Evening star., 1950-04-10

but officers said that this was the
longest underwater run they hac
ever heard Of.
The precise time during which
the submarine, the Pickerel, re-
lied on its snorkel breathing
apparatus was given as sos hours,
one hour over 81 days.
Importance Stressed.
The achievement, disclosed as
the submarine service prepared to
celebrate its 50th anniversary to-
morrow, pointed up the growing
Importance being attached to
undersea craft by Navy planners.
Recent tests showing that sub
marines can be used to launch
guided missiles have made them
a threat against coastal targets
as well as sea commerce, thereby
stepping up their potentialities in
any future war.
At Pearl Harbor, Comdr. Paul
r. Schratz Of the Pickerel called
the long voyage "all in the days
work, just q routine test"
He was asked whether the sub
could be seen on the cruise, and
without celebrating he said: 1--WE
had indications to the contrary"
Pickerel Is New Craft.
The Pickerel was built at the
Portsmouth, N. H., naval shipyard
and was commissioned April 4,
1949. She went to the Pacific
Fleet last fall.
The Snorkel apparatus with
which the latest United States
subs are equipped is a breathing
tube which extends to the surface.
1t was developed by Germany dur
ing the war. from a Dutch idea.
BY using the device, the SUBJ
marine can operate under the sur
face on its diesel engines, which
give 1t much more speed than can
be had from the electric motors
previously relied upon for sub
merged runs.
There is the added advantage
OF not having to come up to re-
charge batteries exhausted by the
motors.
Fuel Supplies Only Limit.
Thus with the Snorkel equip
ment the time submarine can
stay down has little limitation
other than fuel supplies.
Pressure is beng applied in
this country to development of
means to stretch that limit al
most infinitely by application Of
atomic power.
Work is progressing on such an
engine which would lift even the
fuel and batteries requirement.
An atomic c-operated engine would
operate indefinitely without re-
fueling, for all practical purposes.
The Westinghouse Corp. has
acknowledged that it is working
on an atomic power plant, but its
development is expected to take
from two to ten years.
American interest in submarine
and anti-submarine devices has
been spurred by reports that Rus
STA Is building the worlds mighti-
est underSea f1eet-eStimated cur
rently at $50 to 800 vessels, only
q small percentage OF these are
said to be snorkel-equipped.
German Plans Captured.
Like this country, Russia is re-
ported to have captured German
plans for hydrogen peroxide en-
gine that would require no breath
ing tube at all. What is being
done in that field either here or
in the Soviet Union has been kept
secret.
Along with submarine develop
ment work. the United States
~>@VS 40 PuoiAAlS OClCllSS Ul6dSUTcS
against undersea craft.
Admiral Forrest Sherman. chief
OF naval operations, has assigned
Vice Admiral Francis S. Low, war
time chief Of anti-submarine work.
to survey needs in that field. And
Admiral Sherman himself has
said that the Nays No. / project
right now is to get more patrol
planes and destroyers-both major
weapons against submarines
back into the active fleet.
Along the same line Rear Ad-
miral c. B. Momsen, assistant
chief of naval operations for
undersea warfare, said in an ad-
dress here March 81 that he has
reason to believe there will be an
early development which will en-
able the United States to drive
submarines of the seas"
Pneumonia Victim