WITH THE BRITISH SUBMARINES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 169, 6 April 1918, Page 6

WITH THE BRITISH SUBMARINES

■INTERESTING GLIMPSES OF A MODEST FLOTILLA A BUSY MORNING 11. [We hear a good deal about the German U-boat activities, but very seldom anything nbout the British submarines. I'lio 1 following very . interesting sketches, written by Lewis 11. Freeman, appeared in the December issue of the "World's ■ Work." As the author remarked jiii submitting .those sketches, yithey are not perhaps as exciting ■as fiction, but they reveal as much of submarine life as the Admiralty considers advisable at tho present .time."] •Here and there in tho single narrow ,passage down tho middle of the (submarine 1 descended into there 'were places where one could stand I upright. Theso were restricted ■ little ' "havens," however, and more than off- <■ pet by the numerous places where lowhanging or out-reaching cocks, stops, I Switches, levers, pipes and projections ' of'countless descriptions kept him ducking or dodging at every step. One high amidships that had to be /crawled over on hands and k'nees must "Jhare been a very awkward thing for fan oil-skinned and sea-booted man to {negotiate in, rough weather. Quarters.

'• For saloons, cabins, bathrooms, or Seven, the bunks of an ordinary fo'c'sle I looked in vain. That single wheelIfestooned alley was all these things; I also stokehold, engine-room, galley, (pantry, hospital,- wardroom, quarterjdeck, lookout, bridge, iightiiig-top and everything else that tho landsman expects to find oil a warship. A bit abaft the beam a couplo of . mahogany. draw? era held tho bunks of the Captain and lieutenant. The navigating officer had ■ to put up with a canvas stretcher. Opposite the pull-out beds was a folding table large enough to hold a chart. A. dozen books—two or three technical,several novels, and a couple of volumes bij verse—made up tho "ship's library." ' The wireless room and lavatory, each lhfcout the size of an ordinary telephone .tooth, were tho 1 only enclosed spaces for oven temporary buman occupation. 'ißlarther aft several tiers of lockers parked the quarters of the crew. The fleckers held their kits, and they slept on tho steel deck. Tho cooking was Mono (when there was plenty of "juice" (in reserve) on rn electric range; at •other times meals wero cold lunches, jfl'hat was tho sum total of what this >nost modern of submarines offered in ■the way of comforts. Below were the above and round about tho "wheels." "Doesn't it get on the men's

•nerves," I asked, "tlio restricted space, : tho lack of exercise, the artificial light, the heavy air, j the 'general propinquity?? One would think that they'd •.•be at each other's throats by tho end •of h cruise."

"Quits the contrary," was the prompt reply. "I—and other submarine commanders will tell you the same thing—have never found a heartier spirit among 'surface' sailors thau has keen manifested, by,, all the' men with whom I have 1 sailed beneath .the sea. jln regular routino we are up every ;uight to 'breathe,' and the air has little ■chance to go bad in. the short spells iuuder water. Tlioso who want to can smoke whon we are on . the surface, but j«s there inveterate smokers _on' anyvsub'marihq; tiio- restricted period of. submersion is not. a severe strain. . "As for' ■ they're ivays busy in their waking hours and have no time to let things or each other get on their nerves. I am within sight or hearing of every man on !the boat practically from the time wo. \lcavo port until,we"return; yet I would .have to rack my, memory for an in-stance-'Of ~rt'real dispute between any ■of .them.;" Of course, if, things 20 wrong /—if we have to submerge for a con"siderable time, for an all /under-a'severer strain than in the reMlar daily grind, v But that hasn't pappened -very often, and w'len it has fthe men have invariably taken it in pthe same cheerful spirit that British jsailors liavo always displayed in emergencies." Aiming. I put my eye to the periscope while [the Captain slowly, .revolved it to 1111jfold a panorama of the harbour. The circular field was astonishingly distinct in definition, but rather "flat" fend lacking in perspective, the effect |being rather, the, "lifeless" one of tho thau the vtereoscopic one of' jthe binocular. It was evident to mo at .once that the judging of tho distance Und-lthp.:speed of a-target must be alonost entirely a matter of practice and •experience..r;}]; ■ ■ "Since ,;tho "rangtvfin'der and „ other instruments for the'(elimination of-ths 'human fallibility,' : oliment have little" chanco to figure.in your practice, ' j said, "would you mind telling tne just how you go about torpedoing a hostile ship?" •;

