Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-15
U-Boat A Failure
In War, Says Expert
Rv Frederic j. Haskin.

Washington, ID. c., Jan. 12--For a
while all who wanted 10 seem wise were
| wont to remark that the submarine
"would revolutionize naval architecture,
meaning thereby that it would put heavy
ships out Of the game. Next, along IN
early 1917, If was about 10 "revolutlonIze
international law, and make the blockade
an entirely different proposition. 1t was
also frequently referred to as new and
startling menace to nations with long
coast lines to guard, like the United
States. This view was especially popular
about the time the Deutschland astonish-
ed the world by appearing IN Chesapeake
Bay.
Now that it's all over, where does the
U-boat stand among the agencies OF
modern warfare How many OF its threats
has it made good? None OF them, IN the
opinion OF some expert observers Navy
men saw that the L boat, as q free agent
OF destruction, has been conquered by
the depth bomb, the destroyer and the
mine. As terror OF the open seas, It
has gone under TO stay.
USEFUL PART OF FLEET.
On the other hand, it has made good
as a unit of the modern battle fleet, and
every navy i'll the future will include
large cruising probably ot
, 600 TO $500 tons burden. The smaller
type has also made good as scouting
and coast defense craft, and the mime
LAYING submarine IS third variety that
Will live. But the spectacular career OF
the I'-boat n commerce raider : over.
At least. that IS view widely held
The submarine chaser Is not mentioned
among the agencies that beat the sub
marine last wear and viii hold Il down
IN the future. Henry Ford's Eagle Boats,
as Is quite generally known and may soon
be brought out by q senate inquiry
never got TO the war at all The navy
was waiting for them, but the armistice
was signed before quantity production
could be attained.
What the Eagle boat could nave done
is q question that will probably never
be answered but the first submarine
chasers built IN the United States were
not successful III chasing submarines
They we're wooden boats equipped with
Diesel engines. were about 10 feet long
and had a speed Of only 10 and u half
Knots Although surprisingly seaworthy
for their 5 all size, they were not suited
for long cruises and they did not have
enough speed to catch and kill the modern
t-boat. Nevertheless they were built
III large quantities and were used tor
scouting purposes. III which work they
did very we'll These are the boats We
recently sold to Franco, where they are
probably to be used for harbor patrol
work.
The Eagle boat was designed 10 have
the speed the habitablllty, and the sea-
wothiness which the wooden chasers
lacked II was about 200 feet long, and
built of steel.
The British also built small chaser
known as a Motor Launch. which was
only so to 100 feet in length, and had
speed of about 20 knots These boats
also proved useful as submarine patrols,
but few of the submarines were killed
by them
pErrH BOMBS DID uoRK.
The destroyer, using depth bombs in
quantity, was the thing that beat the
submarine. ItWAs greatly aided by mines,
and TO some extent by nets. The great
mine field. laid largely by Americans,
which extended from the South Shet
lands to Norway. made it exceedingly
difficult and dangerous for the submarines
TO come southwark.
Nets were not as affective as mines
because the later submarines all carried
net cutters, and were such big heavy
boats that no net could hold them any
way. The most effective nets were
those which were built 10 tear loose when
a submarine hit one. while At the same
time a small bomb was fired by the impact
Both the explos ion Of the bomb and the
dragging net revealed the presence of the
submarine 10 waiting patrols, and dcs-
troycrs then went III pursuit.
Besides the LAYING of large part Of
the mine barTage, the Americans made
an important contribution To the science
nf U-boat fighting in that they initiated
the practice OF carrying depth bombs in
Quantity The English destroycrs common
" carried only eight or ten bombs The
Amesssans began carrying 80 to 100.
and using them with true American
extravaganza.
As is generally known. the depth
bomb is powerful explosive shell, pro
vided with a piston mech anism which
is operated by the pressure of the water
As the pressure OF water at any given
depth is known, the bomb may be set
to go off at 40 to 100 feet below the
surfaoe-the levels between which the
submarine usually operates. These bombs
were carried in cradles at the sterns OF
the destroyers, and could be released bv
q lever on the bridge The explosion Of