2 - Introductory Essay, Part 2. The Journal of Submarine Commander Von Forstner, by George-Gunther Freiherr von Forstner.
The Journal of Submarine Commander Von Forstner is a graphic account of WWI submarine warfare. Forstner was the commander of German U-boat U-28. His journal, first published 1916, gives a gritty picture of daily life inside a submarine and details several torpedo attacks on Allied shipping. The 1917 translation of Forstner’s journal into English was unquestionably intended to bolster the Allied war effort. In the foreword, the translator states: “Nothing at the present day has aroused such fear as this invisible enemy, nor has anything outraged the civilized world like the tragedies caused by the German submarines.”
The Journal of Submarine Commander Von Forstner is a graphic account of WWI submarine warfare. Forstner was the commander of German U-boat U-28. His journal, first published 1916, gives a gritty picture of daily life inside a submarine and details several torpedo attacks on Allied shipping. The 1917 translation of Forstner’s journal into English was unquestionably intended to bolster the Allied war effort. In the foreword, the translator states: “Nothing at the present day has aroused such fear as this invisible enemy, nor has anything outraged the civilized world like the tragedies caused by the German submarines.”
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Part two of an introductory essay by John Hayes Hammond
Junior to the Journal of Submarine Commander von Forstner. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Recording by Sue Anderson. The Journal of
(00:25):
Submarine Commander von Forstner by Georg Gunter Freher von Forstner,
translated by Anna Kraft's Codmen, with commentary by John Hayes
Hammond Junior, Part two of the introductory essay, The Challenge
of Naval Supremacy. Obviously, the first method of handling the
(00:46):
submarine problem would be to bottle the German under sea
craft in their bases. There has been a number of
proposals as to how best to accomplish this. It has
been stated that the English Navy has planted mines in
channels leading from Zebruga and other submarine bases. But it
is necessary only to recall the exploits of the E
(01:08):
eleven and the E fourteen of the British Navy at
the Dardenelles to see that it would not be impossible
for the Germans to pass in their U boats through
these mine fields into the open sea. It will be
remembered that the E eleven and the E fourteen passed
through five or more mine fields, thence through the Dardenelles
(01:29):
into the Sea of Marmora and even into the Bosporus
under seemingly impossible conditions. Yet in spite of the tremendous
risks that they ran, these boats continued their operations for
some time, passing up as far as Constantinople, actually shelling
the city, sinking transports, and accomplishing other feats which have
(01:51):
been graphically described in the stories of Rudyard Kipling and again.
If the mine fields were placed in close proximity to
their bases, it would be comparatively easy for German submersibles
of the Lake type, possessing appliances to enable divers to
pass outboard when the vessel is submerged, to go out
and cut away the mines and thus render them ineffective.
(02:15):
Nets are also used to hinder the outward passage of
the submarine. These nets can likewise be attacked and easily
cut by devices with which modern U boats are equipped.
The problem of placing these obstacles is a difficult one
in view of the fact that the ships so engaged
are harassed by German destroyers and other enemy craft. Outside
(02:38):
of Zebuga, shallow water extends to a distance of about
five miles from the coast, and it has been suggested
that a large number of aircraft carrying bombs and torpedoes
should be used to patrol systematically the channel leading from
that port to deep water, with the intent of attacking
the submersibles as they emerge from this It is ridiculous
(03:02):
to suppose that the Germans would not be able to
concentrate an equally large number of aircraft, to be supported
also by anti aircraft guns on the decks of destroyers
and by the coast defenses. We have not yet won
the supremacy of the air and it must inevitably be
misleading to base any proposition on the assumption that we
(03:26):
are masters of that element. The problem of bottling up
the submersibles is enormously difficult because it necessitates operations in
the enemy's territory where he would possess the superiority of power.
I believe that the question of operations against the submarine
bases is not a naval but a military one, and
(03:50):
one which would be best solved by the advance of
the western left flank of the Allied armies. The second
method is to attack the submarine with every appliance that
science can produce. In order to attack the submarine directly
with any weapon, it is necessary first to locate it.
