AT SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 23 April 1917, Page 6

AT SEA.

SUBMARINES TO AID ALLIES,

BALTIC CAMPAIGN EXPECTED TO SHUT OFF FOE’S FOOD.

BALTIMORE, Md., March 3

A big armed British frieghter has ;just arrived hero manned by a crow recruited without regard to war-time age limits. Ail eight of the men arc too young or two old for service in the navy Two gunners of Royal British Xavy Reserve man the 12-pounu guns. The name of the steamer i s withheld because of the ‘ ‘air-tight ’ ’ rule established bv the

British Admiralty concerning giving out of any information by men in the merchant marine. On this condition an officer consented to talk.

“When a ship leaves England,” he said, “its route is given it by the Admiralty. usually an indirect one. On February 9. four ships loft Cardiff for Ameren. All took different routes and arrived safely, three at Baltimore and one at Xew York.

“Contrary to the general belief in this country that England has but few submarines.” he said, “there are hundreds of British and Russian under-sea "boats operating at all times. “There are a great number of these craft now in the Baltic sea,”' he continued, “the only waters in wi‘ h German merchant craft dare opera! >. There boats will do more to make the fanned spring drive of the Allies a succ ;s than any other single method of attack. There is too much ice in the Baltic for them to operate at present, but when this breaks up it is believed Germany’s food supply will be stopped entirely. *\ll she is getting now is through her dealings with the Scandinavian conn*

trios, and it is believed the submarines rvill soon account for the vessels engaged in this trade.

“Likewise, I hear people talking of our inability to cope with the submarine situation. They are uninformed. More than 150 German submarines have been destroyed by merchant ships alone to say nothing of those caught in the nets spread for them,: and those accounted for by our warships.”

80,000-TOKT BATTLESHIP.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24

An 80,000 ton battleship, mounting fifteen ISin guns, having a speed of 25 knots an hour, and costing 50,000,000 dollars, would be the largest war craft the United States could employ, according to a report to Congress prepared by the Navy Department in rcsonse to a request for specifications of the biggest fighting craft that could use the Parama Canal and American harbours. The report says that such a vessel would have a length of 975 ft, a beam of 108 ft, a secondary battery of twenty-one Gin. guns,; four 21in torpedo tubes, and a 12,000-milc radius of action. I ‘A single such vessel, however, ”it adds, “would not be of great value to the United States Navy, as it would not be suited to act in unison with the other major units of our fleets. To develop the value of such a vessel, it would be necessary to lay doun not less than five.”

The European war, the report says, has as yet brought no exclusive answer to the question of what types are most desirable, aud the general board is not prepared to recommend so radical a departure as the SO,OOO-ton ship would represent. The 25.000,000 dollars battleships asked for in the pending Naval Bill represent the greatest increase in size and power for battleship typos in any single year, but they are to have a displacement of onlv 42,000 tons, main batteries of twelve Kiin guns, and a speed of 2:; knots.