The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-03-23
1350-Ton Underseas Boat
Second to Take Water
Under 1884 Program
Bv OTTO JANSEN
IIu;.oI Pycss Staff CORRESPONDENT

limited Press Staff Correspondents
WASHINGTON, Mar. %. CUP.
Tba now l. s. submarine "ShaP-
nnr" second of a series OF SIX
T25O-ton underwater craft au-
tbnriqcd in 1884, is said to pos
sess improvements when TO
LARGE extent overcome the dG1ecIS
that made the German U-bOatS
vulnerable to depth charges our
ing the World wal. -.
REPORTS from survivors OF diS-
,bled German submarines md
Gated that depth changes rarely
caused serious damage ana tha'
relatively small improvements IN
design would greatly offset the
effects of underwater bombs.
Among the suggestions Wef"
that submarines be made heavier.
The German U-boatS were gen
orally of about 1000 tons. II IS
believed the additional tonnage III
the new [. s. submarines IS
chiefly Il result Of this kn"Wi-
edge. , 90
Il is estimated that about 3".-
coo depth charges were dropped
bv Allied ships in their desperate
FIGHT against submarines, but
ONLY 3& Of the underwater cr&it
were sunk. Thus, an average o.
1000 charges were used 10 de-
Stroy one U-boat.
EI(rl
CITED
Admiral Jclicoc asserted that
depth charge exploding WITHIN
Ii feet of a submarine would de-
stroy it; one discharging within
! rs feet would disable it, and one
exploding within 60 feet wou!d
( have "dcmorali2ing' effect.
1t is reported that 81 charges
were used against one German
submarine without amy serious ell
feet.
The first recorded use Of u
depth charge was on July 20,
1915, when the British armed
trawlers Quickly and Gunner
made al unsuccessful attack
against 4 German U-boat.
The first successful use Of q
depth charge came about a year
| later when the British motorShip
Salmon located the German sub
marine UC-7 with hydrophones
and sank it with one charge. 1t is
I believed the bomb detonated the
mines in the enemy's mine chuteS.
When the United States enter
ed the war this country's depth
charges contained only 30 pounds
| of explosives. 1t was soon reaIiz-
ed. however, that this was made
quate and the amount was in
creased to 800 pounds. This was
! the standard charge used through
out the war. A 600-pounder was
; developed late in 1918, but it APP
parently was neveIrused. u": '
LOG BOOKS STUDIED ,,H
Accounts of the effects of
depth charges on U-bOats, obtain
ed from log books and converse
tons with members Of the sub
marines crews, show that in
many cases the damage might
easily have been avoided through
! slight improvements. In other
cases, the submarines were de-
stroyed by gunfire after the ship
reached the surface.
This was true in the case Of the
| UC-38, which was sunk in the
! Aegean sea by gunfire from
French destroyerS after depth
charges had been dropped.
, The first charges stopped all
! the clocks aboard the underwater
craft and caused Il leak in the
hatch cover. The sceping water
short-circuitcd a motor and put
the pumps out Of commission.
Another bomb put out the
lights and decommisioned the sec
ond motor. The commander de-
cided to bring his craft to the
surface, where it was sunk by
shells. Eight of the crew were
lost
I The U-11O was sunk off the
coast of Ireland by Inns. Mich
ael in March, 1918, by similar
/ means.
ASSET TO GUNNERS
The U-boat had torpedoed an
Allied ship and dived when a de-
stroyer was sighted. The destroy
er dropped a charge, shaking the
U-boat violently and putting the
diving ruddcr out Of commission.
1t came to the surface and was
sunk by Shell-fire.
Thc sinking OF the UC-26 ir
the English Channel in May