WARFARE AT SEA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 266, 30 July 1918, Page 6

WARFARE AT SEA

THE TALE OF A CONVOY lII.—MINES (By Sir John ftland L Sutton, in the "Morning Post;/') [Men who lake up arms against one another in public war do not cease , on that account to be moral heingo | responsible to one nnolher and to God. —Instructions for armies of the L'nited Slates in the Field."] By the fith Convention of The Ha»uo Conference, 1907, certain restriction? yvero imposed on the use of submarines, mines, and torftedoes, chiefly with the viow of protecting peaceful shipping trorn tho use of swdi weapons by belligerent?. It h forbidden: (1) To lay new nnnnohored contact mines unless liiey are so constructed a* to become harmless one hour at least after the person who laid them shall havo lost conlrol over them. U) To lay anchored automatic mines which do nof: become harmless as .soon as i hey have broken from their moorings. Jheso restrictions have, been ruthlesslv Molat.eu liv (he Germans, and mines lwvo been freely sown in all waters and fairways acee«ible to them, mid many merchant voxels ltav« been sunk in consequence, not onlv British ships, but those of neutrals. Much ingenuity has been exercised in dealing with these _ pest«, llie method in vogue for rendering harmless mine?, stationary and floating, is sweeping, carried out by patrols in harbours lind fairways. So far as merchant ships are concerned the risks ot mines exist nnvwhere in routes and channels lienucnted liv them. They are dropped by mine-brers, or thrown overboard_ by raiders." or deposited by submrm?*. When the 'Hook-out" detects a mine floatins on the surface or submerged- moored mine—it mav be exploded by a shot from the ship. Tho 3-nonnder Hotehki<s is a. useful weapon for this purpose. Moored mines in the danger zone are sinister things. Middle Watch.

Midnight till i a.m.-the Middle AYatch —in mid-Atlantic. in May, has a charm of its own, watching tlie dawn of anollier rlnv. Who call 101 l what it will living. The officers of the watch entertain strong opinions that the mysterious and uncertain light that, marks the departure of Night and indicate Hio Dawn is fnvo-iir-ab!e for U-boats engaged in stalk in? and destroying merchant ships. .1 hero i= also a belief that in the uncertain light of the dawn there are move collisions at sea than at any other period 01 equa length throughout the (lav. the diffused IHil: nrodnces an appearance very pnzjrlinn in the watchers, whose eyes have been adinsted for some, hours to d.nkuess. It is a. mailer of common experience' that 011 suddenly passing ironi a well-lighted room to darkness many stumble until their eyes have become accustomed to the clunge. , Officers whoso duly it is to hunt submarines and those w ho protect ships from snbrnariTio attacks are alwnvs extremely vigilant in the morning twilight. Alw the. fantastic disfigurement of sluns (which has be described) is more protective at this period of the day than at any other. £^ U though the dawn produces such dice -to appearances on the water that it is ia.J (o miss objects flush the surfaeo. it is the U-boats opportunity However badly the ships may be <^£ with paint, funnels a:nd ma.ils indicate U, e position of ships as snrclv.ns slceples in the landscapo mark the .situation limes it is interesting to keep mi officer company on (lie bridge at night and look nut for ships li.ht.. Tn tlfo danger 7,one at the present tune vessels move about, without masthead oi bow lights. Anyone who has lir vi reo of witching from - the bridge lis occasionally seen what, he believed to bo •! ship's light ahead, and, a tier an interval,"has been astonished to find the St high in die sky' The Mippoj-cd ship's light was in reality a stai oi the first magnitude, like Smm <»' Al ' lnb '"i n riling. Sometimes it is a planet, (.in cors on the bridge sometimes make li s mistake and in some ctreuinstancw it w unavoidable. .An officor of «poncncc on patrol duty in the North fcea told me that such ail error is often made, and the cruiser chases a light, to find it gradually rise higher and higher and then transform itself into a stai. Even the rising moon has been chased m tli s wav. One night the Northern Lights were so bright that the Coij v °y ' luminated as if in moonlight. he Aulike a. broad arc of over the northern -ei'tov of;I1 .o skj, and bright hands of pale pink light, shot upwards from its convexity to the zenith. It persisted for 20 minutes.

Engineers. These men control the mighty power of steamships, and their work is carried on out of sight in the depths ot the ship. In order to appreciate, the engineert., it is necessary to enter their department down slippery steel ladders, .along :galleries as slippery and as the gratings over .London area.-. IHe visitor is thoughtfully supplied with a handful of cotton-waste (the insignia of the engineer's department) as a piolcction against grease. By steep descent, we enter tho engine-room wheie ini,ht> cranks, for hours and lor days, are toiling on, and on, and on, in ° Wie " c " tn the relentless pressure of steam, boin in huge boilers supplied by man) furnaces. In Beautiful Dove there were thirteen boilers supplied by thir Ij-mno furnaces. The amount of coal that a bi„ ship will consume in a day is astoundin" The Mauretama, running iu. Hit speed, requires 120(1 tons oi good coal daily. In the engine-room, the clank o. machinery overpowers everything, the smell of oil is secondary. he deliberate movements of the cranks, that make .he shafts rotate, resemble judges noddin„ acquiescence to counsel. The fussy machinery producing energy -for elect it li-ht calls to mind ill-advised interpolation of a disappointed barrister for .ho defence when, tho judge calls him to order. Tho air-pumps, condensers, pressiiriMTciiipCSi pis'oni?, mid rßfvigGUilin" engines are bewildering, but wo feel assured that everything has somo use, like vestigial organs in orchids and in the human body. Pressure-gauges, telegraphs, and starting-gear are in the immediate vicinity of the engineer on duty, readv for any signal from the bridge, to stop-go astern-or alter speed, 'according to need. 'i'lie watchful ear of the engineer detects any hiss that, indicates a leak in a steam pipe or joint, a loose stuffing, or a heated bearing'. The engines and gauges are as closcly watched by engine"™ as engineers are watched, or have their temperature taken, when sick, by tiained and devoted nurses. From tne oily, smelly orderliness of the engineroom wo enter the boiler-room. The two departments are separated by water-tight doors. No chances are taken. Submarines' and mines strike ships with suddenness. and preferably ill a vital part, Which is &o engiiie-roum. Flooding of the enu'ino-roonrsoon leads to destruction of the'.ship. , Retribution for errors of duty, or errors of judgment, come quickly to thn engineer. 'Machinery shows no mercy for neglect. A relentless blow on the head o)'%. careless engineer from a broken nisfou-rod leave? no time t'.ir regret Mid none for apology. The sudden flooding o, fin Gn|?inp"i'ooni with supiM'lionled siontn fro ii a steam-pipe burst by a shell may flay half a -loaon men in as many seconds. When tho IMtler gives warning of a submarine attack sailors rush to'stations and man the boats. Gunners stand by the guns; firemen slick to tho furnnfßs. Engineers stand by engine*; on their skill 'in keeping the engines goin" and the steering gear in order tne safety of tho ship depends. Tf engineers or hremen fail in their duty tho ship may be lost. In an action, whether a raider is engaged, a submarine, or a general action, the commander depends on the prouint obedience to Ihe bridge telegraph as "in a pleasure trip, or at .autumn He gets it. An engineer ch'-ei!iiii r ''"s ui lime of danger is n> gn.itv -i v. :ii';.'ee in lb** face of the enemy as it Wli'-ei- who s];u.i;s in tho trench whilst his company goes ov"' the too In the mercantile marine the'honour'of the Navy is as worthily upheld by engine?!'.' raid firemen as by gumers mid sallor3.