Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-23
U-BOATS BEATEN
BY US. BUILDERS
Shipyards Now Finishing New
Craft Faster Than Germans
Are Sinking Vessels

Washington.-Ame shipyards
are rapidly cutting down the U-boat
lead. The April tonnage toll OF the
submarine, announced in an ad-
miralty dispatch from London, shows
a decrease of % per cent. when
compared with earlier figures. Even
at the rate of output set last week
the United States now is Launching
more ships each month than the un-
dersea terrors are able to destroy.
According to the British govern
ment's report, the total loss of SHIP
ping in April due to the U-boat war
fare was 1861 tons. That is
fraction more than 10000 tons a day
The same month saw the new Amerl-
can merchant marine increased at
the rate of a little more than 9,0OO
tons of shipping daily Even at the
April rate of production the United
States very nearly made good the
worlds ship losses due to sub
marines.
The April figures, however, were
much smaller than the records now
being established for May. A little
less than 10000 tons of steel and
wood ships were completed and de-
livered to the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration last week. This is more
than a third of the total U-boat
score for April. And this addition
of 100000 tons to the worlds ship
ping was accomplished in one-fourth
the time Germany required to de-
stroy 5000 tons.
These figures are extremely sig
nificant in view of the fact that this
country is only just at the. begin
ming of quantity ship production
Some of the biggest yards in the
country have not yet arrived at the
preliminary stage of production. Hog
Island, for example, when it reaches
it's full capacity, is expected 10 turn
out almost as much tonnage each
month as the German submarines
destroyed in April.
Ahead of the Prediction
If the U-boat records do not show
an increase this month and next
from the April figures, it is safe to
say that the United States, without
regard to British or other produc-
ton, will be able to discount the
submarine losses and begin piling up
a tonnage total on the right side OF
the ledger.
The Shipping Board made the pre-
diction several months ago that
balance between U-boat destruction
and American construction of ship
ping would be reached on August l,
and that thereafter the United States
would steadily forge ahead andAbegln
to make good the loss in world ship
ping due to submarine raVages since
the beginning of the war. The drop
of 25 per cent. in U-boat destruc-
ton and the swift increase in the
American production rates indicates
that the Shipping Board estimate
was entirely too conservative.
H@
Great Britain also is speeding up
ship construction and restoration.
The United States government still
is awaiting definite figures on the
present output of new British ships.
n the absence of these records 1t
IS interesting to note that the Eng
lish shipping repair yards are now
restoring to service more than
100000 gross tons a week. A total
of 5,307 vessels, representing gross
tonnage of 6,105,000, were repaired
and restored to service between Au-
gust 3, 1917, and April 25, 1918.
In the face of these facts, backed
by the positive assertions of the Brit
ish government that both Ostend and
Zeebrugge have been bottled up,
there is every reason to believe that
this country and her allies are now
producing ship tonnage at rate that
detieS the present destructive powers
of the German U-boats.
Navy Docs Good Work. Too
Offensive operations against Ger
man submarines are producing good
results, said Acting Secretary Roose-
welt, of the Navy, and he added that
while it would be too much to say
that the submarine situation is under
control or that the U-boats are not
still to be regarded as menace, the
outlook is hopeful. He reiterated
the opinion held by the Navy De-
partment that what already has been
accomplished should serve merely to
increase the vigor of the submarine
and the effort to turn out rapidly
additional destroyers and other craft
for anti-submarine work.
Going after them and not waiting
for them to come after us is the an
swer," he said.
Naval opinion here now is that the
season of the year makes little differ
ence in the effectiveness of the sub
marines. Advantages and disadvan-
tages of winter and summer offset
each other. 1t is pointed out that,
while rough water in winter i'm
pedes the Uboats, the long winter
nights give them opportunity to
come to the surface for recharging
their batteries, resting their crews
and also to make long trips on the
surface at night, increasing their
affanfiua