Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-16
Deutschland is
 Now a War Boat
HERMAN SUBMARINE HAS BEEN
 CONVERTED
HAS 6 TORPEDO TUBES
It is Said She May Leave for Pacific Ocean to Operate Against Traffic From San Francisco-Other News of German Navy.

Copenhagen, Aug. 15.-The German commercial submarine Deutschland. | which visited the United States before
 that country entered the war. has been | converted into war submarine, ac 1 cording to German fleet gossip reaching IThe Associated Press. The Deutsch- 1 land has a great radius of action and
 has been fitted with six torpedo tubes. To Operate in the Pacific. The submarine, it is said, may soon l leave for the Pacific to operate against traffic from San Francisco. The U- boat was to have started activities some time ago, but an explosion on board while the vessel was on trial made necessary repairs which took conSiderab ble time.
 Losses in Submarines. The German losses in submarines according to the informant of The Associated Press. who recently had
 been at Wilhelmhaven and with the
 German fleet, has been twenty to twenty two boats, this figure appar- ently covering the losses since the
 start of the unrestricted submarine warfare campaign.
 Four additional boats are said to have been lost in the Mediterranean. Germany Has 300 Submarines.
 Germany now has almost 300 sub
 marines, the newest boats being of the big az type and armed with six inch gun. This armament ap- peared on boats in commission the middle of June. the earlier boats of this latset, or D. E. E. type, and the pre- ceding c. E. E. type being armed with a pair of 105 millimeter guns. approx imately four-inch guns, four and aft.
 The 300 submarines, however, include 8 large number of the so-called canal boat type, built for passage through the Belgian canals to Zeebrugge and which are of inferior armament and smaller radius of action.
 The German fleet, according to the informant, justifies it's name of high sea fleet by running out from Wilhelm haven with considerable regularity, sometimes two or three times a week The fleet only makes short trips how ever and never goes far out to sea.
 Delayed by Thick Weather.
 The high sea fleet usually leaves WiIhelmshaven in the evening and is back by early dinner irne, between II and noon on the following day Only few occasions it has remained out longer but only because thick wealth set in, making passage through the German mine fields dangerous and forcing it to remain in the shelter of Helgoland until weather cleared. A greater part of the time the battle ships and cruisers comprising the bat He fleet are anchored in safety behind mine fields and nets and a triple line of pickets protecting the entrance to the base. Once in March the fleet had considerable period of enforced re- pose when British mine layers taking advantage of thick weather, sowed the coastal waters so full of mines that the German vessels were unable to leave harbor.
 The enlisted personnel of the fleet Knew nothing of American prepara- tions for active participation in the war. The men were told by their of ficers that Americas declaration of war on Germany was only issued as a cover to preparations against Japan and shat American troops would not be used in Europe.