NAVAL ACTIVITY IN THE ARCTIC

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2963, 29 December 1916, Page 6

NAVAL ACTIVITY IN THE ARCTIC

BRITISH UNITS TO ASSIST RUSSIA Not the least remarkable feature of the recent activities of German .submarines is their appearance in the vicinity of the approaches to Archangel and other Russian ports in the Far North, says the "London Daily News." Their presnce there has been brought home to us not only by the sinking of merchant ships, but also by the Tecent attack on the -wireless station of Jopnovalck; and it would appear that they have been at •work in this region, off and on, for more than a year.

Early this year a Board of Trade inquiry was held into tho loss of the steamer Finchley, which stranded on 'J'rek Island, in tlioyAYhite Sea, in August, 1915, and it was stated then that tho captain of tlie vessel had received orders to keep as close inshore as possible owing to the presence of German submarines.

There is probably aio more remote or inhospitable area in the wholo theatre of war than this. To reach the entrance to the' White Sea from the mouth of the Elbe, the enemy submarines would have to make a journey of more than 1800 miles, of which very nearly a half lies within tho Arctic Circle. A special typo of submarino was designed several .years ago by the American inventor, Mr. Simon Lake, for operating, in waters wholly or partly ice-bound, and it- is quite likely that tho Germans liavo added this to the many other ideas they Have purloined from tho same source. ! Large U Boats. It was stated recently by the Bergen. "Politike'n" that the boats the Germans are employing for *this work are "very large," and.that they are able to travel 1800 miles on a single supply of fuel. These alleged characteristics are somewhat contradictory ono of tho other, but it is probable that the "Politiken." was right when ■it suggested that they are able to replenish their fuel and stores from cargo submarines of tha Deutschlaad type stationed in the Arctic.

A Ileuter telegram fronrChristiania published in the "Daily News"'of October 11 stated, om the authority of a Norwegian nowspaper published, at Vailsoo (on tho extreme northern boundary between Norway and. Russia), that after tlio TJ boat attack on tlio wireless station at Jepnovalck a Russian destroyer came up, and a lierco fight ensued. in which two enemy heats wero stink*,' and'a third damaged. There lias beeji no official confirmation of this story as yet; but tho mention of a Russian destroyer as operating in these parts may seem to require some explanation. • Both the" Baltic and the Black Sea aro closo to tho exit of RussSari craft. On the other land, our Ally had a respectable forco in the Far East (blown as tho Siberian flotilla) at the outbreak of war, and there is no reason why some of these vessels should not ltavo made their way round.

The most likely explanation, however, is that vessels have been either lent from tho British Fleet or specially built in tliis country, and sent to the Far North to deal with. the business on hand. Arctic Naval Base. As a matter of fact this has been deiinitely stated to have been done. Faced with the U boat menace, the Russians performed the remarkable feat of creating a new commercial port and a new naval, base in tho Arctic sinco\the beginning of the Avar.' Although the "White Sea itself is icebound for six months of the year, Kola Bay, which lies to the west and much further north, is rarely entirely closed, thanks to an expiring effort on the part of tho Gulf Stream lvhioli sweeps round the north of Scandinavia.

On this bay has been established the port of Alexandrovsk and the naval base of Kildin, aud a new railway line 700 miles in length, connecting both with Archangcl and so -with the south, will, it is confidently hoped, be in commission by the end of this year, 'l'o Kildin, according to t-lio "Politiken," havo been sent light cruisers and destroyers, supplemented by some submarines and many -armed trawlers, specially built in England for the purpose. This is the only information wo have of theso craft. They, are probably manned by tho Russian crews. , It is one of the many unique features of this war that the naval operations should have touched ,the .Falkland Islands in the south, . the Murman (Lapland) coast in the north, and Lake Nyassa, which straddles the Equator. It is. natural enough that the Germans should do all in their power to interrupt the communications with Alexandrovsk and Archangel,; seeing that these are the only ports in European Russia whose connection with tho open sea is not hermetically sealed by tho enemy. The attention, which, the Allied Powers have been giving to this region, however, leaves^. no room for doubt that at any time it may prove to be the scene of great activity, but our preparations are well in advanco of the most exacting of possible requirements.