I put the (luestio'i jnoro'..-'or..less 'as' a pleasantry, being'tully'awaro of the impropriety, to say nothing of the fuitility, of asking- "technical", questions ■on a shin of war..- But I was not "over the line" in this instance,'it appeared, for to my surprise Vie answer, far from iboing "cryptic" or evasive, was a plain ■unvarnished outline of v/hat, in its foasic principles, is a comparatively simple operation. Torpedo Practico. "What I would do I can tell -you in a Very few' : words," ..was tho reply; "but'.jnst how;I:\roultl do. it I am 110 inoi;e;;able to'itell; you'than I could describe juf.t how'l brought down a pheasant with my .giir, or dropped a trout fly at the right .place in a ripple 011 tho opposite side, ot' a stream. Indeed, you can get' 110' clearer an idea of what torpedo practice from a submarine is than ,by fancying tho boatitself to bo. a Shotgun in tho hands of a man waiting in: a'blind f or a , slioti at a duck. Since tho torpedo tubes m a boat, like this are fixed,", he went on to explain, "tlie aiming is not dono by swinging them this way or that, as on a, destroyer or eruisei - , but by 'aiming,' so to sneak, the submarine itself. Honc'o ray comparison to shooting ducks. "The submarine is tho gun, its captain- tho shooter, the torpedd the shot,' and the enemy ship tho duck. "Now let us suppose we are at seasubmerged—and on putting tip'my periscope (just enough, t'o keep tho spray from blinding its 'eye') I see an enemy ship heading up to cross my bows, just about as that trawler is"—giving piaco to me at the poriscopo for a moment so that I could locate our quarry. "We'll suppose, she js. not suspifcious'of : tho presence of submarines and is not 'zigznging.' Making .quick mental cstimato of her speed ami direction. I gave orders to steer .a; converging courso calculated to bring us "to the "most favourable point for discharging a torpedo from. Obviously, a light-angling broadside shot has tho biggest target, and the closer ono can get without being sighted tho better.

"When we aro.at what seems to me tho best position there is any chance qf attaining, I order tho ship to bo slWly swung through several points— to port or to starboard, as the case may be—and at the instant my experience, or instinct, or what you will, indicates as the 'psychologio' one,

