GERMAN SUBMARINES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1381, 1 April 1915, Page 4

GERMAN SUBMARINES.

There is something to be explained about the German underwater boats which is puzzling naval experts. The authorised list of German submarines contains eight different classes. Srarting in 1904-6, when one boat was built, they run: —3 boats 19067,4 boats 1908-10, 4 boats 1910-11, 4 boats 1911-12, 6 boats 1912-13, 6 boats 1913-14, and 1 boat and 1 super-submarine 1914. Commencing with Ur, these boats have been successively numbered Ui to U 37. The complement (i.e., the crew) of all boats, from U 1 to U1 3. ranged from 9 officers and men to 12 officers and men, and presuming that they carried a proportionate number in the larger boats Ul7 to U 36 would have had a coraplemjenl of 26. The submarine just sunk by the destroyer Ariel appears to have had 28 men on board, which is more than double what she should have had. It is suggested that in order to mislead the British warships, the numbering of the boats has been altered, or, in the alternative, that the boat had an extra allotment of men for training purposes. Curiously enough, there is no record of any German submarine with a higher number than U 24 having been seen afloat, and it is quite possible that the newer boats of the 1913-14 programme ate either not yet in commission or that the crews to man and work them effectively are not yet forthcoming. That the submarine personnel is feeling the strain would, under the circumstances, only be natural, for the cramped quarters and absence of sleepiug accommodation on the old boats absolutely preclude the crews from obtaining any rest while at sea.