The Washington herald., 1917-07-16
HUM TORPED0ES
LOSE EFFICACY
Navy League Says Supply
Is Giving Out and Quail
ity Deteriorating.

The German torpedo supply Is
weakening: the torpedo has lost near
ly ten knots in its speed since the
outset of the war and hence has de-
teriorated in accuracy OF fire." de-
clares a statement issued yesterday
by the Navy League of the United
States after a close study of the sit
uation by its technical experts.
Germany, in this one essential, was
not prepared for the war. the experts
maintain. She had not a sufficient
stock of torpedoes; she expended too
much in her land operations and great
sacrifices were made in the torpedo
supply to crafty the folly Of the
crown prince in his vain efforts to
take the fortresses at Verdun.
THE increasing frequency with
which press dispatches report mer-
chant ships as successfully lodging
German torpedoes suggests to the
technically trained mind that the
supply is falling or" says the state
ment. AT the outset the Germans
were extremely careful to conserve
their torpedoes. Merchant ships were
sunk by gunfire wherever possible.
But the arming Of merchant ships and
the constant improvement in the
allies system of defense against sub
marine attack has driven the subma-
rine under water and they are now
forced to use torpedoes in almost
every attack. The increase in the
number of submarines has further
added to the strain upon the German
stock OF torpedoes.
Analysis Of reports on submarine
attacks now indicates that this IN
precedented expenditure Of torpedoes
Is beginning to tell upon the effective
ness Of the U-boat warfare. The
Germans are pressing their subma-
rine campaign with all possible yigor
and the number of attacks Is con-
stantly widening. Yet this increased
fury with which the U-boat warfare
Is being waged has failed to increase
the number Of merchant ships sunk.
The Germans apparently are being
forced to constantly greater efforts to
maintain their average of sinkings
and even so are slipping back
slightly.
Germans Pressed for Time.
'The explanation for this offered by
certain naval experts Is that the Ger
mans are being pressed for time in
the construction Of torpedoes that they
can no longer maintain their speed
and their accuracy OF fire. It Is esti-
mated that the German torpedo has
lost nearly ten knots in speed from
the standard torpedo used at the out
set Of the war.
at takes normally six months to
construct a torpedo and costs many
thousand dollars. There is also a
chance Of Germany running short on
some material essential in their MANY
facture. Whether this has occurred
is not known, but the conclusion has
been reached that the individual Ger
man torpedo Is losing in efficiency.
THE T-boat warfare as now being
waged. It is said, was undoubtedly not
thought out and prepared for by Ger
many before the war. Therefore the
stock Of torpedoes was not sufficient
for the purpose. The deficiency has
been made up by increasing the out
put of torpedoes. With the tremendous
land operations she has essayed. Ger
many could not have devoted a maxi
mum Of labor or materials to the
making OF toTpedoes. Had she done
this. it is not doubted. she could have
kept up the supply. But sacrifices in
the torpedo supply were made to
satisfy the folly Of the crown prince
at Verdun.
Naval experts are rightly continu-
ing to stress the vital importance Of
attempting to destroy the power OF the
submarine by some new development
in naval strategy. No degree Of de-
terioration in the effectiveness Of the
German tropedo attack would lessen
these efforts at effective warfare
against the submarine. Yet the In
terest Of naval experts has been at
tracted by this recent record Of per-
formance Of the German torpedOes.
They are wondering whether Germany
Tan stand much longer the strain OF
this staggering expenditure of tor
pedoes."