(04:11):
This is a problem presenting the greatest difficulty, for it
is by their elusiveness that the submarines have gained such
importance in their war on trade. They attack the more
or less helpless merchant ships and vanish before the armed
patrols appear on the scene. Almost every suitable appliance known
(04:33):
to physics has been proposed for the solution to the
problem of submarine location and detection. As the submarine is
a huge vessel built of metal, it might be supposed
that such a contrivance as the Hue's induction balance might
be employed to locate it. The Hues balance is a
device which is extremely sensitive to the presence of minute
(04:55):
metallic masses in relatively close proximity to certain parts of
the apperation. Unfortunately, on account of the presence of the
souline sea water, the submersible is practically shielded by a
conducting medium in which are set up at ey currents.
Although the seawater may lack somewhat in conductivity, it compensates
(05:16):
for this by its volume. For this reason, the induction
balance has proved a failure. But another method of detecting
the position of a metallic mass is by the use
of the magnetometer. This device operates on the principle of
magnetic attraction, and in laboratories on stable foundations, it is
(05:38):
extremely sensitive, but the instability of the ship on which
it would be necessary to carry this instrument would render
it impossible to obtain a sufficient degree of sensitiveness in
the apparatus to give it any value. The fact that
the submersible is propelled underwater by powerful electric motors begets
(05:59):
the idea that the electrical disturbances therein might be detected
by highly sensitive detectors of feeble electrical oscillations. The seawater
in this case will be found to absorb to a
tremendous extent the effects of the electrical disturbance. Moreover, the
metallic hull of the submersible forms in itself an almost
(06:22):
ideal shield to screen the outgoing effect of these motors.
Considerable and important development has been made in the creation
of sensitive sound receiving devices to hear the propeller vibrations
and the mechanical vibrations that are present in a submersible,
both of which are transmitted through the water. There are
(06:44):
three principal obstacles to the successful use of such a device.
When the submersible is submerged, she employs rotary and not
reciprocating prime movers, being in consequence, relatively quiet when running
underwater and in audible at any considerable distance. The noises
of the vessel carrying the listening devices are difficult to exclude,
(07:08):
as are also the noises of the sea, which are multitudinous. Finally,
the sound receiving instruments are not highly directive, hence are
not of great assistance in determining the position of the
object from which they are receiving sounds. To locate the submersible,
aerial observation has been found useful. It is particularly so
(07:32):
when the waters are clear enough to observe the vessel
when submerged to some depth, but its value is less
than might be supposed in the waters about the British
Isles and northern Europe, where there is a great deal
of matter in suspension, which makes the sea unusually opaque.
The submersible, however, when running along the surface with only
(07:53):
its periscope showing, is more easily detected by aircraft than
by a surface vessel. Behind the periscope there is a
characteristic small wake which is distinguishable from above but practically
invisible from a low level of observation. Many seaplanes are
operating on the other side for the purpose of locating
(08:15):
enemy submersibles and reporting their presence to the surface patrol craft.
In order to overcome the disadvantages of creating the periscope
wake which I have mentioned. It is reported that the
Germans have developed special means to allow the U boats
when rating, to submerge to a fixed depth without moving.
