The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-10-12
What THE U-BOAT
PROBLEM REALLY WAS
Guns on Merchantmen of No Use Against Sub
marines-Mines and Patrols Two Effective
Weapons Germany Tried to Diminish Use
fulness of Allied Destroyers. Why She At
tackled Hospital Ships.

II was not the simplest thing in the
world to get a submarine out of its
base. The Allies We're constantly lay
ing mines at there outlets. and before
the U-boat could safely make it's exit
elaborate sweeping operations Were
necessary. 1t often took a squadron of
nine or ten surface ships, operating for
several hours, to get a submarine out
of its base and started on its jour-
ney. So we always knew when one
came out; and we know not only that
but we knew which one 1t was. and
we often possessed the name Of its
commander, and other valuable details.
Moreover, we knew where 1t went and
we kept charts. on which we plotted
from day to day the voyage of each
particular submarine.
Why didn't you sink it them" is
the question usually asked when
make this statements question
which. as shall show, merely re-
fleets the ignorance which prevails
everywhere on the underlying facts cf
submarine warfare.
Eight U-Boats at Work.
Now in this densely packed ship
ping area, extending, say. from the
north of Ireland to Brest, there were
seldom more than eight or ten subrna-
rfnes operating at any one time. The
largest number / had record of was
fifteen; but this was EXCEPTIONAL; the
usual number was four. six. eight, or
perhaps ten. We estimated that the
conveys and troopships brought in
reports of sighting about 800 subma-
rines for every submarine actually IN
the field. We also estimated that, for
every hundred submarines which the
Germans possessed. they could keep
only ten or a dozen at work in the
open sea. The rest were on their way
TO the hunting grounds, or returning.
or in port being refitted and resup-
plies. Could Germany have kept. let
us say, fifty submarines constantly at
work on the great shipping routes in
the winter and spring of 1917-before
We had learned how to handle the stu
ation-nothing could have prevented
her from winning the war. Instead of
having sunk $4,000 tons in single
month, she would have sunk 100000
or 100000 tons. The fact is that
Germany, with all her microscopic
Preparations for war, neglected to pro-
vide herself with the one instrumental
ity with which she might have won 81.
This circumstances, that so few sub
marines could accomplish such de-
structive results, shows how fornlid-
able was the problem which we faced.
Germany could do this. of course, be-
cause the restricted field IN which she
was able to operate was so constant
" and so densely infested with valu-
able shipping.
In the above I have been descrtb-
ing the operations Of the U-boats In
the great area to the west and south
Of Ireland. But there were other
hunting fields. particularly on the east
coast of England, in the area extend
ing from Harwich to Newcastle. Th,S
was the headquarters of a great trade
between the North sea ports of Eng
land and Norway and Sweden, con-
sisting of essential products like lumber
and many manufactured articles. Every
four days a convoy of from forty to
sixty ships left this region for Scan
dinavia; use the word convoy, but
the operation was a convoy only in
The sense that the ships sailed In
lunches, for the navy was unable to
provide them with an adequate escort
seldom more than one or two destroy
eFs. or n few yachts or trawlers- Small
Ter types OF submarines, known as
N-S9 anu OGC, came tOul VI
maven and the Skager Rack. and con-
stantly preyed upon this coastal ship
ping. These submarines differed from
me U-boats in that they were smaller,
q about $50 and 400 tons, and in that
'Aey also carried mines, which they |
we're constantly laying. They We're |
much handler than the larger types; |
.aey could rush out much more quick
y from their bases and get back, and |
'Aey did an immense amount of dam
age to this coastal trade. The value |
the shipping sunk. of course, d~s
III compare with the losses which /
1Feat Britain suffered on the great |
Ians-Atlantic routes, but the prob /
Sm was serious one. because the |
.-pplies which these ships brought I
tons.
BESIDES these two types-tie u
frnans had another type OF subma--
,e-the great ocean cruisers These /
rs were as long as small sur
cruiser and half again as long