SPIES AND SUBMARINES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2412, 18 March 1915, Page 6

SPIES AND SUBMARINES

THE ENEMY'S SYSTEM. Mt. Archibald Hurd, in an article in the London "Daily Telegraph," suggests the existence of a system of communication between German submarines and German spies in Great Britain. Early in the war Mr. Hurd stated that there was no reason why, in a. war against America, a German submarine of the latest type should not cross the Atlantic, and blow in the dock-gates of New York. . It would not have fuel to return, but that, 1/e said, was a detail. The submarine has becomo a valuable oifensivo ship of war; and in vessels of the largest size the Germans arc at least as well provided as Great Britain is. But that is a point of no importance in this connection, because submarine cannot fight submarine. _ "It is no matter of surprise," continues Mr. Hurd, "that these bigger underwater vessels should be operating from time to time here, there, and everywhere, from the Shetland Islands almost to the Land's End. The road to safety lies in recognising this fact, and not shutting our eyes to it. People who live on the Cornish coast have seen them, as well as persons in the far North of Scotland. "The young officers who command these vessels are the very pick of.th? Germany navy; and tho surprise is, not that they have done so much, hut that they have done so little. Our fleet is not in hiding, but is continually active—as the economic pressure from which Germany is suffering attests. They have inflicted losses which have pained us as individuals, but they have not injured us in a military sense, bccause, by good management on our part, or good fortune, they Have not been able to destroy by the torpedo a single unit of our considerable margin of modern armoured ships. "The extended field of activity of these craft should occasion 110 surprise. It is a common mistako to suppose that they cannot - remain long from their base; in fact, if they be properly, provisioned, they can stay at sea for weeks on end. If she does not cruise much, and use up her fuel, there is no reason why the submarine which sank the Formidable should return to Germany for a fortnight or three weeks. Her "skipper" can keep submerged by day, and come to the surface by. night for air. He has a wireless installation, with which he can, and, as we know, has, communicated with his superiors. But this wireless must be of very limit-ed range, and there is apparently some intermediary system of communication, of which we know nothing, for the formidable was sunk about 900 miles from tho nearest German base, and yet the news got through by wireless—and without any considerable delay. "Among naval officers there 'is a widespread impression that we have not yet fathomed the intelligence system, which the enemy is working in our midst, and working, as it is believed, with some measure of success. "The fact that a German submarine, with a necessary feeble wireless installa. tion, should have been able to communicate with the enemy from far down the Channel that she had sunk the Formidable points to the existence of a danger, which naval officers have for some time suspected, and against which they ought to be armed. _ Our tJil depends on the secrecy with which the Navy is able to work; and if the Navy is not satisfied that secrecy is maintained, then nothing should ho left undoiio to prescrvo tlio inviolability of our naval movements and the safety of our sliips. Of course, in many respects, as. for instance, the dispatch of tlio two Dreadnoughts to tlio Falkland Islands. the enemy has been deceived; but, in spite of this and other facts, officers of the Fleet are convinced that the enemy possesses an efficient intelligence service. It is possible that the agency that served for communicating news of tho destruction may'also harp Mfwd for rtiwnnitiictitinß tlin of the moremcnts of the Formidable."-