(08:38):
To maintain any body in a fluid medium in a
static position is a difficult matter, as is shown in
the instability of aircraft. One of the great problems of
the submersible has been to master the difficulties of its
control while maintaining a desired depth. The modern submersible usually
(08:58):
forces itself under water while still in a slightly buoyant
condition by its propellers and by the action of two
sets of rudders or hydroplanes, which are arranged along its
superstructure and which tend to force it below the surface
when they are given a certain inclination. But should the
(09:19):
engines stop, the diving rudders or hydroplanes would become ineffective, and,
because of the reserve buoyancy in the hull, the vessel
would come to the surface. In order to maintain the
vessel in a state of suspension under water without moving,
it would be necessary to hold an extremely delicate balance
(09:40):
between the weight of the submarine and that of the
water which it displaces. Variations in weights are so important
to the submersible that as fuel is used, water is
allowed to enter certain tanks to compensate exactly for the
loss of the weight of the fuel. Obtain such an equilibrium,
(10:02):
an automatic device, controlled by the pressure of the water,
which of course varies with the depth is used. This
device controls the pumps which fill or empty the ballast tanks,
so as to keep the relation of the submersible to
the water which it displaces constant, under which condition the
(10:22):
vessel maintains a fixed depth. The principle of this mechanism
is of course old, and was first embodied in the
whitehead torpedo, which has a device that can be set
so as to maintain the depth at which it will
run practically constant. With the addition of a telescopic periscope,
which can be shortened or extended at will, it will
(10:46):
be possible for the U boat to lie motionless, with
only the minute surface of the periscope revealing her position.
To attack the submersible is a matter of opportunity. It
is only only when one is caught operating on the surface,
or is forced to the surface by becoming entangled in nets,
(11:07):
that the patrol has the chance to fire upon it.
Against this method of attack, modern submersibles have been improving
their defenses. Today they are shielded with armour of some
weight on the superstructure and over part of the hull.
They are also equipped with guns up to five inches
in diameter, and affording as they do a fairly steady base.
(11:32):
They can outmatch in gun play any of the lighter
patrol boats which they may encounter. One of the important
improvements which have been made has resulted in the increased
speed with which they now submerge from the condition of
surface trim. A submersible of a thousand tons displacement will
carry about five hundred tons of water ballast. The problem
(11:55):
of submerging is mainly that of being able rapidly to
fill the tanks. On account of the necessity of dealing
with large quantities of water in the ballast system, the
European submersibles are equipped with pumps which can handle eight
tons of water per minute. Again, the speed which the
electrical propulsion system gives the vessel on the surface greatly
(12:19):
increases the pressure which the diving rudders can exert, enforcing
the submersible under water. This effect may be so marked
that it becomes excessive, and Suitor emphasizes the point that
vessels at high speed when moving under water, may, on
account of the momentum attained, submerge to excessive depths. To
(12:41):
eliminate this tendency, there is a hydrostatic safety system which
automatically causes the discharge of water from the ballast tank
when dangerous pressures are reached, thus bringing the submersible to
a higher level where the pressure on the hull will
not be so severe. From this, it falls that the
opportunity of ramming a submersible or of sinking it by
(13:04):
gunfire is greatly minimized, since the vessel can disappear so rapidly.
A great deal has been attempted with nets. Fixed nets
extend across many of the bodies of water around the
British Aisles. Their positions, doubtless are now very well known
to the Germans. The problem of cutting through them is
(13:27):
not a difficult one. Moreover, the hull of the submersible
has been modified so that the propellers are almost entirely
shielded and encased in such a way that they will
not foul the lines of a net. There has also
been a steel houser strung from the bow across the
highest point of the vessel to the stern, so that
(13:48):
the submersible can underrun a net without entangling the superstructure.
Some nets are towed by surface vessels. The process is
necessarily slow, and to be effective, the surface vessel must
know the exact location of the submersible. Towing torpedoes or
high explosive charges behind moving vessels has been developed by
(14:11):
the Italian Navy, but the chances of hitting a submersible
with such devices are not very great. Bomb Dropping from
aeroplanes can be practiced successfully under exceptional conditions. Only in
view of the fact that such bomb dropping is exceedingly
inaccurate and that the charges carried are relatively small. This
(14:34):
form of attack ordinarily would not be very dangerous for
the submersible. Surface craft have also employed large charges of
high explosives, which are caused to detonate by hydrostatic pistons
upon reaching a certain depth. Patrol boats carry such charges
in order to overrun the submersible, drop the charges in
its vicinity, and by the pressure of the underwater explosion,
(14:58):
crush its hull. Since the pressure of an underwater explosion
diminishes rapidly as the distance increases from the point of detonation,
it would be necessary to place the explosive charge fairly
close to the hull of the submersible to be certain
of its destruction. To accomplish this, it would seem that
(15:19):
the ideal combination would be the control of an explosive
carrier by radio energy directly from an aeroplane. Thus, we
would have a large explosive charge under water where it
can most effectively injure the submersible, controlled by the guidance
of an observer in the position best suited towards the
(15:40):
movements of the submerged target. The third method by which
to frustrate the attack of the submersible is to give
better protection to the merchant marine itself. While a great
deal of ingenuity is being concentrated on the problem of
thwarting the submersible, by little common sense been used. While
(16:01):
endeavoring to devise intricate and ingenious mechanisms to sink the submersible,
we overlook the simplest safeguards for our merchant vessels today.
