The Cordova daily times., 1918-05-24
ENGLAND BOASTS. OF AN EFFICIENT
 SUBMARINE NAVY

WASHINGTON, May 24.-The world knows the story of Britain's fieets-the simple tale of the gaunt gray fighting hulks that swing cease lessly in circles from the Arctic down to Ostend, barring effectively the agress from German ports of naval and merchant shipping. Only the U-boats and an occasional raider have been successful in slipping through the steel cordon.
 Although much has been told about the high seas fleets, but little has been Written-and less officially disclosed about England's efficient submarine navy. However, there has been re- | ceiVed by the committee on public in- l formation an official British state ment, made public with the approba- tion of the admiralty, telling in de- tailed form of the exploits of Britons in combating Germany with her fla Vorite weapon.
 Leaving the harbors on England's S | east coast, or perhaps dropping down some Scottish firth, the submarines slip into the gray waters of the North sea and pick their way through Ger man mine fields so that they may bat tie with the enemy even within the confines of his own harbors.
 One of. the most popular tales of the exploits of Rritish suDnExsnde, which, however, is not contained in the prepared statement, deals with a young commander who audaCiously crept through mine-infested waters | into the very harbor of Heligoland. | the German Gibraltar. As he allowed his periscope to show above the sur | face for an instant, he caught a glimpse of an enemy U-boat riding awash, while the crew. lined up on deck, smiled a greeting to the crowds 1 on shore and aboard harbor shipping who were noisily welcoming the heroes" returning from a raid on the Atlantil. A torpedo from the Brit ish craft summarily cut short the celebration and eliminated the U-boat as future menace to allied vessels. The brilliant phase of the achievement is the fact that the English vessel succeeded in escaping and returning ! to port unharmed. q
 Besides detailing various cngge- ments in which British submarines have accounted for one or more enemy war vessels-it is stated that mre than forty German warships bve been attacked successfully-ther re- view tells of the hardships incient to patrols in bad weather.
 In winter cold, clammy chill er- vades the submarine, and at ties the thermometer drops so low lat the crew find it difficult to slsp. Spray freezes several inches thickon the wireless antennae, rendering rAio communication impossible, while he periscope becomes useless at u es because of frosty mantle.
 The submarine rides very heally in seaway, and an even keel is if ficult to maintain even many fathns below the surface. When runningorl top for the purpose of replenisng the supply of electric motive posr, the ventilators must be kept on, with the result that water is shirsd in heavy quantities.
 How much respect for the Brsh underseas navy is entertained in sr
 many is told best in the official tr- rative, which runs as follows:
 "Venturesome as the enemy is bl1 his U-boats, he rarely allows is above-water craft beyond the oonfss of his harbors. He we'll knows at
 our submarines are ever on the pHI for him, and how vigilant and tr- ough is the watch kept may he eh-| cred from the fact that though so W opportunities are afforded them lr
 submarines have successfully td tackled no less than forty enemy r.l ships. I
 Night and day the search ;s a-l tinued, according as circumstass may dictate. The watch is kentn1