the latter was the
work of new boats. specially con-
structed and built for the trade Of war.
Fake Surrender.
"The difference between the spring and
the autumn campaigns of 1916 is that the
first, which ended by Berlin's surrender
to Washington. was carried out by such
new boats as could be completed in the
year, while the August effort began with
three months supply and to these six
months further product must now be
added. 1t Is with these resources, less
Slch boats as We have been able to
sink, that Germany commences her final
struggle"
So much for the German point Of view
and the weapons they have to enforce
1t.
The situation Is serious. No English
man denies that. But within the limited
time that this war has yet to run there
does not seem any danger that the coun-
frNy g. MI
policy Of secrecy prevents answers to
the German claim which would prove
that the submarines will have to grow
much more effective before they can
hope to win the war: indeed the present
official policy here is rather to dwell on
the gravity OF the danger in order to per-
suade people to eat less food and the
farmers to efrow more. But the follow
ing considerations may be put forwa rd
for those who think the U-boat may de-
eide the conflict (deleted by CENSOR:
People in England could eat about half
what they do and still exist, and exist as
well as the unfortunate Inhabitants of
Austria-Hungary do now The restric-
ton Of food consumption is only now just
beginning.
1t would be possible II the emergency
were great enough to release several mill
lions Of transport tonnage now employed
III nOl NlIdl
to the winning of the war.
Measures are being taken now which
will effect an economy Of one-third,
Arthur Pollen estimates, in all British
merchant transport, by ending the lorg
waits in port and the misuse of shipping
formerly rife. This reform alone. car
ried out by the new director of shipping
and Lloyd George. is expected to Offset
the work. Of the submarines for several
months.
And, lastly submarines are being sunk.
and the royal navy is hard at work and
fully expects to solve the problem of
curbing the submarines. which is by no
means so hard as it looks to the lay
man. But further discussion of this most
interesting phase Of the situation would
not be permitted.