ON THE SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, 30 November 1917, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

| THE SUBMARINE. , I GETTING RID OF IT. SOME OF THE MEANS ADOPTED. The means adopted in fighting the U-boats are varied. Many—perhaps the majority —of the submarines meet their fate at the hands of the crew of the torpedo gunboats and destroyers Ramming is frequently reported and explosive charges are dropped on the submerging enemy as the patrol boats pass over the flpot. Our x own bubmarines have had success, (one with a torpedo shot at 800 yards range) the gunners on merchant steamers, now and again reach their mark, and the nets, about which such romantic stories were told early in the war, also assist in the work of destruction. There are countless other measures adopted known only to the authorities and the men who use them, and thousands of schemes and suggestions for ridding the ocean of its scourge have been submitted to the Admiralty. Edison and other great scientists in all the Allied countries have laboured incessantly to master the under water craft, looking for the effective counter that they know is awaiting diseovocry. The leaders of Germany know that their principal weapon is doomed. Last week Admiral von Tirpitz said that it was a mistake to assume that submarines were sufficient for the future problem of Germany. An effective counter weapon would surely be found. Everybody will hope that the couhtcf-wea-pon already is the secret of the Allied bodies. VALUE OF DESTROYERS.

The most important preparations we are making for the naval warfare are, wrote the World’s Work, in October, our new destroyers, The destroyer has. every advantage ih fighting the submarine, which dare not betray its presence if a vessel of this type is in the neighbourhood. The destroyer has four great advantages: its comparatively light draught, about Bft.,; its tremendous speed, perhaps 35 knots; its sea-going capacity; and its considerable fighting power. The tofpedo is most effective when shot about 10ft under the water, at a higher level its course is uncertain. A destroyer Is therefore difficult to hit, in fact, almost no destroyers have succumbed to torpedo attacks in the present war. Its great speed almost fnvariably means death to afey submarine that shows its head above water, for the destroyer can usually ram it, or sink it with a shell before there is time to submerge.