New-York tribune., 1917-05-03
Scientific Americans" Ed
itor Calls Big Production
Peril to u. S.
Mans Them Readily
Nations Entire Shipyards on
Task; Can Have $50 Un-
der Way at Once

Germsny's capacity TO produce sub
marines in wholesale quantities. to man
them with trained crews and to prey
upon Allied shipping to an almost un-
dreamed-of extent, was pictured last
night by J. Bernard Walker, editor Of
The Scientific American" as the real
menace of the present war. His re-
marks, which were backed up with fig
ures and expert knowledge, were made
in the course Of an address at the an
nual meeting of the National Security
League, at the Hotel Astor.
What is the German submarine
building capacity" he asked. Us it
sufficient to enable her, say. within the
year, to build, equip and man a thou
sand or twelve hundred boats? No
body outside Of Germany can answer
that question, but | am convinced that
she is probably we'll able to do this,
provided, of course, that she is not
herself brought to her knees through
collapse of her finances, through starv-
alton, or by the absolute overthrow of
her armies.
SidhuaTd type Adopted
"Of course. the only plan BY which
Germany could build a thousand sub
marines in IA year would be by what
has come TO be known as the manu-
featuring method. of which a notable
example is found in the great Ford
plant at Detroit. II is pretty safe to
say that she has adopted a standard
type of craft. the details of which are
based upon the experience of the last
two and half years and that she as
enlisted the whole of her shipbuilding
plants, puolic and private. and a cor
responding number of her engine
building firms in this work.
81 have made investigation Of the
capacity of the German yards as re-
CARDS building ways. and it discloses
the interesting fact that. without lay
ing down any additional ways. she
could have under construction at any
given time about $50 submarines Of
the size Of the U-63 which came 70
Newport last year. The S00-ton sub
marine requires about thirty feet Of
clear width to allow a working space
around the hull, and its length is
something under 25O feet. Each OF
the three 625foot drydocks at vii
helmshhven. for instance, would per
nit of the construction of six sub
marines on its floor and eight boats
could be constructed in each of the
larger docks. 622 feet in length.
Also the floating docks. of which
the Germans have so many. would
form excellent building ways. The
smaller dry docks. 900 feet or less in
length. and the floating docks would
take, two, three or four submarines. as
the case might be. Moreover, ways
suitable for submarine construction
can be built rapidly on foreshore or
river bank, and the actual shipping and
dock yard capacity, so far as building
ways is concerned, could quickly be
doubled. If the Germans thought fit,
they could have a thousand submarines
under construction at the same time.
Least Difficulty in Engines
THE limiting factor as to time
capacity, however, would not be the
provision of ways, or even the con-
struction of the hulls. but rather the
rapid construction of the internal
equipment OF this the engines would
present the least difficulty, for Ger
many is the great Diesel engine coun-
ITY, ana II lHtJ tAteHNtu themselves
in concerted effort Of this kind the
leading heavy oil engine builders, such
as Krupps. the Emden works. the Augs-
burg works and the Nuremberg
works, reinforced BY less known firms
and the large number of engineering
plants which could be reauisitioned for
this work, would be well able to take
care of the demand.
THE principal difficulty would be TO
supply the special apparatus in the
way OF periscopes, gyroscopic com
passes and the other mechanical de
tails. which must be of the very finest
and require special
knowledge and skill. Germany, how
ever. is famous for her optical work,
and unless there WAS a shortage of the
materials required, the instrument
makers should be able TO keep pace
with the shipbuilders and the builders
of engines.
"As 10 the time for construction. one
large shipbuildng firm in this country
has assured US that if its plant were
doing nothing else it could turn out a
submarine OF the German type in five
time. Our naval construction
corps estimates that it would take
seven months. II Germany is concen-
trating her whole shipbuilding re-
source upon the task. believe that six