The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-30
U-BOAT WARFARE
 SINKS 69 SHIPS OF J. s. IN YEAR

New York, Jan. 30-In the 12 months of unrestricted warfare launched against American and allied shipping by Germany one year ago Friday, there have been sunk by sub, marines, mines,- and raiders 69 American vessels. tptaling 171,061 gross tons, according to careful compilation of records of sinkings which have been made public in the period.
 Offsetting this loss of American vessels, most of which were sailing ships, the United States since Feb. 1 has added toe her merchant marine by the seizure of former German and Austrian owned ships a total of 107 vessels having a gross tonnage of 686,4s4, leaving on the credit side of the American ledger in the ac- count with the Central powers a net gain of 515,4s gross tons. The loss of life caused by the sinking of the 69 American ships was more than 300 persons, however. '
 The percentage of sinkings of American ships compared with the number of vessels which have sailed | through the war zone successfully is small. Records of the Department 1 of Commerce show that for the period beginning Feb. 1, 1917, and ended l Dec. 1, there were cleared from American ports in the foreign trade ships aggregating 17,738,900 tons net, or approximately 24,SS4, 400 l gross tons. The number of ship: making up the total of tons was moi made public by the department.
 426 Vessels Requisitioned
 Further offsetting the loss of ton mage occasioned by the submarine warfare, the United States through the Shipping Board requisitioned il American ship yards 426 vessels to- taling more than 100000 gross tons and contracts have been awarded foa 1 SS4 ships, a large number of whicl are now under way and are being rushed to completion. In addition the Shipping Board on Oct. IS las placed under government requisitiol 393 American vessels of more thai 2,500 tons deadweight capacity, whicl were afioat and immediately assigned them to the task of carrying supplie for the Allies and the Americal forces abroad.
 Included in these requisitioned yes sells were 21 ships in Great Lake trade and in addition there were com
 mandeered A steamers building o1
 the lakes for foreign aiGcount ant ready for launching. Virtually all o
 these were brought to Atlantic coas ports and immediately put into ser vice. Almost one-half of them ha1 to be cut in two to get them througl the Welland Canal, but the task wa accomplished and the ships rejoine
 in less than three months from tn time the contract was awarded. Another difficulty which faced tn United States in the task of putin
 to sea vessels to offset the ravages 0 the U-boats was the repairing of tn ''willful damage" done to the forme
 German ships by their officers an
 crews before the ships were seized 3 This cost millions of dollars, and i many instances called for the highes 7 engineering to make and replac 3 parts of foreign-built engines an : boilers removed or broken.
 Indicating that the task has bee = attended by success, the statemer : was made yesterday by a prominer S official connected with the Shippin = Board that every seized vessel wa v now completely repaired and in SCI = vice. Many of them have mad S three and four round trips throug = the war zone.
 7; Former German Ships Attacked. i. Three of the former German we: e sells have been the objects of success! full attack by the submarines. I'll = Actaeon, formerly the Adamsturn l. and the Owasco, formerly the Allt r mannia, were sunk, and the Armen l, was hit by aA torpedo, but was save 5, after being beached. Several oth' l. former German ships have been a
 tackled, but escaped.
 The announced sinkings of Britis
 ships for the year up to and includil the week ended Jan. 2S have bee VI 1,033 vessels, of which 763 were
 more than 1000 tons and 270 we -s under that figure The joint loss
 of France and Italy have average
 three to four large vessels weekly.
 MEN AMTTTAP