Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-16


SO" Nth the books | gave him and he's
one 0: the best electricians I've got
nov" I've rated up all six OF them by
'his time"
becausc its requirements arc so
atN'Ee, The submarine service Is train
ing as many men as 1t can get hold
OF and wedding them out for "inepti-
iuHe before they leave the states.
IN" large number or men il has under
raining. however, nccess!tates the con-
stani transfer To the training stations
al home Of men who have learned III.
submarine game here. And this makes
vacancies and speeds up promotions.
Now these are the requirements the
submarine service makes Of its men:
No PLACE ron OILERS
on L. =. UNDERSEA BOATS
7 In the hrst place, they must not be
idiers. In the surface craft when "A
man = OF watch. hc is of watch
lie has nothing TO do His time Is
his own
hu. la the submarines he must be
constantly keeping his eyes open for
little Jobs 10 dc. II ,nschiu!sts mate
IN the engine room has a little JOB
OF ;inkering with his engines 10 do
the electrician or gunncr's mate of
watch must hc willing To lend a hand
III the gunncrs mate In the torpedo
com partnIcnt has little job o. TIMER
: Ing with his tubes TO do. the machiu-
isi'g mate or electrician of watch must
BE- willing 10 do his little bit lie mast
not wait 10 be told. and IL he Is OF
the proper timber. he viii not have 20
wait to be told. For in a submarine
oricers and crew live so closely to-
Sethcr that each can hardly help but
know what his companions are doing.
u was this requirement that mude
the navy man It's submarine befor-
la
probably could be said to-day. when
electrician, gunncr's mate and ma
ch!n!sts mate ratings are going into
our submarines, that IA .-ood man on ,.
submarine has all the requirements OF
= petty officer on any surface craft.
The next requirement. possibly
more important one than the require
mcnt just mentioned. is nerve. There
are several different sorts Of nerve.
y good man On a ba;t!cship for in
stance. might be utterly worthless on
submarine. For on battleship. a
man can sec wha, is happening. on
n submarine. he sees nothing He
executes his captains command and no
matter what thai command. he asks
10 questions.
His captain. for instance might tell
the diving ruddcr man TO take the sub
marine down at twelve degrees. and a
good submarine man viii set his plans
, for \ twelve degree dive instantly. a
poor submarine man might set them
FOR six dc -.ecs and begin to Midget at
his wheels in a sort OF better make
i;-s!X, captain" way. For twelve de-
greeS is as much OF Il nose dive as can
he put a submarine without en-
danEerinG it. and a twelve degree dive
IL not ordered unless absolutely neccs-
sary. tWhat might happen if more
than a Twelve degret dive were tried.
nobody knows and nobody wants to
know. The submarine might loop the
loop and while looping the loop may
be all right In an airplanc. 1t isn't
done in submarinc) The point s
that although the man at me diving
. rudders may know by the nature OF
the command that n sudden and acute
emergency has come upon the sub
marine. that the next instant it may
ic rammed and sunk ne does not
allow the Knowledge 10 swerve him by
AZ iota.
MUST not DE- SEASICIN
OFTEN on SUBMARINES
e man can measure up to these
two qualities. II he is PHYSICAL strong
aud rot overly sGbject to seasickncss
tand ii he doesn't get tough" for sub
marine men who are disposed toward
getting tough" are fired sky-high).
he is n good enough man to apply for
He will find. If he gets into the
submarine. that he Is constantly under
his captains eye, that his good quail
ties will be constantly before his cap
F, iain and that there is no danger OF
being overlooked for promotion as
there necessarily is in tho battlcships.
He will find that his well-beinS is con-
s,antly watched by his captain. for a
good crew is the pride of Il submarine
captains heart and he watches his men
much more closely than is possible for
captains of surface craft. He will
find that because he belongs to a small
er and Il more select crew, he is not
subject to the smaller formalities OF
discipline that are necessary on bigger
craft. Il require a salute and n cheer
ful good morning from my men when
they first see me in the morning." one
captain said. and that's the only
Formally l require from them"
In fact, TO see submarines crew
gathered around their little mess table
a in the after battery compartment at
sea. officers and crew messing together.
one would take them all for bunch
of officers in dungarccs.
They are all Of them highly trained
men They are all specialists and
specialists are in the same demand in
the navy that they are In any line
of civilian work They are lighting
men OF the highest order =.
All the comforts to be found in big
surface craft are not however. to be
expected in the submarines. Most cap-
tains compel their men to .pend
short time up in the open air at sea.
usually at night when tho submarine
comes to the surface to charge its
batteries. The rest OF the time tho
crew is below and the air Is kept
fresh for them by oxygen tanks. Oc-
casionally. however. usually toward
the end OF a patrol. the air becomes