Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-06-04
Navy Has Expected Rsid
On American Side Of
Atlantic, Officials Say;
Many Patrol Vessels Are.
Available For Defense.
BASE IN SOUTHERN
WATERS, IS BELIEF

Washington, D. c., June 3.-AH
those who were passengers and oil
the returning army officers and
men on transport President LlR-
coin were saved after she had
been torpedoed last week. This
confsoes the loss Of lie to the
crew Of the ship.
Washington, D. c.. June 3.-Ger-
many, by striking with her subnna-
rines at the very doors Of America.
has admitted to the world that the
American army will turn the tide
against her on the battefeads OF
France.
As the first news Of the submarine
raid on the Atlantic coast, brought
TO the navy denartn,ent tns-ay ny
Associated Press dispatches, was fol
lowed by official reports. naval o.
ficials declared that the American
anti-submarine forces in home waters
are ample to meet the attack.
WILL NOT STOP TROOPS
All officials declared that the navy
department is fully equipped to meet
the thrust at the fountain head Of the
flow OF American troops to Europe
and that all its agencies are being
brought into full force to find the
submarines and destroy them. This
challenge to the fighting forces of the
United States will be met, officials
said, with the same measures which
have driven the submarines to cover
in the war zone, and the steady flow
Of American transports to France will
be guarded with the same effective
protection which has carried them
through the infested waters Of, thu
British isles and France with re
markable low loss of life.
GERMANY"S ACT ANTICIPATED
Submarine blockade In the principal
transport lanes and about the terri
tory containing the principal embark
alton ports for the American army
has long been counted upon by Amer
ican naval officers as one OF Ger
many's last cards and preparations
have been made to meet 1t.
| Pending receipts of official informa
ton navy officials withheld their com
ment. 1t is known however that In
creased vigilance has been exercised
along the coast since the sinking of
|
ship was torpedoed so far at sea that
the incident suggested the presence
of cruiser submarines In which case
efforts to check the movement Of
American troops at the source were
to be expected.
RUMoRs PRECEDED RAIDERS
The navy department has heard
rlmors for months Of great now 0oE.
man U-boats, so large that they could
operate efficiently even across the
Atlantic without re-fueling places on
this side, but no definite confirmation
has ever been received.
Extensive provision against possi-
BILE submarine operations on this side
have characterized the navys war Of
forts from the start. The 110-foot
submarine chasers were really built
for the protection Of shipping on the
American coast Sent abroad as an
experimen ent when the German U-boat
strategy confined operations to the
North sea and the British and French
coasts. they proved so useful that the
type is being copied here for the
French government.
NAVY is CONFIDENT.
Navy officials all along have -
pressed confidence that they would b
able to cope with such German q
boats as might reach the Atlantit
coast. Until full details Of the sink
ings already reported are received L
cannot be said whether they now have
Ito deal with single raider or with a.
organized attempt to bottle up Amefi
can troop ships on this side while thu
. great battle is being fought out h
France.
Many navy officers have consideret
it highly improbable that GERMAN,
| could put more than few raiders IN
| to such service. To maintain den
j mite patrol on the whole Americal
coast would require an impossible
6nunber of submarines IN constAA
.