Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-10
WANTED MENTIONS
Brains Must Solve the Sub
marine Danger. Possibility of
Under Water Wireless Direct
ing Attack Against Enemy
Submarines.

| Submarines.
In the writer's opinion, the submarine
danger can be likened to some new
dread disease, as yet unfathomed by doc
| tors and scientists. While they can ap-
ply known local treatments against the
| disease, still, all they will have accom-
plished is slengthen'ng the time that the
| disease must fight to overcome lie.
| So it is with The submarine, to
marked degree We combat this sub
marine disease with our local treatments
of conveys, destr0yers and alertness. This
| is our best known treatment and is dong
/ wonderful work but it is not enough. w G
| do not happen 10 have enough local treat
ment (convoys) in our labratories, ana
consequently every English, FfeHcns
/ Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Spanish or
American merchant vessel that is sunk,
| means the growth of the disease against
What does not reach England or France
through these channels means that the
United States has just that much more
work to do, and while the work IS gong
on, the war continues, while the war
continues, our men and those OF our brave
allies win be dying.
What are We Going to Do About 1t?
1t is true we are going to exert the
last ounce of our Industrial and financial
strength to build ships and still more
ships. But, Get US look at the worst
side for tie moment), suppose Germany
will also be able to produce enough new
submarines Gin pToportion), TO match our
new tonnage. Would this not be adding
fuel tie the fire? Would this not give
US still moro work to do? Wouldn't the
war stin continue? Remember too, our
men and those of our allies would still be
dying.
In this present war infantry opposes
infantry, artillery silences artillery, cav
airy is employed against cavalry and in
fantry, atroplane challenges aeFoplane,
n1unition factories end nations match
their / Industrial efficiency against that
IF what 0f SnB-
marine? 1t seems to have relegatet
itself to place in this war, where can
be of vitality destructive nature, and
where, to a marked degree, it is I'M
mune from direct opposition.
What. then, il the solution to this
problem? Direct opposition must be used;
at least that seems to be more or less
q logical answer. Ever since the begin
ming of tie world war, the thought mas
been more and more insistent with the
writer that submarine must tight SUP
marine.
While our secretary of the Navy had
accomplished the huge task before last
Christmas of raising the personnel OF the
navy from So 600 men, including reserves,
before the war, the approximately 330, QUO
men at the end of the first year OF the
war: and while Secretary Daniels supports
the statement of Mr.. Schwab as true. that
in fifteen months from q given peIlod
when certain contract was taken over,
this country would have more destroyers
than all the other navies OF the world
combined, SUN, WIN an Lkli9 ~ GpRNi q
tior, it is well to note from the follow
ing just how seriously Secretary Daniels
views the U-boat problem.
ut is not correct to speak of it as
problem, for the submarine is not a
thing of geometrical proportions to be
solved by formulas. No doubt the in
ventor of the submarine thought he was
giving to the world of silence something
great and wonderful Very likely he
| thought it would prove a boon to so
ciety Instead of that it stands out to-
day the scourage of the world. The world
will never be safe until the submarine
has been banished from the seas"
| The writer hopes that the fun signifi-
canoe of the last sentence win not be
rine must be exterminated to make the
world safe, why not build submarines
enough and equip them so that they can
| do the exterminatfng. Inasmuch as Ger
| seas, against which we could direct our
submarines, THAT is, If we were so in
| clined and good student of kuiture),
why not let our submarines, with proper
equipment, go after them as a weasel
! follows a rat into it's hole.
| The submarine is equipped, I believe,
with an instrument that can detect the
| presence of a ship above it; also it has
| the wireless for use while on the sur
| face. Still, to my knowledge the subma-
| rine must expose it's position by the use
| of the periscope, to tell friend from
enemy. Is it possible for us to invent
the underwater wireless? This could be
placed on the bottoms of our surface
| craft as well as on the submarine. Under
! water wireless would be no more re-
markable than wireless by air or the
| wireless telephone. The electric waves
would travel through the water as
through the air. although I presume at a
much slower rate and with a smaller
radius
| Yet it seems, if this could be worked
out, that the advantages to be accrued
would be considerable. American sur
face craft could talk to it's hidden sub
marines advising them Of the presence Of
| enemy U-boats. Working in pairs in
| this manner the submarines could man
| oeuver into position and prepare to
| strike when the enemy periscope appear
| ed While still under water our sub
marine could verify 1t being an enemy
| craft by attempting to open communica-
/ tons by wireless code. With underwater
wireless an entire submarine fleet, I'M
| exposed to the enemy, could operate I'M
der the guidance of a Flag submarine!
| American inventors, brains will win
| this war Think
(Signed) KY
| Ratterv 4 NH