The Washington herald., 1918-07-28
SUB ATTACKS
BRITISH SHIP
NEAR COAST
Warships Rush to Assist
Vessel But No Word
Returns.
.U-B0AT PLANS FAIL
Ancient Vintage Of Sub
mersibles Being Used
Here, Says Navy.
U-B0AT PLANS FAIL


Here, Says Navy.
New York. July 27.-A German
submarine was again in action with
one or more vessels off the Atlantic i
coast today, according to report in
insurance circles here.
Several s. o. S. calls were sent out
from a British merchantman which
was being attacked by the U-boat, ,
it was reported.
War vessels were said to have
been rushed to the assistance of the
British ship, but no Information
was obtainable as to her fate or
the outcome of the supposed battle
between the vessels sent to her as
sistance and the submarine.
Bodies Washed Ashore.
Bar Harbor, Me, July 27.-The
bodies of a man and a woman. LASH
ed together with rope, were picked
up in the -harbor yesterday by, a
patrol boat of the naval coast pa
troll reserve.
The bodies had been in the water
several days apparently. The first
suggestion was that the man and
woman were lost from some ves-
sci that had been attacked by a
U-boat. This was based on the
boast of an officer OF the submarine
which sank a Gloucester fishing
schooner Monday that it had sunk
big ship a few days earlier and
that the officers of the U-boat were
in doubt as to rss fate Of the
ccew. e
Rumor 20 subs Here.
Geneva, July IA dispatch receiv-
ed at Basel. Switzerland. yesterday.
from Hamburg says:
More than twenty large subma-
rines are now operating of the Amer
lean coast The number of subma-
rines in the Atlantic has been in
creased by thirty per cent in the
last seven months.
mo German denial. Official or un-
official. has been made concerning
the recent statement of Swiss en-
gineer who returned to Geneva from
Kiel that the harbor there is full OF
damaged submarines and that II is
difficult to find crews for the German
U-boat service"
Navy Admits Proximity.
Armored merchantmen OF the At
lantic coast have fired on enemy SUBJ
marines within the past few days,
it was revealed yesterday afternoon
by Secretary of the Navy Daniels,
in this city. !
Whether one or more U-boats are
in our waters has not been estab-
lished. Nor it is known II any of
the shots from the merchant vessels
took effect. The presence of the
raiders. however. constitutes a men,
ace to American shipping and is SO
regarded by the Navy Department,
the Secretary said.
German Campaign Failure.
The present submarine campaign OF
our coast though, is regarded as a
failure by navy officials, who believe
Germany is sending some of her older
type submersibles to our shores.
Erosion of guns, inefficiency Of crews
and evident poor marksmanship-as
indicated in the amount of ammuni-
ton wasted on the tug and its barge
tow OF Cape Cod-are advanced as
reasons of the failure. More than a
hundred shots and several torpedoes
were used in the attack on the tug
and barges, it was said. and practi-
eally all went wide of their mark.
All information received by the de-
partment indicates that the estimates
some time ago by Sir Eric Geddes,
first lord Of the admiralty, that Ger
many had lost more than 70 per cent
OF her undersea craft, is correct, and
that this average Is being maintained.
Roosevelt Cables Daniels.
Secretary Daniels yesterday after
noon received a cablegram from As
sistant. Secretary of the Navy Rbose-
welt stating that he had returned to
London after trip to Queenstown
with Sir Eric Geddes, and that he
found conditions there excellent.
The trip was made on the U. s. s.
Kimberley, and the return passage
was in H. NJ. s. Patrol, with the KIM
oerley as an escort. The following
cablegram was sent to the command
ers of both vessels by Sir Eric:
The First Lord is proud that he
should have had the privilege Of taxi
ing passage on the U. s. Destroyer
Kimberley with the Assistant Secre-
tary Of the United States Navy on
board, from Pembroke to Queens
town, and also that whilst on passage
in H, NJ. S. Patrol. the Kimberley
should have been the escort. Mr..
Roosevelt joins with Sir Eric Gedies
in appreciating this UNIQUE instance
OF two warships OF kindred navies be-
ing so intimately associated. Know
ing that both of them will render
the best service during this war. the
First Lord and Mr.. Roosevelt tender
to the captains, officers and ships'
companies their thanks for personal
services during the last two DAYS. and
also wish them all good luck and
every success"
The KimberIey's Answer.
/ The following reply was sent by
the Kimberley:
!. The captain. o5cers and men of
the Kimberley are glad to have had
the opportunity to serve the First
Lard and the Assistant Secretary
of the two English speskif,; navies.
and thank them for their msssases.