The construction of the average ship is designed to conform
to the insurance requirements. This does not mean in any
way that the ship is so constructed as to be
(16:22):
truly safe. Thousands of vessels that are applying the seas
today are equipped with bulkheads that are absolutely useless because
they do not extend high enough to prevent the water
from running from one part of the ship to another
when the ship is partially submerged. Then again, the pumping
(16:43):
system is so arranged as to reach the water in
the lower part of the hull when the ship is
up by the head. Should the ship be injured in
the forward part and sink by the head, these pumps
would be unable to reach the incoming water before her
condition had become desperate. There is a vessel operating from
(17:04):
New York to Day worth approximately a million dollars, and
if she were equipped with suitable pumps, which would cost
about a thousand dollars, her safety would be increased about
forty percent. Her owners, however, prefer running the risk of
losing her to expending eight thousand dollars. If the merchant
(17:28):
vessels were made more torpedo proof, it would be an
important discouragement to the U boat commander. During the past
two years of the war, nineteen battleships have been torpedoed,
and out of this number only three have been sunk,
showing that it is possible, by proper construction to improve
(17:49):
the hull of a ship to such an extent that
it is almost torpedo proof. While it may not be
practicable on account of the cost to build a merchant
vessels along the lines of armed ships, nevertheless, much could
be done to improve their structural strength and safety. And
(18:09):
since speed is an essential factor in circumventing torpedo attack,
new cargo carriers should be constructed to be as fast
as is feasible. So radically have conditions changed that today
we have a superabundance of useless dreadnought power. The smaller
guns of some of these vessels and their gun crews
(18:31):
would be far more useful on the merchant vessels than
awaiting the far off day when the German fleet shall
venture forth again. The submersible must be driven below the
surface by a superiority of gun fire on the part
of the merchant marine and its patrols. In this way,
the submersible would be dependent upon the torpedo alone, a
(18:55):
weapon of distinct limitations. In order to use it effectively,
the submersible must not be more than from eight hundred
to two thousand yards from its target, and must run
submerged at reduced speed, thus greatly lessening its potentiality for destruction.
(19:15):
Today submersibles are actually running down and destroying merchant vessels
by gunfire. If merchant vessels carried two high speed patrol
launches equipped with three inch guns of the Davis non
recoil type, and these vessels were lowered in the danger
zone as a convoy to the ship, such a scheme
(19:37):
would greatly lessen the enormous task of the present patrol
in the event of gunfire attack by a submersible, three
vessels would be on the alert to answer her fire
instead of one, an important factor in discouraging submersibles from
surface attack. The future of the submarine campaign is of
(19:58):
vital importance. The prospect is not very cheerful. Le Bouff
states that at the beginning of the war, Germany had
not over thirty eight submersibles. This statement may be taken
with a grain of salt. The Germans do not advertise
what they have. It is probable, however, that today they
(20:20):
have not more than two hundred submersibles in operation. Over
four thousand patrol boats are operating against this relatively small number,
and yet sinkings continue at an alarming rate. It is
estimated that Germany will be able to produce a thousand
submersibles in the coming year and mann these vessels with
(20:43):
crews for her blockaded ships. This will be a tremendous
addition to the number she has now in operation. The
greater the number of submersibles she has in action, the
greater the area the submarine campaign will cover. The number
of troll vessels will have to be increased in direct
proportion to the area of the submarine zone. Since a
(21:07):
large number of patrol boats has to operate against each submersible.
