The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-07-13
ALLIES LOOK To
AMERICAN GUNNER
MERCHANT SHIP CREWS FACE
GREAT DANGER FIGHT
ING U-BOATS

Washington, July when the
history of Americas part in the great
world war is written, there will be no
more interesting chapters than those
devoted to the naval gun crews on
board our merchantmen. For it is
these men more than any others, per-
haps, who will contribute the most
to the success of the Allied cause, and
it is these men who are facing the
greatest dangers.
The gun crews of the merchantmen
are contributing their share to the
Allied cause by their never-ceasing
vigil over the great ships which are
carrying the vitality needed munitions
and foodstuffs abroad, and they are
taking unusual chances because it is
the merchant marine that the sub
marine warfare is aimed at more than
the enemy navies. A submarine will
lay in wait for a merchantmen and
trust to luck to get in a vital shot and
retreat, but at the first sight of a
warship, the U-boat invariably seeks
some other vicinity.
Crack Marksmen.
The men composing the gun crews
on American merchantmen are pick
ed from the best marksmen in the
navy, and every one has long rec
ord behind him, made at the naval
target practices. Besides being al
most dead" shots, the naval gunners
are picked for their quickness in
handling their guns. A gunner who
is slow, no matter how accurately
he may shoot, is practically valueless
on a merchant ship: he can hit tar
get if given time, but this is one
thing a submarine will not do.
Experiences of United States gun
ners who have had encounters with
submarines is that at best they have
less than two minutes to train their
guns and fire at a target so small as
to be almost. invisible at the one to
three-mile range from which torpe-
does usually are fired. Frequently
the torpedo is sighted by the look
outs before the U-boat is observed,
periscope of the fast submerging sub
marine is visible, and with the mer-
chant ship being Unanswered to es-
cape the torpedo the target is not so
easily hit.
U-boats try and get as close to
their victims as possible without be-
ing detected. and if possible the tor
pedoes are fired at a distance of
about a mile. The ship is sighted,
located, and all arrangements made
for firing the torpedo before the sub
marine comes to the surface. Then
it rises until the deck is about three
feet above water-except that the
wash of the waves reduces this Wis
ible target to less than a foot-laIn-
ches the torpedo and Immediately
submerges. 1t has been estimated
that the time taken to launch the
tropedo and submerge is less than
two minutes, and it is in this small
space of time that the naval gunner
must do his work. This is one reas-
on why more "hits" are not register
ed, the Navy Department explains.
Even tho no encounters are had
with the subsea terrors, the members
of the gun crews do not have easy
or pleasant voyages. Every man is
on the alert and nerves
are keyed up to high tension from
the moment the vessel leaves her
port of departure until she docks
safely at the end of her voyage.
These are some of the reasons why
the Navy Department prizes so high
ly her gunners and only puts the
best men on the ships of the mer-
chant marine.