The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-09-28
Describes School


in Il statement to the Associated
Press. explained the work of the
submarine school. and gave informa-
tion concerning the six officers
aboard the S-5l at the time of the
collision:
The submarine training school
for officers is established for the
purpose of giving all officers detail
ed instructions in submarines before
they are permanently transferred to
submarine duty,' he said.
THE students Of the present class
range from Lieutenant commander
+. W. Strother. with ~ years Naval
service. to the cnsigns OF the class
Of 1923 with six years Naval ser
vice, including four years at the
Naval academy.
Minimum Service
mo officer may enter the sub
marine school who has had less than
two years sea service since gradua-
tion from the Naval academy and all
officers. no matter what their rank
or experience, must go through the
submarine school before being
ordered to permanent duty on sub
marines"
.'In the last two years, captains,
commanders and lieutenant comman-
dcrs have been students at the school
as we'll as lieutenants, lieutcnants
lJ. G.) and ensigns. The term
student officer used in describing the
officers of the school. may have been
misleading but it should be under
stood thoroughly that they are
simply students Of marine duties
and not Of their general service
duties. All the officers who were on
u. S. S. S-5l, at the time she sunk
were fully quilted in surface ship
duties and to stand watch as officers
of the deck. In addition three Of the
six officers had considerable sub
marine experience and the other
three had already had two months
training in submarines.
Operating on Surface
'At the TING that the S-5l was
sunk, She was operating as sur
face vessel and there is no doubt in
our minds that responsibility for the
collision rests solely on the shoulders
of the City Of Rome. From the re-
ports of her officers, our present
knowledge of the collision. and the
statements of passengers, as re-
ported to US, it is clear that the
City of Rome either:
Il. Assumed that she was meeting a
small commercial vessel which could
be robbed of her right Of away by the
larger passenger vessel, or,
"2. That the officers on watch on
the City of Rome, incompetently fail
ed to reconize that two vessels were
drawing dangerously close until it
was too late for the City of Rome to
take the proper moves to yield to the
S-5l her right of away due the rela-
tive positions of the two vessels or
took the wrong measures when it
was seen that collision was immi-
nent.
Praise Sub Crew
"There is no evidence to show or
reason to believe that the officers OF
the S-5l did not handle their vesseI
properly as was expected of officers
of their training and experience. 1t
is undoubtedly the truth that the
lubberly handling of the City of
Rome after the collision, the failure
of her searchlights and the slowness
with which her boat reached the
points where the men from the Ssh
were in the water was responsible
for the loss of at least three lives.
The survivors claim to have been in
the water for one hour and fifteen
minutes before they were picked up.
There can be no excuse for such de-
Law"