I pull this trigger ahovo my head and discharge a torpedo. Tho operation'.would be precisely similar to . that of swinging, a gun to my shoulder and letting lly at a duck; and, just an in that case, I would aim, not at my target, but rather whero 1 instinctively calculated that target,'would;he when my project'ln reached its lino of flight. It is the fact of the aiming being (lono with , the submarine itself that will militate strongly against a great in- . crease in. the size of under-water boats. Increased size means decreased handiuoss, and handiness —for several reasons—is a vital consideration for a submarine. "Immediately before and after, the discharge of tho iorpedo there would . bo. some orders dying around that would probably be quite as incomprehensible to even a 'surfaco' sailor as lo a landsman. If we wero rising, orders like 'X to blew I' and 'Seo that Number X "comp" is venting!' would have to do with driving out tho water from the 'compensating tanks' with compressed air. 'Crack tho main line' would refer to one of the elcctrioal connections, arid 'Port pump on "W.lt.T."!' would mean that 'water was being lot in 'round torpedo' preliminary to the latter's discharge. If it became necessary to submerge quickly, 'Flood all externals" .would indicate that the tanks were to be filled with water again." Wardroom Stories. My visit to the submarine over, the captain took me to the station ship to remove grease and incidentally to drink of an insidious conccct.un called the "Pandora Cocktail." For an hour I sat in the wardroom listening to a dozen or more submarine officers —most <>f whom had been the minefields of Germany's "wet triangle" within tho week —talking on politics, sport, amusements, war economics, military strategy, eugenics, and a number of other things, among which, however, was not under-sea work.. This was no more than I had expected; for I had had my. troubles l before in making the British sea-dog bark. I knew there was nothing to do —to alter tho metaphor—but to keep casting and changing ray flies until somo ono of them was lured to a rise. , Confidentially tipped by my friend, the Captain, as to one wholiad "really bagged somotliirig important" on his last voyage, I lounged unobtrusively into this next chair and started an in : consequential lino of chatter about the comparative effects of torpedoes and mines, intending to lure hiin off by imperceptible degrees from dissertation to personal reminiscence But ho refused the bait point-blank, and it was a chance cast that brought them in the end, though even then to no great I had heard British soldiers, sailors, and especially airmen pay warm tribute to certain of their respective adversaries, and was tho more interested, therefore, to hoar what British "submariners" though of German "Unterseeboot-men.". So, abandoning my futile "subtlety," I waitod for a favourable moment, and then hluntly demanded to know of the gathering in general how they rated tho "U-boat" work of tho enemy. Save that it was not rhythmic, tho chorused response might have been an American college yell. "Rotten," . they cricd; "rotten!" and forthwith started to tell me and each other just why no other term could be used to express their contempt for a branch of activity which the enemy had long come to regard as the top note in "Deutschland Tiber Alles." "It isn't because they've defied every law of humanity," said one, "but ". "It isn't because we've had 'em mastered for a year," declared another: "but Technical expressions began to fly faster and faster, and I fear I should havo lost the drift' of .things' altogether had not a young lieutenant, mindful of my limited comprehension of things "sub-nautical," taken'be by the arm and led mo to an open port. Pointing towards the endless procession of coastal shipping ' beyond the harbour mouth, ho turned to me with: "Do you think we'd havo ever quit cold, like they havo in the North Sea, While there was> a. thousand-mile-long target like that hung up for us ovcry day and every night? Wo may have to nose around among their mines for a month before finding anything, to loose a slug at. And look what they've got. My hat, but they're ——" he paused for a moment, seoking for a word that would fit a foe who would funk a target "like that," and then fell back on the old standby—"they're just rotten, that's all." Tho Shy Hero. There was only' one or them who did not voice his contempt for the work of tho U-boats, and he was hut freshly back from the Mediterranean, where the naval net thrown out for submarines was necessarily of a wider mesh than that of the North Sea. Thoy wero getting them in hand down there, ho said, but, "really, it was a bit pathetic to hear one of thom oome up at night and send out its wireless call for somo other U-boat we'd taken or sunk during the day. The calling would go ou all night without _ any answer coming, just like a bird piping for! its dead mate. A chap coulun't help being just a bit sorry for it, calling'out there all alone in the ■ "Sorry be 1" someone cut in impatiently, and tho acquiescent growls that ran round tho company were not tempered with any pity for-, U-boats.

At this juncture on unassuming young officer entered, nodded a casual gr'eoting, and asked somethingabout tho time of the arrival vf the next train in London and whether the how rovue at tho C! was worth wasting _ an evening on or not. All' of tho officers exchanged ouipk glances of interest, and, when tho ypung man had sauntered out two or three leaned forward as though about to speak. Beforo the impulse gained vocal expression, however, they seemed to think better of it, and presently fell again to tolling what they thought of German submarine work. Captain waited until the con-

