The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-06-06


submarines to thwart the long
planned Allied invasion of his
Fortress Europe" But his trump
wasn't high enough. The United
Nations drew a higher hand. For
months now, Allied sea and air
forces have been destroying u
boats faster than Germany can
build them and preventing those
escaping destruction from doing
much harm. Some ships are still
being sunk but they are compare
lively few in number; fewer, in
fact, than the number Of U-boats
that are being destroyed.
The exact number Of merchant
ships available is not known. But
this is certain from production fig-
ures, available: The so-calleu
bridge of ships" which did so much
to bring victory to the Allies in the
last war was a narrow catwalk
compared to the great merchant
armada spanning the Atlantic today.
When Germany threw its great
U-boat fleet into what 1t thought
was a decisive phase of the war,
it challenged not only the fighting
men Of the United States and its
Allies, but the American working
men and women. These figures tell
what happened:
In 1912, American shipyards
alone produced 746 merchant ships
totaling 8,089,732 tons.
In 1914, the program calls for
100000 tons.
The shipyards responsible for
the bridge Of ships in the last
war were able to turn out only 773
ships in 1918. They delivered 952
in 1915 but by then the war was
over and those ships never got to
play part in the conflict.
But the shipping situation in this
war was not always as rosy as now.
For a time, it appeared that the
U-boats would win the race with
our shipyards.
During 1912, according to a
United Press compilation based on
official announcements, $40 mer-
chant ships were sunk by German
U-boats and Hitler's landbased
long-range planes. The chances
are the actual figure, when released,
will be greater than that.
All told, the United Press COM
pilation showed, $40 merchant
ships have been sunk through mid
February, 1914. OF this number,
772 were sent down in the Atlantic.
Indication that the overall total
of ship losses is greater than has
been announced was given by Rear
Adm. Emory S. Land, chairman OF
the U. S. Maritime Commission,
who said early this year that as of
December, 1913, the ship produc-
ton of the United Nations was
then equal to all the worlds mer-
chant sinkings.
Germany's all out submarine
campaign did not get started until
January, 1912. 1t had been busy
building up a great fleet Of U-boats,
even at the expense of other naval
construction. Unofficial reports in
dicated that approximately Is sub
marines a month were being turned
out by yards in Germany and con-
quered territories.
During the first year of the bat
tie of the Atlantic, the Allies were
hard-pressed. They found them
selves desperately short of convoy
escort craft and long-range air.
craft. The German U-boats had a
field day, particularly off the U. s.
east coast. where ships had to travel
unescorted because protective YES
sells were needed for the trans-At-
lantic convoy service.
But summer of 1912. the Navy and
Army had perfected anti-subma-
rine methods. Using everything 1t
had in the way of small craft, the
Navy began escorting coastal con-
voys. Army and Navy planes CO.
ordinated their offshort patrol ac-
tivities. BY the fall of the year. the
U-boats were finding 1t tougher and
! began moving into other areas.
Meanwhile the Navy gave top
priority to the construction Of spec
cial types Of hundred sof anti-sub-
marine vessels destroyer-escorts,
frigates. patrol boats and corvettes,
1t turned to the building OF dozens
OF escort aircraft carriers.
BY the latter part of 1912, the
submarine menace had been
brought sufficiently under control
to permit United States participa-
ton In the invasion OF North
Africa.
Then last year, as definite plans
for the western front invasion be-
gan TO terminate. the battle of the
Atlantic took new. important
turn. The Allies switched from
protective tactics" to q war OF
determination against the U-boats.
Special escort carrier task forces
were turned loose TO see kout and
destroy U-boats wherever they
could be found. These were supple
mented by the huge fleet Of anti
submarine surface ships and long
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