It will be seen that a tremendous fleet will have
to be placed in commission to offset eight thousand submersibles.
Thus the problem becomes increasingly difficult, and the protection of
the trade route will be no more thoroughly effected than
(21:27):
it is today, unless we overwhelm the enemy by a
tremendous fleet of destroyers. And of the introductory Essay
Part two of an introductory essay by John Hayes Hammond
Junior to the Journal of Submarine Commander von Forstner. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Recording by Sue Anderson. The Journal of
(00:25):
Submarine Commander von Forstner by Georg Gunter Freher von Forstner,
translated by Anna Kraft's Codmen, with commentary by John Hayes
Hammond Junior, Part two of the introductory essay, The Challenge
of Naval Supremacy. Obviously, the first method of handling the
(00:46):
submarine problem would be to bottle the German under sea
craft in their bases. There has been a number of
proposals as to how best to accomplish this. It has
been stated that the English Navy has planted mines in
channels leading from Zebruga and other submarine bases. But it
is necessary only to recall the exploits of the E
(01:08):
eleven and the E fourteen of the British Navy at
the Dardenelles to see that it would not be impossible
for the Germans to pass in their U boats through
these mine fields into the open sea. It will be
remembered that the E eleven and the E fourteen passed
through five or more mine fields, thence through the Dardenelles
(01:29):
into the Sea of Marmora and even into the Bosporus
under seemingly impossible conditions. Yet in spite of the tremendous
risks that they ran, these boats continued their operations for
some time, passing up as far as Constantinople, actually shelling
the city, sinking transports, and accomplishing other feats which have
(01:51):
been graphically described in the stories of Rudyard Kipling and again.
If the mine fields were placed in close proximity to
their bases, it would be comparatively easy for German submersibles
of the Lake type, possessing appliances to enable divers to
pass outboard when the vessel is submerged, to go out
and cut away the mines and thus render them ineffective.
(02:15):
Nets are also used to hinder the outward passage of
the submarine. These nets can likewise be attacked and easily
cut by devices with which modern U boats are equipped.
The problem of placing these obstacles is a difficult one
in view of the fact that the ships so engaged
are harassed by German destroyers and other enemy craft. Outside
(02:38):
of Zebuga, shallow water extends to a distance of about
five miles from the coast, and it has been suggested
that a large number of aircraft carrying bombs and torpedoes
should be used to patrol systematically the channel leading from
that port to deep water, with the intent of attacking
the submersibles as they emerge from this It is ridiculous
(03:02):
to suppose that the Germans would not be able to
concentrate an equally large number of aircraft, to be supported
also by anti aircraft guns on the decks of destroyers
and by the coast defenses. We have not yet won
the supremacy of the air and it must inevitably be
misleading to base any proposition on the assumption that we
(03:26):
are masters of that element. The problem of bottling up
the submersibles is enormously difficult because it necessitates operations in
the enemy's territory where he would possess the superiority of power.
I believe that the question of operations against the submarine
bases is not a naval but a military one, and
(03:50):
one which would be best solved by the advance of
the western left flank of the Allied armies. The second
method is to attack the submarine with every appliance that
science can produce. In order to attack the submarine directly
with any weapon, it is necessary first to locate it.
(04:11):
This is a problem presenting the greatest difficulty, for it
is by their elusiveness that the submarines have gained such
importance in their war on trade. They attack the more
or less helpless merchant ships and vanish before the armed
patrols appear on the scene. Almost every suitable appliance known
(04:33):
to physics has been proposed for the solution to the
problem of submarine location and detection. As the submarine is
a huge vessel built of metal, it might be supposed
that such a contrivance as the Hue's induction balance might
be employed to locate it. The Hues balance is a
device which is extremely sensitive to the presence of minute
(04:55):
metallic masses in relatively close proximity to certain parts of
the apperation. Unfortunately, on account of the presence of the
souline sea water, the submersible is practically shielded by a
conducting medium in which are set up at ey currents.
