New-York tribune., 1921-02-02
Submarine-Our Weapon
United States Is in Most Favorable
Situation for Its Use
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: The one result of greatest import
Of the World War is the doubtful quality
of the term command Of the seas"
No longer does that trte saying apply
in its broadest sense, for the subma ne
has put the means Of challenging mari-
time supremacy into the hands Of the
weaker powers.
The late war brought out the fact that
there were but two basic means Of com
batting the submarine enemy.
/. To catch him at his bases by blo,k-
ade or mines.
Q. To bring him to action By ths
convoy system.
The physical characteristics of our
coast line are such as to provide us with
an abundance of possible bases, the
blockade OF any number of which, by
means OF mine fields or otherwise, offers
an lnsuperable obstacle 90 any nation
or group Of nations Our island posses-
sions similarly are difficult to blockade.
The convoy system, granting our pos
slble enemy or enemies the command
of the seas in its accepted sense prior
to the World War, offers no imp reg
rable front to submarine attacks. The
necessity the latter entails of convoy
ing every vessel or group Of vessels
from overseas in itself presents prob
lem of tremendous significance, de-
tracing as 1t does from the support
and defense Of the enemies main feet,
and further affecting the type and de-
sign Of destroyer, admittedly the only
effective convoy, thus scrapping most
types in service to-day whose cruisinr
radius and depth bomb capacity are In
sufficient In this wise Surface CON
troll" is in itself imperiled.
With properly fortified submarine
bases upon the sites now available
both in the Atlantic and Pacific. our
submarine would lie athwart the lines
of communication of the world. Hence
overseas operations Of any magnitude
directed against this country are I'M
practicable, provided our submarine
force is maintained at its proper
strength, which strength should not
fal! below 800 vessels.
Therefore the urgent necessity Of an
adequate and well manned submarine
force is evident, or should be evident,
to those responsible for such matters
in national affairs. Yet the construc-
ton of submarines is taperinR off. with
thu taaCnna of %ba i
gested and half the world In arms and.
If anything, hostile to ourselves No$
only is the submarine building program
drawing to a close, but there is q
marked tendency on the part of the
Administration to throw the few re-
naming contracts to the navy yards,
thus ignoring the private companies
who have given their all TO the devel-
opment Of the submarine.
In Germany it will be noted that dur.
ing the war, although the navy yards
we're under no such stress of work as
devoived upon those Of the Allied ma
tions, yet but one navy yard, the i'm
rerial Dock Yard at Dantzig, was en-
EASS SA Ail ll4S GOllS ~ hNk4CA u HADLan~
rines.
Our position as continental nation,
entirely self-supporting, with sub.
marine force and bases lying athwast
the Communications of the. world, as
opposed to that of our potential enc
mics, island powers both, dependent for
their very existence upon overseas
commerce, leads TO the conclusion that
In times of peace an adequate subma~
rine force, with two or mere private
yards to supply the nucleus necessary
to expansion in war, is in itself guar
anty of peace and security TO these
United States. NAUTILUS
New York, Jan. 80, 1921.