Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-04-24
GERvAN VIEW or THE U-BoAT
Situation--Von Capelle Says Ameri-
can Destr0yers Arc Failure.


the Reichstag, declared that the new
U-boat construction exceeded the
losses and that the effectiveness of
, the submarines had increased. He
quo,ed figures to prove his contention
that the U-boat sinkings were thrice
to siX-fold the tonnage of the Brit.
ish construction.
The minister declared that the
American destroyers, which had
been SO much talked about" had
failed in their object, and he is quo
ted by the semi official Wolff Bureau.
Of Berlin, as saying with reference
to ship-building:
Americas Program.
For the carrying out Of Ameri-
cas- giant paper program America
must first lay down the ship yards.
After prodigious promises America
in 1917 built 100000 gross register
tons of sea-going ships. The large
mercantile fleet placed on order,
America does not want for the
war, but for the post-bellum period,
when the shipping program having
been in the meantime carried out,
America will become England's
world freight carrier"
During the discussion Of naval es-,
Inmates Admiral Won Capelle, refer
ring to the submarine war, said that
statistical tonnage calculations now
are virtually superfuous, as the visi-
bic successes of the U-boat spoke
clearly enough.
The robbery Of Dutch tonnage,
whereby AnSlo-Snxona had J. cured
the worst kind OF odun for decades
20 come" ho SAID, was The beatsE
proof Of now far the shippine seized.
ule already bad gone with tho West
erh Powers. To the BinIsings yailst
be added, the admiral declared. The
big wear and tenr Ia ships and the
enormous increase III marine acct
dents, which 5ir John El!erman, III
toe 3ritiSn shipping chamber re-
Gently had calculated to be ~ res.
times the amount OF npN . ,oSscs.
Dcni .<oports.
Admi, e.. son f,apclle described d.
a base calunny The Statemert uaua
by Sir Eric Gcddas, first lord OF the
British admiralty, that German C..
boat crews were unwilling to put to
sea, and said the assertions OF Brit
ish statesmen that there had been
extraordinarily. big losses Of U-boats
were very greatly exaggerated.
Admiral Won Capelle declared the
new U-boat construction exceeded
the losses and had increased both
quantitatively and qualitatively. He
added:
I'VE also can continue absolutely
to reckon on the military achieve
ments hitherto attained. Whether
Lloyd George can continue the naval
war with prospects of success de-
pends not on his skill, but on the po-
sition Of the U-boat as against ship
building"
British SMpbllilding.
Speaking with reference to ship
building by England to repair the
losses. Admiral Won Capelle said that
IN the middle OF 1917 there was talk
Of three million tons in official quar-
ters in England; then Lloyd George
dropped to two millions and now, ac-
cording to Bonar Law, the output is
100000 tons.
As against, therefore, about .1OG,-
000 tons monthly put into service
there were sinkings Of 100000 tons,
or six-fold
In BRIEF" continued the admiral
III the figures given were regarded
as too favorable, and new construc
tion was assumed to be at the rat
Of 10000 tons monthly-that Is +
per cent higher-and the sinkings =
duced to 100000, then the sinkini
would still be thrice as large as I'll
new construction
Another thing must be tak,N
into consideration" he went o,
"Henceforth, every ship sunk striRe
at vital nerve Of our oppnn anti!
For when only absolutely necessar
cargoes Of foodstuffs and war naSessi
ties can be transported, even tfs los
Of small ship has quite difercn
significance as compared wthatho I'D
ginning Of the U-boat."
Admiral Won Capelle adI,itted tha
Germany's opponents hag{E bad BnD,
success with their snit .suhmari,
measnrac hnt hn daf.Th,,al , hjt.# N'N