Although the seawater may lack somewhat in conductivity, it compensates
(05:16):
for this by its volume. For this reason, the induction
balance has proved a failure. But another method of detecting
the position of a metallic mass is by the use
of the magnetometer. This device operates on the principle of
magnetic attraction, and in laboratories on stable foundations, it is
(05:38):
extremely sensitive, but the instability of the ship on which
it would be necessary to carry this instrument would render
it impossible to obtain a sufficient degree of sensitiveness in
the apparatus to give it any value. The fact that
the submersible is propelled underwater by powerful electric motors begets
(05:59):
the idea that the electrical disturbances therein might be detected
by highly sensitive detectors of feeble electrical oscillations. The seawater
in this case will be found to absorb to a
tremendous extent the effects of the electrical disturbance. Moreover, the
metallic hull of the submersible forms in itself an almost
(06:22):
ideal shield to screen the outgoing effect of these motors.
Considerable and important development has been made in the creation
of sensitive sound receiving devices to hear the propeller vibrations
and the mechanical vibrations that are present in a submersible,
both of which are transmitted through the water. There are
(06:44):
three principal obstacles to the successful use of such a device.
When the submersible is submerged, she employs rotary and not
reciprocating prime movers, being in consequence, relatively quiet when running
underwater and in audible at any considerable distance. The noises
of the vessel carrying the listening devices are difficult to exclude,
(07:08):
as are also the noises of the sea, which are multitudinous. Finally,
the sound receiving instruments are not highly directive, hence are
not of great assistance in determining the position of the
object from which they are receiving sounds. To locate the submersible,
aerial observation has been found useful. It is particularly so
(07:32):
when the waters are clear enough to observe the vessel
when submerged to some depth, but its value is less
than might be supposed in the waters about the British
Isles and northern Europe, where there is a great deal
of matter in suspension, which makes the sea unusually opaque.
The submersible, however, when running along the surface with only
(07:53):
its periscope showing, is more easily detected by aircraft than
by a surface vessel. Behind the periscope there is a
characteristic small wake which is distinguishable from above but practically
invisible from a low level of observation. Many seaplanes are
operating on the other side for the purpose of locating
(08:15):
enemy submersibles and reporting their presence to the surface patrol craft.
In order to overcome the disadvantages of creating the periscope
wake which I have mentioned. It is reported that the
Germans have developed special means to allow the U boats
when rating, to submerge to a fixed depth without moving.
(08:38):
To maintain any body in a fluid medium in a
static position is a difficult matter, as is shown in
the instability of aircraft. One of the great problems of
the submersible has been to master the difficulties of its
control while maintaining a desired depth. The modern submersible usually
(08:58):
forces itself under water while still in a slightly buoyant
condition by its propellers and by the action of two
sets of rudders or hydroplanes, which are arranged along its
superstructure and which tend to force it below the surface
when they are given a certain inclination. But should the
(09:19):
engines stop, the diving rudders or hydroplanes would become ineffective, and,
because of the reserve buoyancy in the hull, the vessel
would come to the surface. In order to maintain the
vessel in a state of suspension under water without moving,
it would be necessary to hold an extremely delicate balance
(09:40):
between the weight of the submarine and that of the
water which it displaces. Variations in weights are so important
to the submersible that as fuel is used, water is
allowed to enter certain tanks to compensate exactly for the
loss of the weight of the fuel. Obtain such an equilibrium,
(10:02):
an automatic device, controlled by the pressure of the water,
which of course varies with the depth is used. This
device controls the pumps which fill or empty the ballast tanks,
so as to keep the relation of the submersible to
the water which it displaces constant, under which condition the
(10:22):
vessel maintains a fixed depth. The principle of this mechanism
is of course old, and was first embodied in the
whitehead torpedo, which has a device that can be set
so as to maintain the depth at which it will
run practically constant. With the addition of a telescopic periscope,
which can be shortened or extended at will, it will
(10:46):
be possible for the U boat to lie motionless, with
only the minute surface of the periscope revealing her position.
