The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-07-17
This Deterioration Respon-
sible for Fewer Ships
Sunk, Say Experts.
GERMANS LACK
BASIC MATERIALS
Frightfulness May Collapse
Before It's Victims
Weaken.
Washington Bureau,
The Pensacola Journal.

Washington, July 16.-The high
speed at which the Germans are now
compelled to manufacture their tor
pedoes in order to keep up the supply
for the increasing number of U-boats
has resulted in the turning out of a
very inferior article, which is the
principal factor causing the decline in
the number of allied ships sunk in
recent weeks, it was stated by a high
official of the navy today.
The torpedo now being used by
the Germans lacks ten knots of the
speed of those first used by the
U-boats and is inaccurate both in its
direction and explosion, according to
this official.
These opinions are concurred in in
toto by a statement issued today by
the Navy League, which has in its
membership and among its advisers
the highest officials and the keenest
minds in the United States navy.
How much longer Germany can
stand the strain caused by the prodi-
gal waste of explosives in the U-boat
cam saign Is one Of the questions up
naval experts.
The sacrifices made by the German
munition plants in order to give the
German crown prince all the ammuni-
ton he could use in his efforts to
wrest Verdun from the grip Of the
heroic French, is considered by Amer
lean military experts to be the prin-
cipal contributory cause of the infer
Tor torpedoes now being used by the
U-boats.
when the U-boat campaign first
began the Germans were extremely
careful to conserve their torpedoes.
Merchant ships were sunk by gunfire
wherever possible. But the arnaing of
merchant ships and the constant i'm
provement in the allies system o.
defense against submarine attack has
driven the subs under water and they
are now forced to use torpedoes in
almost every attack. This forced in
crease in use of the torpedoes and the
increase in the number of submarines
using them has had the effect OF
turning the torpedoes out hurriedly
and of poor construction.
"The Germans are pressing their
submarine campaign with all possible
vigor. The number of attacks on
merchant ships are increasing and
the zone of submarine operations has
failed to increase the number of ships
sunk
at takes normally six months to
construct a torpedo and costs many
thousand dollars. There is also the
possibility that Germany is running
short of some material essential to
their manufacture. The U-boat war
fare as now being waged was ur-
doubtedly not thought out and pre-
pared for by Germany before the war,
so that she has no sufficient stock
on hand, but must make them as she
goes along and make them quickly,
too.
How much longer Germany can
stand the strain of this staggering
expenditure of torpedoes, is a ques-
ton we are giving considerable
study" continued the naval officer.
Records of the navy department
prepared in cooperation with the
! British admiralty, show that the num-
| Der of sinkings by U-boats last week
was the lowest of any week except
March. 1t reached its higher water
mark in the week of April p, when
| 55 ships were sunk. 1t has dropped
( back in the week since then to 81,
then IS, then to "a and then to "a.
then Is, then II. In the week of
June 10 it jumped up to 81. but was
| the same in the following week, then
fell to q, then to 90 and last week to
| seventeen.
In spite of the apparent steady
decrease in number of ships sunk,
the naval officials are not relaxing
in their efforts to find some process
that will entirely nullify the U-boat
| campaign.