THE BRITISH NAVY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 65, 21 June 1916, Page 3

THE BRITISH NAVY.

ARTICLE BY RUDYARD KIPLING

(Copyright lor L9IU, by tlio Author.)

WRITTEN FROM OFFICIAL REPORTS. London, June 20

The first article deals with the British submarines' work in tho Baltic-, ami details tho following thrilling episode. "Commander Max Horton's ISO, in Lliu depths of winter, when taken to her bunting grounds by an icebreaker, was left to her own devices, when in tlie open sea. The log recorded that as circumstances were 1 favorable, itwas decided to attempt to bag a destroyer. "She afterwards sees three, two far off, and later, in failing light, ft fourth, towards which she manoeuvres, her depth making it difficult, owing to the swell, to observe her. A balloon on a gusty day is almost as stable as a submarine jumping in a heavy swell, and since tho Baltic is shallow a submarine runs » chance to he lot down "whack" on the bottom. Nevertheless, the E 9 works her way to within six hundred yards from her quarry and tires. "She waits long enough to bo sure that the torpedo is running straight and then dips to avoid detection. Within fifty seconds the crew hears the torpedo detonating, and four minutes later the EO rises and finds that the destroyer had disappeared. Then she goes to bed below in the chill and dark till it is time to turn homewai.ds. "When she rose she met a storm from the north. The spray froze as it struck her bridge, and became a mass of ice. The crew experienced difficulty in keeping the conning tower and hatch free of ice. The telegraphs were fro/.en, and it was considered advisable to free the boat from ice, so she went below and so proceeded through a series of snowstorms till she got into touch with the icebreaker. Somehow one has an idea that the icebreaker had not arrived any too soon for the Ey's comfort.

"That experience was in winter; in summer it was quite the other way. The F,!J had to go to bed by day when the Baltic was smooth, and could not get within a mile and a half, of.,.anything with eyes without being put down. Her reward came w!ion,,sho sighted an enemy squadron coming fast from the eastward. There were two heavy battleships, with an escort of destroyers. The K!) crept upon a three-funiiellor of the DcutschlnndBraunschwoig class, and fired both bow torpedoes. The first struck just before the foremost funnel, and smoke and debris appeared to go as high as the mast head. The IC ( J had to go down quickly before the approaching destroyer, which only just missed her.

The submarine struck the bottom at forty-three feet and then the second torpedo was heard to explode. The KO rose twenty minutes later to make, sure, and saw the destroyer, awaiting, a couple of hundred yards away. 'I he E 9 dipped for her life, but saw one large vessel live miles away. "The El was also in the Baltic, under Commander F. Laurence, and she had experiences, too. One evening

she sighted three transports. She hit the first, and while arranging for the second, the third tried to ram her, so it was necessary to go down and waste precious light. When she

rose again the stricken ship wa„ sink ing and afterwards blew up. Dark ness defeated an attack on the others

The El during thick weather, came across a squadron of battle cruisers, and got in on one of the Hanking ships, probably the Moltke. She had to dive immediately, and a destroyer missed her by a few feet. Fog stopped further developments. "It is a pity that the authorities do not realise the stories of glorious failures when everything goes wrong; when torpedoes break on the surface and scatter like ducks, or arrive full or arrive full-square and fail to explode; when the devil in charge of all motors and clutches develops play that would scare a shore-going mechanic bald; when batteries give off death instead of power at top; and all ice or wreckage racks and wrenches the bull til! tin l whole- leaking bag of tricks limits home by indomitable will of the red-eyed husky scarecrows ill charge."