To attack the submersible is a matter of opportunity. It
is only only when one is caught operating on the surface,
or is forced to the surface by becoming entangled in nets,
(11:07):
that the patrol has the chance to fire upon it.
Against this method of attack, modern submersibles have been improving
their defenses. Today they are shielded with armour of some
weight on the superstructure and over part of the hull.
They are also equipped with guns up to five inches
in diameter, and affording as they do a fairly steady base.
(11:32):
They can outmatch in gun play any of the lighter
patrol boats which they may encounter. One of the important
improvements which have been made has resulted in the increased
speed with which they now submerge from the condition of
surface trim. A submersible of a thousand tons displacement will
carry about five hundred tons of water ballast. The problem
(11:55):
of submerging is mainly that of being able rapidly to
fill the tanks. On account of the necessity of dealing
with large quantities of water in the ballast system, the
European submersibles are equipped with pumps which can handle eight
tons of water per minute. Again, the speed which the
electrical propulsion system gives the vessel on the surface greatly
(12:19):
increases the pressure which the diving rudders can exert, enforcing
the submersible under water. This effect may be so marked
that it becomes excessive, and Suitor emphasizes the point that
vessels at high speed when moving under water, may, on
account of the momentum attained, submerge to excessive depths. To
(12:41):
eliminate this tendency, there is a hydrostatic safety system which
automatically causes the discharge of water from the ballast tank
when dangerous pressures are reached, thus bringing the submersible to
a higher level where the pressure on the hull will
not be so severe. From this, it falls that the
opportunity of ramming a submersible or of sinking it by
(13:04):
gunfire is greatly minimized, since the vessel can disappear so rapidly.
A great deal has been attempted with nets. Fixed nets
extend across many of the bodies of water around the
British Aisles. Their positions, doubtless are now very well known
to the Germans. The problem of cutting through them is
(13:27):
not a difficult one. Moreover, the hull of the submersible
has been modified so that the propellers are almost entirely
shielded and encased in such a way that they will
not foul the lines of a net. There has also
been a steel houser strung from the bow across the
highest point of the vessel to the stern, so that
(13:48):
the submersible can underrun a net without entangling the superstructure.
Some nets are towed by surface vessels. The process is
necessarily slow, and to be effective, the surface vessel must
know the exact location of the submersible. Towing torpedoes or
high explosive charges behind moving vessels has been developed by
(14:11):
the Italian Navy, but the chances of hitting a submersible
with such devices are not very great. Bomb Dropping from
aeroplanes can be practiced successfully under exceptional conditions. Only in
view of the fact that such bomb dropping is exceedingly
inaccurate and that the charges carried are relatively small. This
(14:34):
form of attack ordinarily would not be very dangerous for
the submersible. Surface craft have also employed large charges of
high explosives, which are caused to detonate by hydrostatic pistons
upon reaching a certain depth. Patrol boats carry such charges
in order to overrun the submersible, drop the charges in
its vicinity, and by the pressure of the underwater explosion,
(14:58):
crush its hull. Since the pressure of an underwater explosion
diminishes rapidly as the distance increases from the point of detonation,
it would be necessary to place the explosive charge fairly
close to the hull of the submersible to be certain
of its destruction. To accomplish this, it would seem that
(15:19):
the ideal combination would be the control of an explosive
carrier by radio energy directly from an aeroplane. Thus, we
would have a large explosive charge under water where it
can most effectively injure the submersible, controlled by the guidance
of an observer in the position best suited towards the
(15:40):
movements of the submerged target. The third method by which
to frustrate the attack of the submersible is to give
better protection to the merchant marine itself. While a great
deal of ingenuity is being concentrated on the problem of
thwarting the submersible, by little common sense been used. While
(16:01):
endeavoring to devise intricate and ingenious mechanisms to sink the submersible,
we overlook the simplest safeguards for our merchant vessels today.
