Evening star., 1942-06-07

The curve of ship sinkings, which has
been sharply upward in recent months,
Is expected by Navy Department spokes-
men to turn downward in July when
new patrol and escort boats will be COM
pleted and ready to combat the sub
marine menace.
At the same time that they say this,
however, naval officers caution that no
convoy patrol system can ever be per-
feet, and that sinkings will continue
no matter how many new planes and
naval vessels are added.
While headlines would indicate the
contrary, sinkings have declined in re-
cent weeks, it is said at the Navy De-
partment. A ship officially reported
sunk today may have been torpedoed
weeks or even months ago, so that the
recent furry of headlines means little,
it is explained. But no substantial drop
can be expected, officers stress, until
patrol and naval vessels now being fitted
are ready for sea duty.
Three weeks ago, by executive order,
naval commanders were put in full
authority over the patrol system carried
out by planes and ships of the Army,
the Coast Guard and the Navy. Until
that step was taken, the patrol system
was snarled in miles of red tape which
greatly retarded its functioning.
Coordination Sought Now.
Now the inshore patrol, which consists
Of far-ranging bombing planes, a few
blimps, small, fast E-boats and a very
limited number of destroyers and other
naval vessels, is being co-ordinated.
This patrol will be greatly augmented
at the end of June and in July, when
vessels now nearing completion will be
put in service. The number of de-
stroyers will be increased, as will the
number of torpedo boats. The latter
will be somewhat larger than the type
now in use, approaching the size of the
corvette which the Canadians and the
British have found effective in fighting
the submarine.
Essentially the Navy puts its trust not
in patrols but in convoy by naval vessels
equipped to destroy U-boats. AS new
vessels become available, the convoy sys-
tern will be extended, the ideal of the
Navy Department being to escort every
merchant ship that leaves an American
port. Until the system can be widely
extended the rate of sinkings will re-
main relatively high.
The submarine problem today is en-
nrely different from that of the last
war, naval authorities point out. Due
to increased range of German subma-
rines, the U-boats are operating off our
Eastern shore, in the Caribbean, in the
Gulf of Mexico and tine South Atlantic
In numbers almost as great as they oper-
ated in the last war off British shores.
Thus does the growth of technical and
mechanical skills overcome the handi-
caps of distance, with the water barriers
growing smaller every year.
Coast Campaign Failed in 1918.
The German campaign, by means OF
submarines on the Atlantic Coast of the
United States. so far as concerned the
major operations Of the war, was fail
ure,' a report Of the Navy Department
says In analyzing operations in 1917 and
1918, Every transport and cargo vessel
bound for Europe sailed as if no such
campaign was in progress. All coastwise
shipping sailed as per schedule, little
more care in routing vessels being OBJ
served. There was no interruption to the
coast patrol, which, on the contrary, be-
came rather more active The small YES
sells of the submarine chaser and con-
verted yacht types, armed with very
small guns but provided with depth
charges, secured the coast regardless of
the fact that the enemy submarines were
equipped with ordnance very much heav-
Ter than their own. There was no stam-
pede on the Atlantic Coast; no excite
ment; everything went on in the usual
calm way and, above all, the enemy ex-
pedition of the Atlantic Coast did not
succeed in retaining on the Atlantic
Coast any vessels that had been designed
for duty in European waters"
Then only a few submarines got over
to this side. Their cruising range was
comparatively small and the relatively
slight damage they did was for the most
part from floating mines which they
released in or near crowded ship lanes.