LIFE IN A SUBMARINE. THE CHEERIEST CROWD IN THE NAVY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 78

LIFE IN A SUBMARINE. THE CHEERIEST CROWD IN THE NAVY.

Out of the different of Teasels which go to make a modem fleet, those which undoubtedly excite the keenest interest of the public at large are the submarines. This partly, because Vis forbidden to visit them, as the thousands of visitors who crowded -tfie Tfeames ba»k« during the recent visit of tie fleet found out to their great disappointment; but chiefly because sabmarxnes are the latest type of vessel. And then, there is so much unusual romance and weird possibilities, so many- myste rious powers attached to the eoaceptiea of those little BalnK*nsbaped> craft., m the miad of the unsophisticated onlooker. How do they look ipskie? what does it feel like to be dosed tip in one? howdeep do they plunge? bow many men live on board t and, above all, what kind of life do these men lead? Such axe the eager questions which everyone asks whea in presence of this latest and most deadly, form of naval weapon. Before taking tbe reader down m one of the submarines and introducing to him. its mysteries, which, needless- to say, 4e> not quite respond to the fanciful aitai almost fantastic idea the average pesso» forms about them, a fiew preliminary details may be of use. A submarine is manned by a./jrew of 16— two officers and 14 men All aye volunteers Xrom the -fleet. The 14 men comprise : 2 artificers, to look after the engines, 1 stoker-petty-officer, 3 " stokers," 1 coxwain (first-class petty-officer), 3 electricians — or torpedo men, 3 seamen, and and 1 leading seaman. Every man, who volunteers for service in a submarine must submit to a special medical examination, much attention bring paid to the heart and lungs. The life on board one 'of these little vessels is not, as many people think, particularly dangerous. But it is so entirely different from that which is led in the other types of ships that after having served two years or so in a submarine the m«n aie taken away from them and cent on board • a cruiser or battleship so that they may keep in touch with the ordinary service. Let it also be understood that the active service in submarines is limited to a period of three weeks^ — on end — during the summer, and one week during the winter. The vest of the year the officer* and men live in what is called a "parent"— or. "mother"— «hip, but they "exercise" the boat three or four times a week, generally from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., going through' various evolutions, such as diving and "attacking," and aJeo torpedo-firing. Let us go down thxongfc the hatchway, of the little conning tower. A few rungs of ladder and we reach the main deck, the only deck, in fact, of tbe submarine, inside the "fish," in. tbe fault. The first impression is one of leaf. The air is close and* tieavy, and, -as d seaman expressed it, "Ain't it thick, sir r*

and be added, "It toon makes you f%«3 ] d«4py, but they keep vm so bu^ in here ; that we get over the drowsHseas." B/aw •mall! The highest standing room is 6ft 6in high, and toward* both ends the roof gradually declines «nd the floor becomes narrower. The hull tapers away to a- point, so much so, indeed, thai as one proceeds one must crawl on all fours. These are bo port-holes. The hatchway of the oonning tower is the only aperture, bu* wben this is closed— while the vessel is under water — electric lamps ilhimme the small space. < — Much in Littie.— thax are ventilators, of course, bat when the. submarine dives they ase shut off with a cap. Tbere are no partitions on "tins unique decky the Kfe on board a submarine is essentially "in common" ; the offioeni am* men are always together. Tbe msuHwr in which a multitude of objects are crammed in together, in the ; narrow space — various sets of machinery, pipes, torpedoes, hammocks, cooking ap- : pantos, and so forth — is almost nviraculou*i *Hcwr oW you spend the *Jay?' I asked the- coxwaiiu ■* r "As a- rale' w» turn out at 6.30. At 7.45 comes breakfast. The two officers iatre the use of a woodon tabte 3ft by 2ft, and two' fofcfcng camp stools. -The cooking' i» dose in an. electric oven, and we ar» careful not to use- anything that may have a- strong- or disagreeable smell ; bo onions axe used in. a submarine, and very little fish. The fames oi the gasolene engine are bad enough. Our breakfast is generally made of tea, bread and butter, baeoe and eggs. The men at on the floor as well ws tbey aan. Tbe bill of fare of dinner is generally beef and potatoes, and we get our grog — three-quarters of water and one quarter of ram — lie ail other eeaxuem. "At 4 we have tea, and we take snppar ueuxUy. at & At 16.30 we turn in. Aa regards -trark, well, there is enough to do keeping the piace in order, cleaning the torpedoes, azd everything else. There is no smoking betow, but >wfeen we are on the surface we smoke on the bridge." "How are orders given?" I aeked. "In words — the place is small enough. These is no suoh thing as 'piping' in' a submarine." —Like tbe Noise in &c " Tube."— I v€ll'v €ll '' ] V e d to aek the ooxwaiu a few questions about nnnishtaents, but be turjied on me sony hat abruptly, and retorted : "We never need any, we are picked 1 men !" BuC an officer , gaily informed me thai when, there were any infractions .of the. rules, which .hardly -ever_ happened, the culprit paid" .the penally when on board the mother-snip. I then inquired about the noiee, th» speed/ t<be dangers, and comforts of a~ submarine. Contrary to the prevalent notion, there is not much noise insUle those little vessels wJien they are submerged, nothing' but the bazzing of the motor, whioh, as an- officer pat it, "freiniads one of the noise of the 'tube' on a smaller scale." Tbe greatest depth to which submarines go does not .exceed 30ft, but, as a rule, they travel 15ft below the water. The «peed averages 12 op 13 knots on the surface and eight knots below. The air is quite "breathable" for four hours, but in the case of emergency, thanks to special devices, the orew can romoin 70 hours closed up in a submarine without danger to their lives. "How do you like the life?" I asked my friend the coxswain. "Wd all love it. It is so quiet, so interesting, and then thete is not so much discipline as there is in a battleship." This does not mean that there is less order among us. On the contrary; but living as we do in common, in a small 6paoe, the discipline has no need of being so stern. We are like one family, officers and men partaking tlmost of the same food, breathing the same air, leading the same life, %nd sharing the same dangers. " But there is no danger to speak of in submarines. They are the safest things afloat providing everyone does his duty. They ere buoyant enough; they cannot get down unless we want them to. "By Uie way, the white mice we used to have to warn us of impending dangers have e&fcirely been done away with." "What do you use, then?" "Oh, there -is no need for us to use anything," he said. "We can smell any escape of petrol, and then we know that an explosion is pcssible, and we do what is necessary. "When the weather is fair there is naturally very little rolling. Submarines are steady and extremely seaworthy. It is the officers on th-e bridg© who have the worst time of it. Of course, in a very Tough sea we are shaken about a bit, and in such a narrow space we are bound to bump againat something or other ! . . . But in such circumstances «re stretch 'steadying lines' every few feet across the boat and hold on to them." "Isn't your life rathei depressing?" "Not at all. What an idea!" And the coxswain laughed. 'We are the cheeriest crowd in the navy," said his officer. 'There are no mouldy people in submarines. Besides, everyone knows that the supply of volunteer* for service ir submarines exceeds the demand." The officer sang the praises of his men. His opinion and the attitude of th« •submarine men reminded me of Lord Charles Beresford's words concerning the characistics of British seamen : "Splendid courage in critical moments, readiness of reeoutce, indiyiduauty, a loyal sense of duty, combined with & chivalrous idea of honour and a cheery demeanour under all circum.^tances,"—R. C, in the DaHy Mail.