Evening star., 1939-09-18
Conveys and Guns
Expected 10 Meet
Submarine Threat
Sinking Of Neutral
Vessels by Mistake
Feared, However
By COL. FREDERICK PALMER.

1t was undestricted submarine
warfare as the climax, after the
Lusitania tragedy and other sink
ings, that Was the direct cause of
our entry into the World War. Again
the periscope pricks the surface of
the sea above the shelves of tor
pedoes ready for discharge.
At the outset of the World War
the German made little use of
undersea warfare against merchant
men. This time, evidently, the
U-boats were already through the
North Sea at their stations along
British trade routes, all set to strike
the minute war was declared. The
British could not have been caught
altogether unaware, but 1t will take
time to re-establish their defenses
of 1917-18.
After the arrival of our Admiral
Sims in London in April, 1917. and
we were in the war, he had the
truth from Sir John Jellicoe in
sailor candor. For the sake of
allied morale, the Admiralty reports
had given the number q ships, but
not the tonnage, lost since the be-
ginning of unrestricted submarine
warfare. At the then current rate
Britain would be starved of food
and war supplies and munitions
into submission in from to II
months. In February the total ton
mage lost had been $4,000: in
March, 100000, and the estimate
for April was 100000
Fought With Depth Bombs.
The best answer so far was depth
bombs, dropped from naval de-
stroyers. We rushed our destroyers
in reinforcement of the British, who
found that in their experience our
own depth bombs were too small
Our destroyers adapted their fittings
for larger bombs and we're off on
the chase.
In room in the British admiral
ty, an American naval offer was
soon working with a British officer
in coordination over their charts
They had immediate word by wire
less where U-boat had been spot
ted. They directed merchant ships
to points of rendezvous where they
would have the protection of cruisers
and destroyers in convoy through
the danger zone.
At first, the stubborn British mer-
chant shippers had resisted adoption
of the convoy system. They resented
the waste of time involved in wait
ing for the ships to gather for the
convoy. They said they were not
naval officers trained and accus-
toned to navigate their ships in
close formations. There were bound
to be collisions.
To this, the reply was that, as
the ships were all going in the same
direction, there might be bumps, but
nothing so serious as a torpedo eX-
plosion in hull under the water
line.
Many British naval officers were
lukewarm toward the convoy system
but Sir John was strong for it, and
when he won the support of Admiral
Sims, it was applied. We know how
the submarine menace was mas
tered to make the British trade
routes safe, and our transport OF
troops to France.
Background for Present.
All this is history, but also val
liable background for the present
situation, since the same means OF
defense apply now as in the World
War. 1t is significant that many OF
the merchant SbipS 1oSt IL, tbic mo ,
were sunk by gunfire from U-boats
and that the Aquitania arrived in
New York with two 3-inch guns
mounted
When a submarine can use gun
fire to compel surrender of ship
and then sink it, a submarine is in
the position of a cruiser. 1t need
fire none of its six or eight, or, at
most, 10, torpedoes. But, once a
merchant ship is armed with 3-inch
guns, the submarine is small, frail
target, which must instantly SUBJ
merge.
Lacking supplies of new guns, the
British surely have in store the still
serviceable guns with which their
merchant ships were armed in the
World War and do not lack naval re-
serve gun pointers and can train
merchant crews to man them. Thus
all the British merchant ships scat
tered over the seven seas at the
outbreak of the war will be armed
when they reach British ports.
Against convoy a submarine has