The Submarine in War and Peace: Its Development and its Possibilities — John Shaqi
The Submarine in War and Peace: Its Development and its PossibilitiesLake, Simon
History
The Submarine in War and Peace: Its Development and its Possibilities
Lake, Simon
Submarines (Ships)
The "Holland" 190
Various Types of Modern Foreign Submarines 194
An Amphibious Submarine being Hauled out of the Water 204
The "Caviar Map" of Shipping's Greatest Grave-yard 283
CHART
Diagram to Illustrate the Comparative Visibility and Consequently
the Comparative Safety of Surface Ships and Cargo-Carrying
Submarines 254
THE SUBMARINE IN WAR AND PEACE
INTRODUCTION
Jules Verne, in 1898, cabled to a New York publication: "While my book,
'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,' is entirely a work of the
imagination, my conviction is that all I said in it will come to pass.
A thousand-mile voyage in the Baltimore submarine boat (the _Argonaut_)
is evidence of this. This conspicuous success of submarine navigation
in the United States will push on under-water navigation all over the
world. If such a successful test had come a few months earlier it might
have played a great part in the war just closed (Spanish-American war).
The next war may be largely a contest between submarine boats. Before
the United States gains her full development she is likely to have
mighty navies, not only on the bosom of the Atlantic and Pacific, but
in the upper air and beneath the waters of the surface."
The fantasy of Verne is the fact of to-day.
Admiral Farragut, in 1864, entered Mobile Bay while saying: "Damn the
torpedoes--four bells; Captain Drayton, go ahead; Jouett, full speed!"
An admiral, in 1917, damns the torpedoes and orders full speed ahead,
but _not_ toward those points guarded by submarine torpedo boats.
While the British Admiralty once held that the submarine "is the weapon
of the weaker power and not our concern," to-day the British naval
officers in the North Sea operations somewhat discredit the former
official Admiralty stand that "we know all about submarines; they are
weapons of the weaker power; they are very poor fighting machines and
can be of no possible use to the mistress of the seas."
Even as late as 1904 the submarine was not considered by naval
authorities as a weapon of much value. A British admiral expressed his
views on the submarine at that time in these words: "In my opinion,
the British Admiralty is doing the right thing in building submarines,
as in habituating our men and officers to them we shall more clearly
realize their weaknesses when used against us. Even the weapon they
carry (the Whitehead torpedo) is, to all intents and purposes, of
unknown value for sea fighting."
However, from the very outbreak of the war now being carried on in
Europe, the submarine has made its presence felt as a most effective
weapon. German submarines have translated into actuality the prophecies
of Verne, and have altered the views not only of the English but of the
world as to the efficacy of the submarine as a naval weapon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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