Evening star., 1942-05-24
BY Clarke Beach,
Wide World.

Wide World.
The United States apparently Is pre-
pairing to strike q mortal blow at Japan
beneath tho surface Of the sea.
The submarine is to be the weapon
An increase In the submarine fleet of
more than so per cent has been au-
thorized, and thus the pigboat spurts
forward many lengths in its long
struggle for recognition.
Like that other Goth century develop
ment in three-dimensional warfare. the
airplane, the submarine throughout its
short life has had an uphill fight in its
effort to gain acceptance. 1t has bucked
the traditional viewpoints OF naval men
who gave the submarine a low rating
compared to surface warships. And at
many a naval conference attempts have
been made, usually by the British, with
their large vulnerable merchant marine.
to outlaw the submarine as inhumane
and cowardly.
A 200, O,0OO-ton increase in the fleet has
been authorized by Congress, envisaging
an expenditure Of about 100000 900.
Under this program, Congress was told,
the Navy Department intends to con-
struct submarines.
Japanese Shipping Is Target.
Observers have no doubt that japanese
shipping is to. be the main target OF the
undersea vessels. While submarines are
widely used for scouting and mine-laying
and have been employed occasionally
to attack other warships and to shell
seacoast towns, their most important
purpose is to sink the enemy's merchant
ships.
As the Germans have no considerable
amount of merchant shipping on the
seas, the merchant fleet against which
the American submarines will be sent
undoubtedly will be that of Japan. Al
ready considerable number OF Jap
cargo vessels have been sunk by
United States undersea craft.
Shipping represents the fatal weak
ness of Nippon's new mushroom empire
Her merchant feet and shipbuilding re-
sources were never ample for an island
nation at war; yet her new conquests
have rendered her infinitely weaker in
that respect.
At the beginning of the war, her
problem was chiefly to maintain SNORT
compact lines of communication with
the mainland. Now, however, with her
armies and her fleet strung out over an
arc thousands of miles to the south,
her communication lines are a vast
network. Supplies and renforcementS
must be sent in great quantity over the
long sea lanes. The oil and other raw
materials she has acquired in the con-
ouered territories must be transported
to Japan to be processed, then shipped
back to the far-away battlefronts.
To carry these cargoes, Japan had at
the start of the war stable merchant
marine. the third largest in the world
the British coming first and the United
States second. But her power to replace
slnken vessels was limited Outsiders
estimate she could build no more than
400 900 tons of merchant ships year,
her chief handicap being scarcity of
steel. The Japanese claimed they could
build 100000 tons; but even this is an
insignificant figure compared to the
present American program. We plan
to construct 100000 tons Of shipping
this year.
Each Jap ship sunk by American pig
boats will be body blow at the f1imsy
new empire, and the loss will be prac-
tically irreplaceable.
So important role for the submarine,
traditionally weapon for an inferior
seapower, is a new wrinkle in American
naval strategy. In the old conception
Of the strategy Of war with Japan,
the surface fleets of the United States
based at Pearl Harbor and of the Allies
with bases in the China Sea were to
keep the japanese feet immobilized at
her home bases and her merchant fleet
blockaded. Submarines would merely
aid in the slow war of attrition against
the few ships that might venture away
from the islands.
The Best Weapon.
But with the China Sea bases in
Japanese hands, the Allied surface
fleets in that area have been banished;
and with Japanese land-based planes,
which are lethal to warships. ready to
pounce on any Allied warships that sail
into that area, the submarine becomes
the only efficient sea weapon with which
to attack the Japanese communication
lanes.
1t can keep out of sight and spring on
its prey In quick surprise attacks, lying
underwater by day, observing through
its periscope, and coming to the surface
at night to charge its batteries and give
its crew q chance to stretch their les,
take baths and get some fresh air.
So far as fuel is concerned, the cruis-
ing radius of submarines is almost un-
limited. From that standpoint, the
submarine is the most self-sustaining OF
warships. The factor which limits the
length of its cruises Is crew morale.
Cramped in the smallest possible quar-
ters, never seeing the light Of day, never
touching a port nor receiving mail, the
subs personnel gradually wears down.
In the As to 80 days for which the ships
now stay out, the crew members lose from
8 to 20 pounds and come back pale and
pretty well worn out.
Those based on Hawaii are taken out
to Waikiki Beach as soon as they dock
and are lodged at one of the most lux
urious hotels in the world. They get
tan, fatten up and lead the life Of Riley
for some weeks before they dive under
sea again.