Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07

Uncle Sans ne,U submarine, I'll
UNCLE SANS newest undersea boat.
the VS.. is taking her maiden cruise
somewhere along the American
Her officers and crew. stretched at
ease or manipulating the controls while tina
ship rides smoothly in water SO or 100 feet
below a raging surface storm, do not sail with
all the shadows OF death that have lurked
hitherto in submarine.
For the VS., says the Navy in all modesty
is probably the safest ship that ever sailed
under the sea- From the original American
submarines under 100 feet in length this new
vessel has been developed into an armor-plated
fish which is 371 feet long with 33-foot beam.
drawing Is feet of water when it rides ike
o surface craft.
The VS. represents the technical genius of
the Navy combined with the best engineering
talent of the country. While great many
details Of her construction and equipment are
held secret, enough facts have been passed by
the Navy censor to show that the vessel pro-
vides comforts for its personnel and Is dan
gerous weapon against an enemy.
In making provisions against the dangers
which have trapped men in sunken subs and
doomed them to slow death by suffocation or
drowning, the VS. has been equipped with
more than 100 safety devices Of various kinds.
Machinery and controls have been multiplied
in series in order to give the men a chance
for life against any conceivable accident or
damage which is short of complete destruction
THERE is an extra lung" for every member
of the crew. The 'lung' is a new SUBJ
marine escape appliance, something like gas
mask, which goes over the head and gives
man protection as he swins up to safety from
Q crippled underSea craft
There are three periscopes, an arrangement
which enables the ship to be unanswered di-
rectly to an objective even If one or two Of
'the periscopes are broken or the sections in
which one or two Of the periscopes are located
in some way rendered unsafe.
The VS. has three escape matches: one
through the coming tower and the others for
ward and aft from the torpedo room. These
matches are so arranged that in case of an
emergency it will be possible to save the en-
tire crew.
series of compartments or escape locks
are built into these matches. A number OF the
crew with extra lungs" might pass through
these series of locks At the last lock there
is door which permits the men to escape
from the vessel into the sea.
When the men leave, this door can be closed
from the inside, after which the water is
pumped from the compartment and the other
members of the crew advance into it.
The doors into the sea can be opened from
inside the lock as well as from inside the ship.
This makes 1t possible for the last man to
leave by opening the door himself,
In the control room-the nerve center of
the ships found Metal Mike" automatic
steering mechanism connected with gyroscope.
When metal Mike" Is set for a course che"
holds the vessel TO it more closely than any
quartermaster who twirled a wheel, and
he needs attention. Metal Mike" makes
it possible to steer under water with greater
percision than ever before.
Besides this robot helmsman, there are banks
of valves which control every piece of ma
chinery board the vessel. The craft is di-
vded into series Of bulkheads, which can be
shut off from each other instantly and become
alright and watertight. Between each bulk
head there is a complete set Of automatic and
manual controls which permit the vessel to be
Unanswered from any Of a number of
places in case of situation in which the other
bulkheads are damaged
These controls also operate the ventilating
system. the diving and raising machinery and
the communication system. AS result of
these multiple control systems, the VS. can be
damaged in number of places and yet the
men can maintain life, handle the ship and
operate the communication system for contact
with any ships outside and arrange for the
rescue of the crew.
The VS. carries a most sensitive radio appa-
ratus. not only for sending and receiving mes
sages. but also for listening to the approach Of
enemy vessels while 1t lies submerged.
Compared to other "subs" and, in fact, some