Republican farmer., 1918-05-24
BRITISH DISCLOSE OPERATIONS
AGAINST GERMANS WITH U-BOAT
IN RECENT OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Submarines Have Picked Way Through the Enemy Mine
Fields and Were Ready to Battle Within Their Own
Harbors- German Gibraltar in Heligoland Harbor
Reached-In Zero Weather Crews Experience Diff
Guilty in Getting Sleep

mis- was the experience oil a. SUD-
marine which patrol1ing one morning
off the Ems, sighted an enemy des-
troyer, and fired both tubes at range
of $50 yards. AS the submarine div
ed on firing the result was not seen,
but after the lapse of few seconds
there was an exceedingly loud ex-
plosion which was distinctly heard
twenty miles away. Et
"A quick sweep around with the
periscope two or three minutes later
revealed no sign of the destroyer
which had been fired at, but 400
yards astern was another vessel of the
same kind.
las the destroyer was not actually
seen to be hit at first it appeared like
~ that in reality there. was only one
enemy vessel. but after the bearings
and distances had been carefully
worked out this did not seem to have
been possible. In view of the vio-
lence of the explosion, it is probable
that the magazine blew up and that
would account for the rapid disap-
pearance of the ship.
"Yet another instance of the total
disappearance OF the ship may be cit
SNs OAAO VI Jul S0OAhdI4iSS 1OCdlCu
an enemy submarine ahead of her and
giving chase, reduced the range to 400
yards. Two torpedoes were fired and
one was seen to hit. When the smoke
cleared away there was. not the YES
tige Of the hostile vessel to be seen.
These are but a few of the many
instances which could be quoted
showing the silent and stealthy work
of the submarine.
For submarine operations to sue
coed it is necessary to take the en-
envy by surprise and for that rea-
son their work is a hidden mystery
and their movements wrapped in OBJ
security. The following extracts from
an official report of operations in the
Heligoland Blight lift for a moment
the veil of secrecy and afford a
glimpse into the life of one of these
craft.
When submarine is submerged
her captain alone is able to see what
is taking place, the success of the en-
terprise and the safety of the vessel
depend on his skill and nerve, and
the prompt, precise execution of his
orders by the officers and men I'M
der his command.
"'Our submarines have been pion-
GERS in waters which have beep mined.
They have been subjected to skillful
and well thought out anti-submarine
tactics by highly trained and deter
mined enemy, attacked by gunfire and
torpedo, driven to lie at a great depth
to preserve battery power, hunted for
hours at a time, by the hostile tor
pedo craft, and at times forced 70
dive under our own warships to avoid
interfering with their movements.
| Sudden alterations of course and
depth, the swish of propellers over
head and the conclusion of bursting
shells, give an indication to the crew
Of the risks to which they are being
exposed, and it speaks well for the
morale of these, young officers and
men, and their gallant faith in their
captains that they have invariably
carried out their duties quietly, keenly
and confidently under conditions that
might well have tried the most hard
ened veteran.
| The hardships undergone during
stormy weather are terrible. During
the winter months westerly gales were
and these gales were Invariably ac-
companied by high, steep seas which
made it impossible to open the con-
ming tower hatch. Vision was limited
to that through the periscope, and was
only cable or two between the seas
which continually broke over them
There was no rest at the bottom;
even at % fathoms, as the vessels
rolled and bumped dangerously. They
| were consequently, compelled to keep
under way at a depth clear of the
keels Of possible ships. When battery
power became low the submarine had
perforce to come to the surface to re-
charge. While on the surface it was
essential to run the engines in order
to keep head to sea, and through the
ventilator-which with the engines
running must necessary be kept open
much water was shipped.
81 The seamen got very little sleep
owing to cold With these words the
captain of submarine concludes his
report on cruise in the North Sea
It is characteristic of the service that
he should make no reference to the
fact that while the crew had got very
1llIES SlCSp uC ll6u lHLHlLCIJ 1CSS
self.
The weather had not been good,
and throughout the six days the cold
had been intense-Arctic in fact. At
times ice formed on the periscope very
quickly and obscured vision so that
it had to be dipped every five minutes.
On the surface the thermometer gave
no reading though it had a minimum
of Is degrees of frost.
To receive messages by wireless
was impossible, for the spray froze on
the aerial forming a coating of ice
two inches thick.
From time to time it was neces-
sary to dive to remove the icicles
which, over a foot long depended
from portions of the superstructure.
The bridges screen froze like a board
and only with difficulty could it be
folded, and the ice on the coats-of the
u officers and crew did not thaw did not
thaw until some hours after the gar
ments had been hung up below
-Four battleships of the Kaiser class
yere sighted by a submarine which
was patrolling off the Danish coast.
Probably there were other vessels in
company but owing to low visibility
they were not seen. After getting
into position to attack, the submarine
broke surface owing to the heavy
swell and it was necessary to go full
speed to get her under again.
Just before the periscope dipped
sights were-got on to the third ship
in the line and four torpedoes were
fired. The range was estimated at
1000 yards. Two loud explosions were
heard and the commanding Officer of