Evening star., 1918-02-10
UnsinkabIe Craft Will Carry
American Soldiers Across
in Defiance of Germans.
NAVAL CONSULTING BOARD
MEMBER REVEALS FACTS
"Ship Now Lying at Atlantic Port, y
Says Mr.. Saunders, Has Honey
combed Alright Cells.
BY the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, February 9.-Means
have been found to make troop trans
ports unsinkable by submarine, accord
ing to statement made tonight by
William L. Saunders, vice chairman of
the naval consulting board, in an ad-
dress at dinner of the University of
Pennsylvania alumni in this city.
| Mr.. Saunders said that one of the
ships recently commandeered by the
government "now lies at an Atlantic
port, and in such shape that she cannot
be sunk by an exploding torpedo"
| Il can conceive of no reason why this
information should be withheld" he
added. "On the contrary I believe it is
we'll that the enemy may come to realize
| that the time has been reached when
| American transports are ready for the
transportation Of our troops which that
enemy cannot sink. This ship may have
hole thirty or forty feet in diameter
| blown in her side, and she will remain
afoat. Such a hole would waterlog but
one-tcnth of the honeycombed alright
cells"
Describes Plan in Detail.
Mr.. Saunders described in detail the
plan to keep ships a1oat after they
had been torpedoed. and the manner
| in which 1t had been developed by
William F. Donnelly, a New York ma
rine engineer, working under author
/! ization of the naval consulting board.
"Of course. it will take some time to
equip similarly the large number of
transports we have" continued Mr..
Saunders. 1T is my belief. however,
that nothing will be left undone by the
administration to safeguard the lives
Of large troop contingents to beeMoEod
ACROSS the Atlantic. :Ts9ss4.ss.. =
Mr.. Saunders, In q statement cred
tied to him last May. asserted that q
solution of the submarine problem had
probably been found by the board, and
| in the opinion of the board members
the scheme, as approved, would put an
end to the submarine menace. He did
| not enter into details. Other members
! of the board, including Thomas Robins,
| its secretary, and Frank J. Sprague, a
member of the committee on subma-
| rines. took issue with Mr.. Saunders
| that the solution of the t-boat menace
| had been reached.
| Officials Have Shown Confidence.
Saunders of the naval consulting board
that means had been found to make
t troop ships practically unsuitable
! lends new meaning to the air Of con-
| British naval authorities are facing
their task Of clearing the seas Of u
| boats.
! Recent statements by Admiral Jel1i-
| ish admiralty; by Secretary Daniels
and other officials have indicated that
a campaign has been mapped out and
the instrumentalities developed which
are expected to curb. II not eliminate.
the submarine entirely within the next
few months.
/ Discussion of the devices developed
is deplored by officials here. 1nvesti-
guarded closely. High officials have
been free to assert privately, however,
their belief that the U-boats would be
checked sufficiently by early summer
to insure a steady flow Of American
troops and supplies to Europe. with
few incidents such as that of the Tus-
| cania to be anticipated.
Admiral Jellicos's Prediction.
Admiral Jellicoe went farther than
any other official by predicting that
the submarines would be KILLED" by
he warned that heavy ship losses were
to be expected up to that time. Secre-
tary Baker has insisted before the Sem
ate committee that million and hal
France and kept supplied during 1918
His replies to the questions as to where
the tonnage for the task was to come
from have indicated that there was
some information at hand which he
did not care to disclose.
On Point of Bearing Fruit.
without disclosing any of the new
implements that may have been de-
veloped to meet the submarine men.
ace. Navy officials have pointed Out
that all of the lines of effort started
when the United States entered the
war are now on the point of bearing
fruit. Additional destroyers and pa.
troll craft are beginning to come for
ward rapidly. In some cases more
than a years time has been saved in
destroyer construction. Swifter. more
heavily armed vessels. fitted with
every device thathas been evolved, are
being rushed to the support of Vice
Admiral Sims flotilla.
With the complete mobilization of al
these agencies against an enemy al.
ready severely harnpered by the skill
and daring of American and British pa.
, troll fleets. it is pointed out that great.
er repression of the submarines is Ger.
tain to follow. even if ne maste,
!
time, however. 1t is evident, even with
out Mr.. Saunders statement, that yari
Gus important mechanical devices hay.
been brought to a high state of per
fection and will play large part il
the warfare.
Depth Bombs Effective.
Destroyers equipped with dent,
bombs have been rated as the most Ell
cient foe of the submarines. The nun
Der of destroyers. the effectiveness a
the bombs used and the means of hurI
ing these charges have all been In
creased. Ways of detecting the hidde,
: foe at an increasing range also hay,
been worked out.
The technique of this latest mia
l of naval warfare has also been per
fected by the officers and men Of tn
! U-boat hunting fleets.
All of these things. supplemented h,
: lwhat they know of the devices evolv
. form the basis on which high officar
here have said repeatedly that the IL
9 iboats would be curbed this year, prob
lably this spring.
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