vcrsation had become general again, and then leanod over and spoko in a low aside, "Three days ago," ho said, "that chap just gone out put in ono of the busiest mornings, and accomplished ono of tho smartest bits of work that have fallen to tho T ot of any submarine commander in this war. He a tho man you want to got hold of, ajid I'll tell you how to do ii. He's taking the next train for London. If you ve soon all you want hero, pick up and go back with him. I'll introduce you and, toll him you've got tho Admiralty's 0.K., and it may bo you can get him to talk a bit. It's only a chance, but well worth trying, for there's, been no sweeter a b ; t, of under-wntor action than this recent- ore of his sinco the tvar began. , "Put two torpedoes into, and probably sunk,' a Gorman battleship that was being convoyed all tho time by from two to five destroyers. Nobody but a submarino sailor ran fully appreciate just what that means. He had the. chance of his lifetime, and ho made the most of it." ."Bo will I," I cut in. "Lock mo into the compartment with him, and I'll make the most of ' my chanco." By the time I had thrown'my things together and rushed to tho platform the train was just pulling out. Gaptain X met mo at, the gato.. 'lour man's in the first compartment of tho fourth carriago," he said, hustling 1110 into tho last open door. on can get along there through the passage. I told him you were after him, and lie 11 doubtless be prepared for you. Good luck." ' In the "first compartment of the fourth car" I did indeed find -> naval officer. He was a very pleasant ap-

pearing chap; in fact, ho was smiling broadly, as though immensely amused about something, even wlion 1 entered. "Aro you L'ommander Y 1 asked ongerly; "if so— —" "I'm sorry to say I'm not," ho interrupted, siin smiling. ''Y went back to get something he had forgotten, ami I'm afraid he's missed the train. Is tharo anything I can do for yon? I'm 0110 of his officers." "There is indeed," I roplied gleefully. "You'll do just «3 well as he would. Tell me all about the way you torpedoed tho German battleship last week." "That's a rather big order," he laughed, "though not an unexpected one. • Captain X ; told Y you were after him, and I rather suspect that had something to do with lviu remembering that he had forgotten something. Mut, seriously, far from telling all about our littlo affair of last week, I cannot, take tho responsibility of telling you anything about it. I'll tell you a, jolly good little story they rn telling about Y though, if you want to hear it " Thankful even for crumbs from the feast that ivaa spread beyond my reach, I told him to go ahead. One Busy Morning. "It came about liko this," lie said. "You nee, except lor our one busy morning, this last cruise of ours was especially uneveutfui; so that when Commander Y— — came to complete, Ins log onere .wero six or eight days on which an observation or two about the weather and' 'Nothing to report.' was all that was .recorded, while several pages were devoted U> tha little episode with the German warships. Now, as you doubtless ■ knoiv, it's not the way in the Navy for a superior to wax eloquent about tho acts _of a subordinate, especially in .the. presence of the latter, so it was only the regular thing J'or ous to obsorve dryly to Y , atter running bis eye over the log, that it appeared that there had been only one 'working day' during the whole cruisa. '' 'Aye, sir,' replied Y , 'and even ihafc day's work all over before we sat down to breakfast. Not a very exciting life for an active man, is it?' " I'was sorrior than ever, after 3iearing that, that Y had "missed his . train." He would have been a very interesting young inau, just at that time, to have tpent three or four hours coniined in a railway carriago with. I append here ,1 brief account, from material from an unimpeachable source, of what happened on tliat "busy morning" in tho North Sea. Tho 'Submarine in question sailed from its base and arrived at its "billet"—tho tern for a certain area of sea to be ccvercd —witiiouu incident, for ii day or two nothing was sighted but an occasional Dutch merchant- ( man. The early morning of her third or fourth day out was bright and starry, with occasional light clouds and a waning moon:' For night-timo, tho visibility was unusually high. Tho boat a-s was usual at night, was proceeding under her gas engines on the surface, charging batteries and "air gronps" ior her under-sea work of tho coming hours of daylight. Suddenly ; the indistinct outlines of what appeared to be light uruiseis crossed her bows, but, knowing 'that such cn»ft almost invariably heralded the approach of bigger game, her commander "held his fire" and waited. j

