BRITAIN'S SUBMARINES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 31, 26 January 1940, Page 3

BRITAIN'S SUBMARINES

of ._Britain’s submarines in this war, but they are on the job, just as they were during the last conflict. Through the months of the present war submarines have been the most silent arm of the silent service. They are no doubt blocking enemy harbours and lying in wait for enemy vessels in the most unexpected places. The difference between the undercraft of this and the last war is as great as that between our modern aircraft and the matchwood ’planes of of 1914-18. British submarines are tremendous things, requiring crews of great skill and courage. Some of them belong to the mine-laying class; others are designed for long sea voyages-across the Atlantic and round the Horn if necessary. On the surface they travel at 14 knots; underwater their speed is very slow. Of necessity their capacity and performances must remain a mystery, is revealed of the activities

but some of Britain’s submarines range from 1,311 tons to 1,850 tons. Many of the vessels can stay under water for 48 hours, but when submerged they depend entirely on their electric current. Travelling at 10 miles an hour would exhaust that electric power in one hour, hence the reason for coming to the surface for air and to re-charge the great batteries. Delicate Balance The balance of a submarine is so delicate that it may bé upset by one man walking from one-end of the vessel to another. After being submerged: for twenty-four hours the air is so full of carbon dioxide that a match will immediately go out after being struck. This means that all movement is avoided to conserve. air. -In 1916 a submarine could descend only 150 feet; to-day that depth. has been greatly increased, so much so that

at its greatest depth the pressure is so terrific. that a steel ladder fixed at each end of the vessel can be seen bulging in a curve. If a submarine is forced below a certain level the weight of the water bursts it like a paper bag. On one man alone depends the safety of the submarine and _ the lives. of its crew. He is the commander, Under him there are on an average five officers and 50 men. In times of danger.the commander spends hours at the periscope, standing cramped -and- firm at that wonderful eye of the ship. He alone sees the enemy; everyone else must obey implicitly. Sometimes he stands there fot two hours ata stretch, never moving, and on a trip he never has more. than a four-hour break for sleep and rest. Special: Food Because of the dangerous life, the submarine crews are: treated to special food ‘such .as_ bottled. fruits and. tinned chicken. Cooking’ can be done only when the ship is.above water.

Officers and men mess and work together in the most confined space. Their clothing on duty is a comfortable white sweater. Fresh food is carried in refrigerators, but often the whole crew lives on iron rations, to eke out the two tons of food carried for a voyage. When a submarine submerges, frequently in split seconds if the occasion is dangerous, she goes down at an angle of one in four at twelve miles an hour. But careful judgment is required. If she goes down too fast she may stick in the sand and mud; if too much water is "trimmed" into the tanks she might be overladen and unable to return; if the speed is too slow, the "fins" would not grip the water. Eighty per cent. of the submarine’s torpedoes find their mark; at a quarter of a mile, once the enemy is sighted, a hit is practically guaranteed. Submarine commanders are specially chosen and trained. All the men are under. 30 and are selected for their special qualities of steadiness and courage, ;