| Show anti sub devices are arc perfected but U bo boats ats also gain new power italy has biggest nt fleet by WALTER P SHEPPARD battleships parade the might of nations submarines are hidden might forgotten in peacetime as they slink through the deep waters which is one reason why the disaster of off portsmouth N H created such interest between wars men forget how submarines raise havoc with shipping how one tiny U boat can conceivably smash a mighty fleet but navies do not forget and tho the submarine which came very close to war for germany will be an equally important factor in the next conflict true anti ant i sub devices have been p perfected but so have the submarines so that the relative importance of these weapons is about the same true to tradition great maritime nations like japan the united states and great britain have placed little defensive emphasis on U boats in the years since versailles because seafaring sea faring nations seldom fight each other the submarine is primarily an offensive craft for use against powers which control the seas that is why germany used them so effect jait Jast time and why both germany and italy are placing so much coref confidence idenie in them for the next war italy leads the way last november 15 a report by the united states navy department revealed that italy is the worlds no I 1 submarine power boasting such vessels when her current building program is completed of these 39 were under construction last november and 83 were underage under age ige leaving only 7 obsolete germanys germanas Germ anys submarine fleet while one of the worlds smallest is is magnificently efficient every one of her 43 working craft last november 15 were under age and 23 new were since fuehrer hitler denounced the british german naval pact in april the nazis are expected to push full steam ahead on their submarine program this is an entirely fitting offensive measure because germany knows her probable enemy in the next war would be great britain minus colonies herself self sufficient and with no shipping to protect the reich can devote all her maritime var war making to preying on boats of her enemies only 20 U S subs under underage age america ranks near the bottom of the scale as a world submarine power though numerically she is second As of last november 15 only 20 of her subs were under age fewer than any of the other five great powers when all new boats are completed however and when overage over age craft are counted in this nation has submarines since the disaster was the first american U boat mishap in 12 years during which other nations have suffered repeated accidents the united states fleet is apparently in pretty fair shape veteran submarine f fighters who recall world war experiences shudder at the possibilities of these weapons once known as tin cigars one of these men J F goodwin goodwill of portland ore who commanded the R 4 during the war has made the private prediction that if similar conditions were to prevail in the next war the nation with the largest U boat fleet would wipe out its enemies armed and commercial fleets in a few months thereby starving the adversary into surrender marine paradox the submarine is a paradox in in that she is at once the least expensive save and potentially the most dangerous ocean cra craft ft costing from to she might destroy dozens of merchant or warships with her deadly torpedoes and still escape surprise is the big factor in in a subs attack and conversely its greatest weakness it if a small surface destroyer sees it first there is is a 50 50 chance that the U boat will be hit if sighted by an airplane the boat is also in great danger but as a lonewolf lone wolf raider and spy this nautilus is worth her weight in gold valuable as spies navies dont advertise it but in war games the submarines have occasionally casio nally crept to within a few hundred yards of warships that were on the lookout for them jockeyed into po position and been enabled to fire torpedoes that miss they can as the german U boats did patrol oft off naval bases and harbors to keep the high command informed on ship movements their information probably led to the sinking of commercial and war craft theres little chance of escaping a torpedo this weapon first perfected in 1865 by an english naval officer can travel several thousand yards carry hundreds of pounds of explosives and can be set on any course at any depth it will go straight or along a circular path and is su sure re to spell disaster if it strikes a ship below the w water ater line combat them navies have perfected detectors which sometimes spot a submarine engine at close range but even so the craft may be defenseless against this sausage shaped phenomenon that can dive and zigzag at will patrol boats and destroyers sometimes corner them however and in shallow water subs can be sunk with depth bombs or cornered with nets and mines sometimes as when a phantom submarine attacked a british destroyer in the mediterranean these playful fellows pretend dead and confound the enemy after a few depth bombs are dropped an oil slick and pieces of debris appear on the surface as evidence that the U boat is no more while the destroyer steams proudly away the U boat captain chuckles to himself for all he did was shoot out a lot of loose junk in a torpedo tube released Hc leased by western newspaper union |
