Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-05-18
HUN U-bOATS
UOU 0VuUU -
ARE WHIPPED
Records Show Submarines Are
Sunk Faster Than Built.
NEW EFFORTS WILL BE MET
Loss Of Shipping Below Construction
Germany Planning To Try
Heavily Armed And Ar
mored Submersibles.

MISUNDERSTANDING that Amer
lea and the Allies have gained the
mastery over the present type of sub
marine, Germany now is said to be
planning new series OF big U-boat
cruisers with which she hopes to as
sumo again the advantage in her I'M
restricted underwater warfare.
Announcement of the new German
scheme is made by Georges Leagues,
the French Minister of Marine, in an
interview received here in an official
dispatch from France. No details re-
garding the new U-boats were given
by M. Leygues, but from information
from other sources it appears that
the cruiser submarines will be heavily
armed and armored and will be de-
signed especially to meet the menace
of the torpedo boat destroyers which
have proved so effective in hunting
down the smaller submarines now in
operation.
M. Leagues declared that the Allies
are ready to meet Germany's new eff
forts and that they would not rest
upon the fine results obtained" in
the past
I'VE shall not STOP" he said, until
we have cleaned up the sea as one
cleans up a trench"
Just how effective has been the war
against the U-boats is shown by fig
IF oh
given to the Naval Committee of the
French Chamber of Deputies by Min
lister Leagues. They reveal that sink
ings of merchantmen have fallen off
to the point where new construction
is exceeding the destruction even now
before American yards are in full
swing on the great building program
mapped out by the Shipping Board.
The monthly average of distinctions
this year. as given by NJ. Leagues, is
$4,000, compared with more than
100000 tons monthly in 1917. In April
Of last year, the first month of Ger
many's unrestricted submarine war
fare. the tonnage sunk was $1,000.
In April. of this year, it had dwindled
to about 268,OO0 tons.
On the other hand, the destruction
of submarines is exceeding their con-
struction by the enemy and the mar
gin is expected to increase as addi-
tional American destroyers which now
are being turned out rapidly take their
place with the war craft operating in
the war zone.
The total of Allied shipping de-
stroyed in the first four months of 1918
was placed by Minister Leagues at
1,2s2.345 tons, and even if the sub
marines are able to maintain this rate.
which officials doubt, the years total
would be something like 100000 tons.
or less than the estimated amount of
tonnage which the Shipping Board
believes America will produce during
the year
Adding to American production the
output in Great Britain. France and
Japan. the Allies would gain for the
year something like 100000 tons. not
counting the 100000 or so tons Of
chartered Japanese and Norwegian
ships and requisitioned Dutch vessels.
While encouraging. officials empha-
size the fact that these figures do not
furnish the margin of safety that is
necessary, and there will be no relax
ing of building efforts in any of the
Allied countries or in America. Eng
lands output thus far this year has
not come up to expectations and the
American yards have not turned out
the tonnage anticipated. because of
freight congestion and other causes.
and renewed efforts are being made
to make up these deficiencies.