A NEW SUBMARINE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2666, 11 January 1916, Page 8

A NEW SUBMARINE

FORMIDABLE CRAFT FOR EUROPEAN WATERS. A highly interesting description is given in a recent issue of the "Public Ledger," I'iiilndelpliia, of a trial voyage made in a submarine, stated to be intended for use in European waters, at Quincey, Massachusetts. Tlie .writer first describes the preparations for a "static dive," and says:— "Every man to his station now. Stand by!" shouts the skipper. The fifteen men of the crew are distributed through tlie submarine, each man at his post. One at a time now the valves are opened, and: the water rushes into the tanks. The submarino is so built that water taken into one tank can bo blown into another the length of the vessel simply by the manipulation of lovers and pumps under .the thumb of tlio engineers.

Nothing b,jit the sea stretches in every direction save for the far-away coastline. Now wo see our floating prison, settling in the water. Below the conning tower they are manipulating the tanks. The process is something like balancing » carpenter's level. The depth dial aloue tells us how deep we have submerged. The foot marks fly liy the .indicator and stop with a jerk at 42. The keel of t'he vessel is 12ft. helow the indicator hand, and that means that wo arc down 54ft. Not until after the trip was all over did! wo know—that is, tlie unsophisticated passenger—that the submarine had suddenly tilted "off balance," and slid down to the bottom of tlie harbour entrance.

how to be "Blown Out." But on the next trial t-he static dive was successfuly negotiated, and we floated 30ft. doivn, balanced like an acrobat on two legs of a chair. At this juncture was tried a "safety first" device, which has been adopted on all submarines. The captain set a trip contrivance at 35ft: This meant that when wo had submorged to a depth of 35ft. the mechanism would trip and send the vessel up to the surface in a jiffy. Again tho tanks and valves are adjusted and we settle downwards. At 33 we are still sinking—at 34 still going. As the indicator hand moves from 34 to 35 there is a sudden clutching somewhere in the vitals of tho submarine, a jolt all over, and the indicator hand starts going the other way. In less than 30 seconds, going at elevator speed, we are lifted out of the depths as though some supernatural' power had reached down suddenly and torn us from the bed of tho ocean. This "tripper" can be set at any depth, and unless the submarine has been disabled, is as sure as the sun. After tho static divo we come up' again, and, very frankly, there is some sense of relief to the uninitiated. What would have happened if our boat had stayed down on the bottom? If no rescuers had eome to' our aid each man would have been shunted up into the conning tower in turn, the air-prcs sure turned on, tho hatchway opened, and tho man "blown out." If ho had a good heart he might have reached the surface —and then have had to swim for life. Only one man, so far as is known, has evor tried being shot out of a submarine tube. He survived. Foiu' Tubes Loaded. Tho firing of torpedoes is an interesting process. Pour tubes are loaded, and four more torpedoes carried inside tlm forward compartment. Wo are going to fire four and load four while running at full speed. Tho actual firing is done by tho commander in the conning tower. Through spaces marked off on the periscope glass, and with tho aid of mathematical range-finders, he has thorn aimed at tho required angle. Little red lights glow to tell him when the tubes are ready for firing. At the exact moment desired he pulls a lever. Doiyn below there is a swishing sound as the torpedo is discharged, followed by tho swirl of water as it fills the empty torpedo chamber. Looking-through tho periscope you see the torpedo jump to the surface a few yards ahead of the bow, and veer straight ahead ai a speed faster than the submarine,'leaving behind it the tell-tale wake which transAtlantic voyagers have noted the last few months. In less than two minutes the four torpedoes are discharged. In this caso thoy are "blanks" as far as 1 explosives are concerned, but each is propelled by its own mechanism after it has been discharged from tho submarine. The torpedo tubes are filled with water, which rushed in when the blow caps were opened. The water is pumped into one of the auxiliary tanks, the breeches flung open, and in a fow minutes more the remaining four torpedoes are swung along travelling rail platforms and jammed into the empty tubes. In less than ten minutes it is possible to fire eight torpedoes. And if our aim has been good eight of tho "enemy's" ships are in Davy Jones's locker.