E-text prepared by Barbara Kosker, Suzanne Shell, Jeannie Howse, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 23601-h.htm or 23601-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/6/0/23601/23601-h/23601-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/6/0/23601/23601-h.zip) THE U-BOAT HUNTERS * * * * * * BOOKS BY JAMES B. CONNOLLY Published by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS THE U-BOAT HUNTERS. Illustrated _net_ $1.50 RUNNING FREE. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 HEAD WINDS. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 SONNIE-BOY'S PEOPLE. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 WIDE COURSES. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 OPEN WATER. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 THE CRESTED SEAS. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 THE DEEP SEA'S TOLL. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 THE SEINERS. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 OUT OF GLOUCESTER. Illustrated _net_ 1.50 JEB HUTTON. Illustrated _net_ 1.20 THE TRAWLER. _net_ .50 * * * * * * THE U-BOAT HUNTERS by JAMES B. CONNOLLY With Illustrations [Illustration: "Where you-all going?... Can't you-all see where you're going? Keep off--keep off." [_Page 117_]] New York Charles Scribner's Sons 1918 Copyright, 1906, 1918, by Charles Scribner's Sons Published June, 1918 Copyright, 1916, 1917, 1918, by P. F. Collier & Son, Incorporated FOREWORD What a great thing if we could do away with war! But men are not cast in that mould. We shall continue to have wars; and some day the world is going to have a war to which the present will serve only as a try-out. When that war comes our country will probably have to bear the burden for the western hemisphere. In that war our navy will be our first line of defense; and what we do for our navy now will have much to do with what our navy will be able to do for us then. Our navy to-day is made up of good ships and capable, courageous, hard-working officers and men. There are some fuddy-duddies and politicians among them, but most of them are on the job every minute. Their highest hope is the chance to serve their country. The chapters in this book which tell of their U-boat hunting only prove once more their great qualities. There are chapters in this book which have nothing to do with U-boat hunting, but have much to do with the navy. Such are the two opening chapters and the three closing chapters. The motive of four of those chapters will probably be obvious; the chapter on the workings of a submarine is included in the hope of interesting our young fellows in that type of craft.