WARSHIPS IMMUNE.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 29 January 1917, Page 6

WARSHIPS IMMUNE.

LOSSES SLIGHT IN COMPARISON WITH LINERS AND TRADERS. In spite of the great and growing activity of hostile submarines against liners and trading vessels, the warships and transports of the Allied Powers are comparatively as immune as ever they have been. This time last year IT boats were particularly active against our transports in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Royal Edwandu Southland, Eamagan, Mercian, AVoodfield and Marquette were attacked with varying success between August and October. There is, however, no record of any British transport (except the empty Queen in the Channel the other day) having been attacked since November (5 last year, when the Woodfield was shelled for over an hour. Our French allies have not been so fortunate, the Calvados, Provence 11, and Gallia having been Sunk this year with considerable loss of life. They represent but a very small fraction of the transport that lias been constantly going on in the Mediterranean, and which has included as a mere item the double transport of the entire Serbian ar.my without the loss of a single life. These facts suggest that where protective measures are taken the chances arc heavily against a submarine attack succeeding; and. since it is not possible any more than it should be necessary specially to defend every peaceful merchant ship, it is to those vessels that the German submarine service has now almost completely turned its attention.