The construction of the average ship is designed to conform
to the insurance requirements. This does not mean in any
way that the ship is so constructed as to be
(16:22):
truly safe. Thousands of vessels that are applying the seas
today are equipped with bulkheads that are absolutely useless because
they do not extend high enough to prevent the water
from running from one part of the ship to another
when the ship is partially submerged. Then again, the pumping
(16:43):
system is so arranged as to reach the water in
the lower part of the hull when the ship is
up by the head. Should the ship be injured in
the forward part and sink by the head, these pumps
would be unable to reach the incoming water before her
condition had become desperate. There is a vessel operating from
(17:04):
New York to Day worth approximately a million dollars, and
if she were equipped with suitable pumps, which would cost
about a thousand dollars, her safety would be increased about
forty percent. Her owners, however, prefer running the risk of
losing her to expending eight thousand dollars. If the merchant
(17:28):
vessels were made more torpedo proof, it would be an
important discouragement to the U boat commander. During the past
two years of the war, nineteen battleships have been torpedoed,
and out of this number only three have been sunk,
showing that it is possible, by proper construction to improve
(17:49):
the hull of a ship to such an extent that
it is almost torpedo proof. While it may not be
practicable on account of the cost to build a merchant
vessels along the lines of armed ships, nevertheless, much could
be done to improve their structural strength and safety. And
(18:09):
since speed is an essential factor in circumventing torpedo attack,
new cargo carriers should be constructed to be as fast
as is feasible. So radically have conditions changed that today
we have a superabundance of useless dreadnought power. The smaller
guns of some of these vessels and their gun crews
(18:31):
would be far more useful on the merchant vessels than
awaiting the far off day when the German fleet shall
venture forth again. The submersible must be driven below the
surface by a superiority of gun fire on the part
of the merchant marine and its patrols. In this way,
the submersible would be dependent upon the torpedo alone, a
(18:55):
weapon of distinct limitations. In order to use it effectively,
the submersible must not be more than from eight hundred
to two thousand yards from its target, and must run
submerged at reduced speed, thus greatly lessening its potentiality for destruction.
(19:15):
Today submersibles are actually running down and destroying merchant vessels
by gunfire. If merchant vessels carried two high speed patrol
launches equipped with three inch guns of the Davis non
recoil type, and these vessels were lowered in the danger
zone as a convoy to the ship, such a scheme
(19:37):
would greatly lessen the enormous task of the present patrol
in the event of gunfire attack by a submersible, three
vessels would be on the alert to answer her fire
instead of one, an important factor in discouraging submersibles from
surface attack. The future of the submarine campaign is of
(19:58):
vital importance. The prospect is not very cheerful. Le Bouff
states that at the beginning of the war, Germany had
not over thirty eight submersibles. This statement may be taken
with a grain of salt. The Germans do not advertise
what they have. It is probable, however, that today they
(20:20):
have not more than two hundred submersibles in operation. Over
four thousand patrol boats are operating against this relatively small number,
and yet sinkings continue at an alarming rate. It is
estimated that Germany will be able to produce a thousand
submersibles in the coming year and mann these vessels with
(20:43):
crews for her blockaded ships. This will be a tremendous
addition to the number she has now in operation. The
greater the number of submersibles she has in action, the
greater the area the submarine campaign will cover. The number
of troll vessels will have to be increased in direct
proportion to the area of the submarine zone. Since a
(21:07):
large number of patrol boats has to operate against each submersible.
It will be seen that a tremendous fleet will have
to be placed in commission to offset eight thousand submersibles.
Thus the problem becomes increasingly difficult, and the protection of
the trade route will be no more thoroughly effected than
(21:27):
it is today, unless we overwhelm the enemy by a
tremendous fleet of destroyers. And of the introductory Essay
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