Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-08


Patroling in a submarine when every
surface craft is determined to sink any
undersea' wasp that offers itself as a.
target Is a perilous occupation. and one
gallant American navy officer paid the
price for his daring.
This officer, Lieutenant Z. W. r.
Childs, of Lewiston, Pa, went to a |
watery grave in British sub. The
British sub. listed as H. NJ. S. HIS, was |
on patrol work Off the Irish coast and |
Lieutenant Childs was aboard as an
observer
He had been selected for service in
one Of the boats Of the American notilla
and was learning the arts Of undersea
fighting on the British craft
a big cargo-carrier arrived in Liver
pool and It's skipper. with much Joy and
clation, reported that he had rammed
and sent to the bottom, one OF the u
boats. Later II was learned that the
HIS, and not German submarine, was
the sub that had paid the price. All
hands were lost on tke vessel and the
little fleet of subs sent over by Uncle
Sam lowered the Stars and Stripes to
half mast in honor of a gallant and
brave young officer.
The British merchant ship had mis-
taken the HIS for German and man.
aged to crush 1t under its great bow
before friendly signal could be made.
This is one of the stories told by the
sub commanders who are now at the
Philadelphia Navy Yard.
U-Boats Not So Endangered
Dodging the shells of your own sur
A.
Germans. No ship flying the pennant of
the imperial Government of Germany
was on the high seas, so the boche
subs. acting as pirates and ocean out
casts. had much less TO guard against
than the Allied subs
To the skipper Of a surface craft all
subs looked alike. II he happened to
be an alert skipper he blazed away at
any sub that poked its periscope above
the waves. And II the skipper OF the
mechanical fish was quick enough to
avoid danger or check the shellfre with
a friendly signal, he was most fortunate.
But all were not SO lucky. and several
British subs met the fate of the HIS. They
never returned to their base. and were
listed as lost.
America was most fortunate In this
respect. Not a boat was lost. Not unit,
Germany def1ed all the laws of civilza-
tion with her murderous U-boats did
naval commanders entertain the thought
that submarine could be utilized to
fight them. The British Admiralty was
the first to hit upon the idea very early
IN the war to put feet of undersea
boats In service
Naval experts held that the submarine.
as a patrol boat. would prove practical
and most effective.
Subsequent Events Justified Theory
Subsequent events justified this theory,
Tor In the waters guarded by submarines
the accomplishments of the German u
boat commanders were almost negligl-
BILE.
April 6. 1917, Uncle Sam got into the
Dig world war and few months later
Meet OF American sea wasps was in
action. How these boats operated Is
an interesting phase in the naval his,
tory OF the war.
AFTER weeks of training under the tu-
telage Of the British, our boats took over
Dig sea area to guard and In March
OF last year sent the first boats on pa
troll Experience had taught the British
that a boat could not remain on patrol
Tor more than eight days, SO that period
was established by our navy.
Each boat in the fleet woaId 20 on
patrol for eight days and then return
10 It's base In Bantry Bay. The crew
was given an eight-day rest batteries
were recharged. broken parts replaced
and the mechanical fish," as a subma-
rlne Is styled. again would be ready for
an eight day vigil
Before a submarine left its base the
probable operations of enemy ships were
studied. and added to this, eacf> com.
.mander would be given a list Of out
going and incoming ships. The latter
was essential In order to avoid the fate
OF the HIS.
Then each sub would be assigned to
patrol certain stretch of deep green
ocean and away It would go. The run
to the. beat" assigned by the fleet
commander Is made on the surface and
keen watch Is kept for any Fritz who
happens to come out of his ocean hole
: for air.
Once on its beat the sub dives and
! takes up slow zig1ag course during
daylight. Just the periscope is visible
above the water. Aboard the craft a
crew Of youngsters Is at high tension
and eager for fight. The danger
OF their game is never thought Of but
dominating the mind of every man Is
the wish that an enemy ''ish" will stick
Its eye out of water. When Fritz does
the skipper of Uncle Sans mechanical
fish" sounds the clarion signal that sends
every man to his station. pulls down
the hatch and makes ready for the at
tack,
Then the sub is maneuvered toward
him In order to get within torpedo range
II Fritz has sensed the danger he goes
down In hurry and Yankee craft
goes after him.
Signals "Friend" to Surface Ships
AS all surface craft are friendly the
American skipper when he sights one
comes TO the surface and fires a signal
bomb that issues forth a colored smoke
and after. the friend has passed again
goes below the surface
should the sea be rough the skipper
sends his craft down to n depth of sixty
feet and occasionally stops TO listen on
his hydrophones for the propellers of a
boche boat. If propellers are heard
Yankee gets into position. rises to the
surface and stands by ready to send a
torpedo into the German IL he comes
to the surface.
At night the submarine comes to the
surface to recharge its batteries and
take In a bit of ocean ozone that Is SO
badly needed by the crew.
Life aboard these mechanical fish" is
exciting and fascinating, but proves a
great tax to the human system. The
air In a submarine that ilas been under
the surface for several hours becomes
50 vitiated that the men become dull
and despite the scientific appliances that
are designed TO absorb moisture the
crafts are very wet. -Four hours under
the water and the crew is deluged, with
water that drops from the steel plates
futo the so,fx Mum ullddinn and IN fas.t