SUBMARINE WARFARE

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 563, 5 November 1902, Page 3

SUBMARINE WARFARE

By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright Paris, Nov. 3. Tho commandants of tho French submarines at tho Cherbourg munreuvros report that ships wore nover safo within tho submarine radius.- The action of artillory fire and careful outlook aboard tho battleships was quito ineffectual. A battleship was only safo close to a harbor eatrauco protected by electrio wires. Cherbourg, Sept. 18. A curious light is thrown on tho reports issued as to tho brilliant success with which tho submarines torpedo warships by a disputo which is now in progress, and which so far reveals tho fact that tho torpedoing by submarines is entirely a matter of imagination, not oven dummy torpedoes boing discharged. Tho rule laid down during tho manceuv ros was that if a submarine rose to the surface at a spot towards which tho parti cular warship attacKed did not have a gun aimod, tho submarine could claim to have torpedoed tho warship. Tho officer in command of tho submarines issued to each boat a bottle which, when floating in tho wator, was very similar in appearance to tho sighting apparatus on the top of tho submarine’s conning tower. Tho bottles were allowed to riso during tho manoeuvres. Immediately ono appeared tho nearest warship poured a heavy fire upon it, whereupon tho submarine would riso on tho other side of tho warship and claim to have sunk her. The officers on the warships wero highly indignant at tho trick, and it is now proposed to havo tho manoeuvres over again, the submarines to uso dummy torpedoes with dotonators at tho nose bo that there shall be no mistako if a vessel is really struck. —Dalziel.