New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-07
Aircraft Hunt
For Submarines
Urged by Fiske
Mere Defence Against u
Boats Foolish, Rear
Admiral Says
Need Torpedo Planes
Could Attack German Naval
Bases at Kiel and
Wilhelmshaven
Need Torpedo Planes

Another letter from Rear Admiral
Bradley A. Fiske, retired, in which he
repeats his warning that an early aerial
oxensive against the German subma-
rne bases is imperative if the Allies
arc 10 be victorious before the U-boat
menace forces them into the hopeless
situation which the COnfederates faced
during the closing months OF the Civil
War. was made public yesterday by the
board OF governors of the Aero Club Of
America.
No methods now employed in evading
or hiding from submarines, he says.
will accomplish anything other than TO
delay disaster, and he asserts hat 10 rs
foolish 20 expect victory as result Of
purely defensive methods on the sea.
Arthur II. Pollen, a British naval
expert of the highest standing, calcu-
lates that il - essential for the saliva
ton OF the Allies. including the United
States, that the submarine menace be
ob.itersted before March /. 1912" the
letter reads. I'VE have no reason 10
expect that the rate Of sinkings will
decrease, except the reason that as the
Allied tonnage becomes less the Ger
man opportunity for sinking will be
come less. Probably this will not occur
until the Allied tonnage has fallen very
low indeed. for the reason that the
number Of German submarines will un-
doubtedly increase
Decision on Land Far on
Rear Admiral Fiske declares IL will
be impossible 10 force "A victorious
issue on land alone before March I.
1919. The Germans cannot be beaten
on land he says, until Berlin is taken.
This will necessitate driving the enemy
back q distance OF 400 miles, two-thirds
Of a mile a day, before the date set a.
the limit OF endurance Of the subma-
rine blockade.
Therefore" the letter continues, ct
would be foolish 20 hope that any op-
crations on the land will be able 10
save the Allies from the ruin threat
eEed by the submarine; and IL would
be equally foolish 10 expect salvation
from any purely defensive measures on
The sea.
Purely defensive measures have
never accomplished anything in war
except to delay disaster. Therefore,
unless some efficient plan is under
taken and pushed aggressively, no sci
entifc methods for detecting subma-
rines, no arrangements of nets 10
catch submarines. no shields on ships,
20 methods Of elusion, hiding or cs-
cape can do any more than to make
Germany's submarine warfare some
what more difficult and to delay its
final triumph.
unless the lessons Of military his
tory are misunderstood by all military
men we must end the submarine men,
ace by attacking the submarine. no
way Of successfully attacking the sub
marine while she is submerged has yet
been found. Therefore we must at
tack her when she is not submerged,
and we cannot attack her when she Is
not submerged unless we can catch
her while she is in water too snoal 10
permit her to submerge.
"The only possible locality in which
we could catch her in shoal water is
near the ports Of the German coast.
Allied naval vessels small enough to
20 into these shoal waters cannot 90
because Of the mines. and they cannot
pull out the mines because the Ger
man battleships and cruisers can drive
them away. The Allied battleshlps and
cruisers cannot keep the German bat
tleSnlpS ana cruisers away rum A44t~"
small vessels because Of the German
mines.
"Inasmuch as the Allied armies can
not possibly win the war if the sub
marines are permitted TO continue
their depredations; inasmuch as the
submarines cannot be prevented from
continuing their depredations by any
means that have yet been brought TO
bear against them, il becomes abso-
lutely esse atial to the salvation Of the
Allied cause that some other means be
brought 70 bear. This means we must
either destroy the German battleships
and cruisers or compel them to remain
harmless in their ports.
"No means so TO destroy or threaten
the German battleships and cruisers
oives any reasonable promise Of sue
cess except aeronautical means, espe-
Gladly bomb troopers and torpedo
planes. protected by swift lighting
craft The places where attack should
be made seem 20 be Kicl and W.lhe.ms-
haven. because they hold greater
amount Of German mobile fighting
power than any other places DO and
are nearer and easier 10 reach than
any of the great strongholds IN the
interior