SUBMARINE WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 September 1939, Page 3

SUBMARINE WAR

VAIN GERMAN HOPES LESSONS OF THE PAST. HUMAN ELEMENT FAILS. Although in the past 20 years submarines have increased in speed and cruising range, the technique of antisubmarine warfare has made far greater progress. T n this, as in many other respects, Vn/ritain and France have begun a lojfig distance ahead of the point where they ceased operations in 1918. Not only have the lessons of the Great War been thoroughly learned; the possibilities of another war with Germany and another U-boat campaign have been foreseen and provided against. To aid the defence are more numerous aircraft of longer range, abundant surface vessels, greatly improved detecting equipment, a wealth of experience, all the advantages of preparedness, and. the confidence born of success in the last struggle. Above all; there is the morale of British seamen, both naval and mercantile. This more than stood the test in 1914-18, whereas that of the U-boat service broke down. In the present war time is urgent to Germany. It has been pointed out that at her present rate of loss in submarines the difficulty of training personnel is bound before long to become acute. More boats may be built, but it will not be so easy to find men capable of manning them. In the closing months of the Great War it was estimated that seldom were more than six U-boats operating at any one time, but after the Armistice no fewer than 158 were brought out of port and delivered to the British Admiralty at Harwich. They had remained tied up for lack of crews. Before this fully 150 others had been sent to the bottom.

DREADFUL ILIFE. When the conditions of life on board a submarine in war-time are imagined this breakdown of morale is not hard to understand. No existence, even that in the front-line trenches, puts a heavier strain on body and nerves. Shut up in a steel shell full of machinery, officers and men can see little or nothing. They have to endure stale air, oppressive heat, the fumes of oil and battery acid, the discomfort of being tossed about in heavy seas and the prospect of sudden death at almost any time. One U-boat captain, Commander Hansen, described the life in these words: “It is fearfully trying on the nerves. Every man does not stand it. When running undei- the sea, as the air heats it gets poor, and mixed with the odour of oil from the machinery. The atmosphere becomes fearful. An overpowering sleepiness often attacks new men, and one requires the utmost will-power to keep awake. I have had men who did not eat during the first three days out because they did not want to lose that amount of time from sleep. Day after day spent in such cramped quarters, where there is hardly any room to stretch your legs, and constantly on the alert, is a tremendous strain on the nerves.” SUCCESS OF CONVOY SYSTEM. Experience in the British Navy showed that only volunteers chosen after the most exhaustive physical tests were fit for submarine work under any conditions, and that even of those but a very small percentage could stand the life in war for any length of time. One submarine officer, in writing his reminiscences, gave a considered opinion that Continental Powers might build as many boats as they pleased without peril to Britain, for the simple reason that they would be unable to man them. The temporary success of the U-boat campaign, which at its peak cost Britain 500,000 tons of merchant shiping a month, came to an end when the convoy system was instituted. It soon became evident that the submarine which tried to torpedo a convoyed vessel was courting almost certain destruction. 'Mie straight track of air bubbles made by the torpedo nearly always gave away the boat’s position, if the latter had not already been detected by other means. The escorting destroyers swarmed around it like hornets, and the tale ended with a tumult of exploding depth-charges and pools of oil spreading over the surface of the sea. SMALL RATIO OF LOSS. The loss of convoyed ships at the end of 19.17 from enemy action and marine risks average only 0.83 per cent in the Atlantic trades and 0.58 per cent on all routes taken together. During 1918, as the system was perfected, these figures were even lower. A still better record is probable in the present war. Better escort vessels and aircraft are available, mercantile vessels are faster, and their masters and officers have been intensively trained beforehand in convoy procedure and all matters relating to defence against submarines. During the Great War special schools of instruction for shipmasters were established, and this work has been systematically carried on of late years with a thoroughness of which the general public has been little aware.

The new submarine menace finds Britain fully prepared. The enemy has had a brief initial advantage, but there need be no doubt of the outcome.