The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-16
U-BOAT MEN TRAIN
TO HIT TRANSPORTS
Practice in Baltic Massed At
tacks Against Conveyed
Transports.
FOES PLAY LAST STAKE
Daniels Will Ask for More
Destroyers to Meet Ex-
pected Menace.
FOES PLAY LAST STAKE

SpectuR Despdfch 90 The Sur.
WARRINGTON. Oct. 1s.--warninE has
reached the United State, Navy De.
partment as we'll as the British Ad-
miraity that Germany ID about to
launch the most desperate submarine
campaign Of the war.
The U-boat fleets. rented and
strengthened by an increasing number
Of new craft. are believed to be waiting
the signal from Berlin to begin OPP
erations in steamship and transport
lanes IN pursuance Of . policy which
In some respects will be different from
that employed by the. German Ad-
miralty in the past
The new German plan, II Ia UNDER
stood. will be for the submarines to
concentrate on large ships, particularly
troop transports. instead of continuing
to sock out craft OF every description.
A feature OF the new campaign will be
the concentrated effort of the German
Admiralty to turn out new and power
full U-boats at the sacrifice OF other
war plans, which heretofore have been
prime factors In the Teuton war cam
paign.
The Navy Department here has
learned that U-boat crews are now re-
ceiving courses OF intensive training In
the Baltic with the particular object
Of planning for attacks against trans
ports heavily conveyed.
Dummy ships representing the trans
ports are provided by the German
navy and other craft representing de-
stroyers. submarine chasers. &C, are
provided theoretically to protect the
transports. The U-boat commanders and
crews are then put through a special
course OF training as to the best meth
DDS OF attacking the conveys singing
out particular troopships for massed at
tack, &C
The prospective forced German re.
tlrement from northern France and Bel
giun, the necessity Of abandoning the
Macedonian front and the irnpossb,lity
in the near future OF sending supplies
to Turkey will combine to place at the
German Admiralty's disposal thoussn Ids
Of additional shipbulders and huge guam
titles OF equipment. raw material, &C.
with otherwise would have been ab.
sorbed for army use. The army's en-.
forced retrenchment means added op.
portunity for the navy. II is explained
and the German Admiralty is under
stood to have decided to concentrate all
efforts on the construction OF the larger
submarines.
Secretary Daniels made Il clear to-
day that he Endorsed all that Sir Eric
Geddes, First Lord Of the British Armir.
atty. has said with respect to the ac-
ce!erated U-boat building programme
and the pending submarine Campaign
Sir Eric regards the submarine situa.
ton as fast Approaching a positive
menace unless prompt measures arc
taken to counteract X.
To meet the situation Mr.. Daniels said
that the navy's programme for new de.
strcyers and other anti-submarine craft
would have TO be increased. He will gc
before Congress this week to ask for ad.
dltional funds for destroyers. The scope
OF this programme, II Is explained. will
reflect the navy's firm belief that the
war Is far from over.
The destroyers that are now beins
turned over to the navy for use are moi
far behind schedule, but the two months
of comparative Inactivity dtirlnV the tn.
iustrial and coal crisis last winter have
not yet been overcome. An appeal W
'ssued to-day to all shipbuilders to rush
work to make up for the delay
The so-called Eas let's or Ford sub.
[ Marine -chssers are expected TO be get.
ing into bulk production before long
he first trial trip OF one Of these Graf
AS eminently satisfactory, it is ex.
plainod.