The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-04-25

the report that an enemy submarine
has been picked up by the sense OF
mechanical hearing" of his vessel
What does he do? Presumably he
will give the order to get ready to
Iisubmerge, which means careful in
spection and proper closing of the var
ious matches, with the coming tower
hatch closed after the crew has gone
below, the bulkhead doors closed, the
extension ventilators pulled down and
depth gauge connections to the sea
Fopened.
The order to fill the main tanks
comes next and in less than minute
and half these tanks are full. With
the longitudinal trim of the vessel
ready for diving it is a matter of only
a minute or two more before the sub
marine has gone down twenty or
thirty feet and is out of sight of her
enemy.
The American commander can now
investigate reports as to what the
enemy submarine is doing. How
close is she? Which direction is she
travelling? Is she awash? He eager
ly seeks every scrap of information,
for his immediate operations depend
essentially on what he learns.
Perhaps he ascertains as accurately
as he can that the enemy submarine
is taking a course which will bring
her just off his port bow if he alters
his direction and adjusts his speed
n he prospect now looms up invitingly
OF surprise attack in which the AM
erican submarine comes to the surface
and opens fire with her guns on the
German U-boat before the latters
commander knows what has struck
him.
Or perhaps the American craft can
stealthily take up position to fire
torpedo successfully at the small tar
get offered by the enemy.
In one sense the problem seems SIM
pie for reports still show that the
enemy submarine is located and tell
tale mechanical devices give an idea
of what she is doing First impress
'sions seem borne out by the evidence
which constantly comes in.
Another Problem.
But there is one factor which is still
in doubt. The American submarine
commander knows what his enemy is
doing, but he does not know how
much information the German has.
Perhaps the German commander is at
that very moment plotting the destruc-
ton of the American craft and only
waiting for it's appearance above the
surface to fire at it. Maybe the AM
erican is doing precisely what the Ger
man figured he would do.
Here comes the question of judg-
ment, intuition. pluck. With many
naval officers 1t is an axiom to as
sumo that the enemy knows just
little more than one thinks he knows.
There is something about the daring
character of submarine work which
often throws precaution to the winds,
but in this diamond cut diamond
game rashness is perhaps not always
wise. However, the personnel of the
submarine crews will figure
In case like the one described.
If the American submarine comes to
the surface to fight 1t out on even
terms with the U-boat the initial ad-
vantage is bound to be with the sub
marine that gets in the first shots.
There is no reason why two submar-
ines should not exchange shot for
shot in a duel until one or the other
has been knocked out" if the respec-
tive commanders were willing to let
the issue be so decided.
But as a matter of fact the prospect
of enticing a Hun U-boat into an
open shot for shot duel is not good.
The German submarine commander
would probably use his guns only
while preparing to dive. How many
U-boats the American submarines
have forced to put their noses under
Is not known, but the role played by
the German craft is that of the hunt
ed, and their first idea is to escape.
The German submarine commanders,
bold when they attack merchant craft
especially unarmed vessels-are cor
respondingly cowardly when they deal
with an enemy capable Of destroying
them.
OF course this may be due more to
German admiralty orders than to in
dividual German submarine command
ers. The German admiralty sends u
boats to the war zone to prey on
commerce carriers and not to fight
when there is chance to avoid fight
ing.
Force Hun to Fight.
The only chance therefore of a real
fight between an American submarine
and a German submarine would come
provided the U-boat were SO complete
iy taken by surprise that she had to
fight it out like cornered rat. The
prospect of forcing the U-boats to
take this medicine is becoming grad