Presently a duskier blankness on one of his bows indicated heavy smoke, and shortly out of this tho blurred but unmistakablo images of a line of battle-cruisers took shape. For tho purpose of better vision, the submarine took the chance of remaining on the surface, trusting to the darkness to obscure her until the onetny were in effective range. Her temerity was all but fatal, for at the very instant she launched a...torpedo at the loading cruiser—now at only a distanco of 800' yards—tho latter discovered and opened' fire upon"her. "

On the Sea Bottom. 'Tho sea in the vicinity of the submarine of a sudden had become an expanse of tossing spray-geysers, and she literally had to aivo for her life. So quickly, indeed, did she submergo that certain things that are generally deemed essential to successful submergenoo could not be done. The consequence was that she got temporarily out of control and wouldn't stop diving until she hit bottom at—perhaps it would not do to say jv.st how deep, but certainly ,maJiji fithoms farthei] down than any commander would ever tako a submarine if ho could help it. Tho wonder was that she didn't pile up all in a heap. There hadn't been time to close certain placesj with tho result that the tremendous pressure of tho deep water was being exerted upon things it was never intended should feel such a force. Besides, the jolt from tho bottom—since a submarine is not, liko an aeroplane, equipped with wheels for "coming to earth"—might well have sprung or started something that would have opened the way for the wholo North Sea to como in. But she "weathered" it—pressure, bottom and all—and within a quarter of an hour was heading toward tho surface and "adjusting trim." (What became of the battle-cruisers and that first torpedo I havo not been told.)

While proceeding ?long tho surface n half-hour later smoke was sighted again. It was now too light to oxpect to escape risk of discovery above water; so she dived, and it was doubtless through the periscope that ifc was discovered that the bituminous smudge on the horizon came from a squadron of eight battleships, under tho escort of Zeppelins and dostroyers. The latter wero disposed two to a ship, several cable's lengths off the bows of each. There was just time to reload tho empty tube, and to launch back and test the torpedoes , v which might well have been damaged "by tho hoavy pressure to which they had been subjected, Iwforß

tlio battleships came into as favourable a range as was likely to bo obtained. The distauco was great, however, and the torpedo that was sent to bridge it .missed its mark.

Immediately .ifter firing, the submarine went about to attack a second battleship squadron which, in formation similar to the first, was observed to be approaching. This time it proved possible to get within better range, and, as a consequence, one of the two torpedoes launched simultaneously at tho leading ship wont home to its mark.

Evon as she dived deep for safety, the "knocking" thud cf thn detonating gun-cotton was audible aboard the submarine.

Within five minutes tho screws of scouting destroyers could be heard threshing about overhead, but presently tho ominous sounds died away. A cautiously raised periscope revealed tho stricken quarry, abandoned by her seven sisters, proceeding at reduced speed and with a heavy list to starboard. It was now screened by five destroyers, two on each bow, one dead ahead. It steered in sharp rigbt-angl-ing zigzags, tho destroyers manoeuvring with it. Hanging on to its prey, as the orca dogs tho whale it has marked for killing, the submarine discharged "two more torpedoes at. a range of less than a mile, I efore diving deep again to avoid the destroyers. A tentative peep through tho periscope a quarter of an hour later revealod the battleship deep in the water, with the destroyers standing in close, liko so many nail-bearers.

Although no more torpedoes wore fired, two morn explosions—thirty seconds nparfc, the last lioavy and muffled ns though from deep in the bowels of a ship—were distinctly heard aboard the submarino. As no dircraft of any description had been observed with tho stricken ship, there was good reason to balievo that tho explosions had some

connection with tho two torpedoes that were known to havo found their mark but a. few minutes [.roviously. This conclusion was strengthened hy t.lm fact that an hour later when the submarino camo to the surface again no ships whatever were in sight although the air was clear and visibility exceptional; also, by the fact that a broad wake of oil, undoubtedly from tho "wounded" battleship, was subsequently sighted.