The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1917-02-16
When you are talking peace do you
include the word honor?
SUBMARINES AS
WAR weAPoNs7

there is current the statement that Ger.
many has been building great feet OF
large submarines which will shortly
make their appearance, and that by
these boats Germany expects to clear
the seas of entente merchant vessels and
make the blockade of England complete,
and in that way end the war within a
few weeks, because England would
starve to death in very short time, be.
ing dependent on outside supplies for
food.
That Germany has doubtless been
building large number of such under
sea boats is not at all unlikely. Under
the present circumstances building lar.
ger n,en-of-war would be of no use.
Germany could not hope to match the
British feet even in times of peace. Her
only sea weapon is necessarily the sub
marine and doubtless she has kept up
the supply if she has not largely in.
creased it.
The fact that "merchant" submarine
has crossed the ocean and landed cargo
IN our ports, naturally excites the fears
Of Americans just at this time when war
is SO strongly threatened and makes this
submarine topic one of considerable In.
terest to the people and probably to the
naval authorities.
What the new submarine feet may do
with increased size and perhaps other
vital Improvements is as yet only guess
work. But what the German sub
marine fleets have done is mostly, though
not altogether, a matter of common news.
So far, IN this war, strictly as a war
weapon the submarine has not shown
any special strength. Very few armed
vessels of any size have fallen victims to
the under water craft. When such
boats first succeeded in staying under
water, many persons, including many of
the best seamen, thought the days of
huge dreadnoughts were numbered.
What could twelve inch guns do to an
unseen boat? How could tie monster
protect itself from the stealthy approach
of the little submarine with its deadly
torpedoes? But the test of war so far,
has proved that in this direction the
submarine as war ship is negligible
factor.
On the other hand, while the sub.
marine have sunk large numbers of un-
armed merchant vessels, the remarkable
thing is that they have, comparatively
speaking, sunk SO few.
In an hours sail from their German
rendezvous, they are in what might be
called the most crowded lanes of the
seven seas. The waters surrounding the
British Isles are at all times full of every
sorts of marine craft. The observer at
any one point IN all that territory now
called "war zones" by the kaiser's recent
proclamation, would rarely see vacant
sea. Most of the time anywhere from
one to a half dozen vessels would be
within his range of vision-and yet as
the stories come, the submarines pick up
perhaps two some days, and most days
none of the helpless merchant craft, and
as we have said, rarely indeed have the
submarines sought the armed ship. But
one would think that the submarine
ought to be able to clear those seas Of
merchant craft.
That is the history up to the present.
Anyone is at liberty to give their own
reasons why, but the fact remains that
the submarine does not seek the armed
ship or its locality. To US the reason
that the submarine only takes one mer.
chant vessel at time is because it fears
to remain long exposed in one place on
account ofspossible discovery by one of
the many armed vessels that are never
far away in those seas.
But, large seagoing submarine may
make things quite interesting along our
own coasts and particularly all along
New England north from Cape Cod.
This coast is indented with numerous
harbors on which are cities of consider.
able size and almost hundreds of towns
and villages. For the most part, at pre-.
= ~. -.
sent. there isn't q gun or battery to de-.
fend them except at Boston or Portland.
Now If Germany should follow her
tactics as already done in this war, and
send over a feet Of subs before we we're
ready, there might be printed some very
interesting news in the papers as to hap.
penings away down east. asi
1t don't take q very large armed vss.
sci to require cash payment OF any.
where from s25iWo to s5Oo.Oo0 from :
town or city rather than to be burned orl
bombarded and lone robber hass often
collected all the cash from hundred
passengers on . train.
We have fairly sized navy Of opfI
own however, that would be lopki4gl
around these Same ports Doubtless in
this undefendsd coast would be svsntp.