"A few days later I had another interview and was told that the British Government was ready to give us a contract for fifty vessels of the larger type, the whole lot to be delivered within a year's time. "On April 9th, 1915, the contract for fifty 'chasers' was signed. . . . . . . . . "The _Lusitania_ sailed on her last voyage May 1st, 1915, and a week later her torpedoing by a German U-boat was reported. My English friend was sailing that same day from New York, and we were giving him a farewell luncheon at Delmonico's. When the appalling news was communicated to him he appeared much depressed, as indeed was natural enough, and also very thoughtful. Before he said good-bye he intimated to me that he intended advising the Admiralty to increase the number of 'Chasers'; he asked me if I thought I could take care of a bigger order. I told him that I could guarantee to build a boat a day for so long a period as the Admiralty might care to name. "After he reached England we shortly received a cablegram ordering five hundred additional 'Sutphens,' our code word for submarine 'Chaser'; in other words we were now asked to build five hundred and fifty of these boats and deliver them in complete running order by November 15th, 1915." [Illustration: FIG. 2.--Plan of armed motor launch, showing internal arrangements. _A._ Officers' sleeping cabin. _B.B._ Bunks. _C._ Cupboard. _D._ Lavatory. _E.E._ Stern petrol tanks. _F._ Wardroom. _G._ Table. _H._ Settee. _I._ Galley. _J._ Petrol stove. _K._ Engine-room. _L.L._ Main engines. _M._ Compressed air reservoirs. _N._ Auxiliary petrol engine driving dynamo, bilge pumps, fire pumps and air compressor. _O._ Electric storage batteries, switchboard and electrical starting arrangements for auxiliary engine. _P._ Chart-room with petrol tanks below. _Q._ Magazine. _R._ Fresh-water tanks. _S._ Forecastle. _T._ Bunks for crew. _U._ Forecastle lavatory. _V._ Watertight forepeak.] The armament of a motor launch consisted of a 13-pounder quick-firing high-angle gun, capable of throwing a lyddite shell for over four miles, and was as useful against aircraft as it was against submarines. In addition to this heavy gun for small craft they carried about 1200 lb. of high explosive in the form of depth charges for bombing under-water craft, a Lewis machine gun, rifles and revolvers.