The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-03-21
SECRET FIGURES ASTO U-BOAT
LOSSES PUBLISHED BY EMBASSY

Washington, March 21.-Secret fig
ures Of the British admiralty on sub
marine losses and world ship building
were made public here today by the
British embassy. They show that from
both enemy action and marine risk on
Jan. I, 1918, allied and neutral ship
ping had lost since the war began g.
S27,572 gross tons, while ship yards
outside Of the central powers were
turning out 6,606,275 tons. These fig
ures, long withheld, are now made
public, an admiralty memorandum
says, because today they will not stim-
ulate. the enemy and because they will
impress upon the people the necessity
of united action in making good losses
by submarines.
In spite of the tremendous total of
losses, they do not approach the
claims of the Germans, and with p
$4,000 tons of enemy ships added to
the output of the war period, the net
loss to world shipping exclusive of
that of Germany and her allies, is only
2,6S2,297.
The minimum of losses was reached
in the second quarter of 1917, after the
unrestricted submarine warfare was
launched. That quarter 2,236,934 gross
tons of ships went down.. Since then
the total has been reduced until in the
fourth quarter of 1917 it was only L.
272.S43. In the meantime, the ship
building output steadily curved up
ward. In the last quarter of 1917 it
was 932,032 tons and at that time the
enormously increased facilities of the
United States had not begun to get
into action. In announcing in the
house of commons yesterday that here
after figures on losses and building
would be made public at regular in
tervals. Sir Eric Geddes, first lord of
the admiralty, indicated that 1t still
would be unwise to publish the total
for the war. However these totals
now are given to the public, simu1ta-
neously in this country and in Great
Britain.
Memorandum Follows.
Following is the admiralty memo
randum:
Memorandum issued by the British
admiralty, showing in gross tons the
losses to the world shipping by enemy
action; the mercantile shipbuilding
output and the enemy vessels captured
and brought into service.
Hitherto the board of admiralty
have been averse to any publication
other than that contained in the weekly
return of losses, although 1t has fire.
luently been pressed upon them that
the whole tonnage facts should he
made public. So long as sdch publi-
cation would encourage the enemy
and would stimulate his energies in n
dangerous direction, they have not
been able to concur in the proposal.
The figures today will not stimu-
late the enemy. and the admiralty rec !
ognizes that the policy of silence nee
essary as they believe 1t to have been |
from a naval point of view, has had |
this serious defect that IL fails suffi- |
ciently to impress upon the people OF |
this country the vital necessity OF in !
dividual and united effort on their part ]
to make good the losses caused by /
enemy submarines.
In the spring of 1917 the full men |
ace OF the submarine campaign was |
first disclosed. Since that date we
have steadily increased our knowledge |
and our material resources for this
novel warfare.
Three statements are attached !
showing for the United Kingdom and
for the world,
81. Losses by enemy action and
80. Mercantile shipbuilding out
put.
-. Enemy vessels captured and
. brought into service.
Combating U-Boats.
The situation should be viewed
from the standpoint Of the worlds
tonnage. as in these problems the mer-
camille navies OF the whole world. ex-
cludinE the enemy. may be regarded as
one II viii be noticed that the dis-
grams record facts and that nothing
has been included in the nature OF an
estimate. on the subject Of
losses the admiralty disclaim any de-
sire 10 prophesv about 50 uncertain n
thing as war in its sui marine phase.
The results of the past year have
shown the ability OF our seamcn 10 get
upon terms with the submarine men
ace and gradually 70 gain the upper