Evening star., 1917-12-12
Unable to Get Through Nets.

onaple TO Get Through Nets.
| The Germans say their largest sub
marine is of 2,s0o tons only. They say
they have never yet used a submarine
iof more than 1.soo tons. They say
they have never been able to get the
bigger ones out through the lines of
nets and the mfne traps which close
the harbor mouths.
| am not in the confidence of the Ger
man admiralty, but I have some good
friends in Switzerland who have some
good friends in the r-boat division of
4 the German navy They talked with
apparent eandor and truthfufness about
| the U-boat situation. Some of the
things they said surprised me greatly.
for / had begun to believe that U-boats
about the size of the Aquitania were
as handy on the water and under 1t
as an ordinary fish-duck.
I'VE are still using our smaller
boats. the U-boatman told my friends.
| because they are easy to get in and
out through the nets and mines. We
use the 1.S0o-tonners. but not so many.
We can cut a net, If we are given time.
but the British destroyers hurry up
as soon we get caught and shoot
holes in US. It is unpleasant to work
| through the mine fields. too, but il is
done constantly. Before we make use
of our larger boats we may be forced
to clear away the nets and mine fields.
4 That may be difficult
+ How about the depth bonb?" I
4 asked
Pooh. No good at all-unless. of
course, it happens to land right on
itop of submerged boat. Then--cur-
ttains"
Mother" Ships Not a Success
Mother ships are not success. the
Germans say. The trouble is that the
submarine crews get very "neryy" aft
Ter little, and absolutely refuse to
stay at sea. The present rule is three
weeks In and three weeks out That
Ieayes no Job for mother" boat No
boat is supposed to return until 1t has
lexhausted its torpedoes. and when
/, that has been done 1t must come back
at once
; The new big type boats carry thirty
!, Ito thirty-five torpedoes, two six-tnch
guns in turrets, and a crew OF sixty to
seventy men. The boats can IL neces-
isary stay out for two months, but the
men will not stand it,"
The Germans are proud of their new
lperiscope trick. the story of which was
new to me. They carry two false peri
scopes on balanced tube which may
be submerged to the proper depth.
Then, when 1t is necessary to camou-
fage, they tow the false periscopes be-
hind the endangered submarine, and
lonly erect the true periscope. a slender
rod not much larger than a fish pole.
for hasty squints. The U-boats travel
in squadron formation nowadays.
keeping in touch by wireless In this
way great range of sea may be
swept. When threatened the strongly
built new boats oan submarge to a
great depth and stay there until their
storage batteries are exhausted. The
batteries are needed to run the oxy-
igenator that freshens the air. but they
| can only be recharged from the Diesel
engines when running on the surface.
| Cannot Stand Strain Long.
The new big type boats are steady in
| bad weather, and reasonably comforta-
! BILE at all times. 1t is freely admitted.
| however that the men cannot stand
/ the strain longer than three weeks
| Madness and murder have been re-
| ported on some of these boats, because
| of the nervous breakdown of members
| of the crews. One U-boat captain 1
| heard of has been permanently as
signed to shore duty.
| His boat was caught in a net" I
was told. land for eleven hours he tried
| to work it out, unsuccessfully. 1mag-
| inc the strain upon the man and his
men. for at any moment a British de-
| stroyer might have come up and ended
| it all by plunking a shot through her.
| At last the air grew so bad and the
| men became so maddened by fright
| that he had determined to turn off the
air and end it all. He actually had his
| hand on the tap when the engineer
| called to him:
"'She is moving
"They worked for half an hour more
| and finally managed to wiggle free of
! the net They never knew how or why
/ they escaped. They finished the cruise
| and discharged the torpedoes but when
| for shore duty. He had had enough"
l