Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-06-08
Talking of German
Submarine Activities
OF, American Coast

the American coast last Sunday was
the second submarine campaign which
Germany has conducted on the coast
Of the United States. The first was
that Of the U-53, which on Oct. 8, 1915,
held up coastwise traffic off Nantucket
and sank four British, one Dutch and
one Norwegian ship.
At that time Ambassador Gerard
was about to land in New York on a
vacation trip home from Berlin. on
which, as is now known. he warned
President Wilson that the party In
Germany favoring an unrestricted sub
marine war was rapidly gaining the
ascendency and that open violation OF
the pledges not to sink passenger ships
without warning, which had been
extracted from Germany in the prev
ious year, might be expected before
much time had passed. AS matter OF
fact it came somewhat less than four
months later.
1t has ben considered that the actl-
vities Of the U-53 were designed as al,
attempt to terrorize the United States
government by holding up the possible
lily Of a submarine campaign in Amer
lean waters. -
The U-53, commanded by Lieut..
four-inch guns and four torpedo tubes.
appeared Off Newport on the afternoon
of Saturday. Oct. 7. 1915. She entered
the harbor. where the Atlantic fleet lay
at anchor at the time, and stayed
somewhat more than three hours.
While there her commander paid for
NAL calls on the commander Of the
naval station and Of the feet. and
large numbers of visitors were al
lowed on board. To the first news
paper men to board the boat the COM
mander gave q letter to be mailed to
Count Won Bernstorff. the German
ambassador.
The U-53 left in the late afternoon.
and on the following morning began
her campaign against British and neu-
trail shipping in the steamer lanes off
Nantucket. There had been little
warning and the ships were taken
unaware.
Those sunk were the 5.oo0-ton Red
Cross liner Stephano. from Halifax to
New York, with eighty-three passen--
gers, including many Americans; the
British freighters Strathdene. West
Point and Kingston, inward bound;
the Dutch freighter Bloomersdijk, from
New York to Rotterdam. and the Nor
weglan freighter Kristian Knudsen,
from New York to London. The Amer
lean Hawaiian liner Kansan was
halted and allowed to proceed after
examination Of her papers.
In all these cases time was given for
the passengers and crews to leave the
ships and take to open r boats. The
American destroyer flotilla left New
port as soon as the wireless calls for
help sounded. and rescued the refugees
without loss, the destroyers actually
being present when some Of the ships
were sunk. s
This created tremendous excitement;
there was drop in stocks, and sub
marine blockade OF the American
coast, with the result, of serious dam
age to shipments from this country to
England and France. was predicted.
For, a time there was considerable dis
location in shipping, circles. but most
Of the British liners sailed as usual,
and the U-53 did not appear again
after her one days work, which was
apparently intended as demonstra-
ton .zssl.s.. .lt.5.
She had been preceded to this
country by the merchant submarine
Deutschland which arrived at Balti-
more on July q. 1916, from Bremen,
and went back after taking. on a cargo
Of nickel and rubber The Deutschland
later made another trip, landing at
New London in October, and going
back with mail and cargo. Her sister
snip, the Bremen, W;iica IRE !ens
expected by German commercial inter-
ests never appeared, and 1T was re-
ported that she had been lost at sea.
The Deutschland, according to report,
was later captured by the British.
Another remarkable cruising feat
was that achieved In the spring OF
1915 by the German submarine U-51.
sister ship of the U-53, which with
others Of her class made the trip from
the North Sen, to the; Dardanelles.
Here. however. there was assistance;
it was reported that there were supply
ships In the Atlantic, and there werc
certainly supply bases in Greece and.
perhaps. on tire scss % epain The
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