Catoctin clarion., 1918-12-05
FORCES SUBS TO
STAY UNDER SEA
Aerial Forces Part in Keeping
Ocean Lanes Open Is
Described.
NAVAL AIRPLANES ON Job
U.Boats Are Practically Helpless as
Long as They Are Forced to Stay
Under Water - WhaIeback
Carries SO Moguls.

American Naval Base. France
Hydroairplanes constantly watch anu
guard this great American port ana
the American shipping approaching or
entering it to prevent attack Dy SUI
marines. One of the planes lay OH
the water ready to start seaward as
the Associated Press correspondent VS.
ited the harbor. 1t looked very llsht
and tilmy for this desperate work ana
its gray body gave it the appearance
of giant moth settled on the wa
ter.
Overhead, one thousand feet up
swung huge lung shaped balloon
from the basket of which naval OH
Ger and a sailor peered through marine
glasses.
They are on the lookout for sub
marine" said the escort. "Their chlef
purpose is to report the Whereabouts or
n submarine, and the destroyers then
do the rest in forcing 1t under water.
Even if submarines are Off this port,
they are practically helpless, If we can
keep them under water. 1t Is only
when they come to the surface that
they can launch their torpedoes with
full effect. TOrpedoes fired when the
craft is under water may lack dlrec-
ton to make them dangerous. SO that,
after all, the problem for the destroy
ers is to keep the submarines under
water ,as well as to destroy them
Big WhaIepack Carries SO MoguIs.
On shore scores of hydroairplanes
were ranged in two vast hangars ana
there were sheds for balloons.
A big whaleback from the great
lakes was off to port and to starboard
was massive freighter.
THAT is a strange ship" said the
escort. "YOu will note she has no
upper deck or cabins. The whole deck
rolls back, like the roof of an openalr
theater, and the deck becomes an enor-
nous open hatch. 1t Is like huge
open bowl, with no obstruction in
lifting out the freight"
The freight in this case was as GU
rious as the rolling deck, for 1t con-
sisted of thirty-three enormous Mogul
locomotives, all set up and ready TO
move. and with their tenders coupled,
With the deck rolled back, locomotives
and tenders were picked up by giant
cranes and swung around to the
nearby quay. Very soon these same
locomotives, just out of the bowels OF
a ship, had steam up and were putting
off toward the front.
"The United States ship Carola,"
craft that never went to sea and never
will, vessel" with stone walls, un'
dergrOund dungeons, twenty miles OF
tunnel and vast bulk of masonry
anchored to mother earth, Is one OF
the sights at this port.
Ancient Chateau United States Ship.
1t is massive castle standing at the
waters edge that bears this strange
name. 1t Is an ancient chateau, built
600 years ago, in the thirteenth cen
fury, and one of the marvels Of Gothic
architectural construction. 1t Is used
now as the United States naval bar.
racks, and being put to naval uses, II
was given q naval christening as the
U. S. S. Garcia. 1t is no nickname,
but Is the accepted title known to all,
officers and men.
Being christenad as United States
ship even the battlementS have become
decks. When down in the old dungeon,
a sailor guided me upward by saying:
"This way, sir, to the main deck
And we climbed up the "hatchway"
of crumbling stone to the main deck
Of Gothic masonry twelve feet thick.
The way this castle came to be
named as United States warship has
this The United States Garcia Is n
reality small steam yacht, used dur
ing the Spanish war. 1t was rather
out of date and was tied up to the
castle wall Here it became very USE
full In making out acquisitions for sup
plies needed in the castle. To make q
requiSition for castle would seem
quite irregular. And so everything
was requisitioned for the United
States ship Garcia, and in that way
the castle got its equipment without
disturbing any formalities.