CHAPTER XII
THE LAST WORD IN SUBMARINES
It is less than twenty years agone that the first five baby Hollands were built in this country for, and delivered to, England, and from that time dates the beginning of the art of modern submarine construction.
Since then the size, speed, and cruising radius of each succeeding type of submarine has grown greater and ever greater, until from a craft hardly larger than a power pleasure boat there has been evolved a truly wonderful undersea vessel of magnificent proportions.
Uncle Sam’s Latest Submarines.—The result of this marvelous development is that the latest of Uncle Sam’s submarines are of the 1200 and 1500 tons displacement type and they have a speed of 21 knots on the surface.
These giant submarines have a cruising radius of about 4,000 miles and are fitted with every instrument, device, apparatus and machine that human ingenuity can think of, or at least that has been invented, which goes to make for their operating and fighting qualities and for the safety and comfort of their crews.
From this you will see that since the year of 1900 the size of these craft has been increased about four times, their speed doubled, and their efficiency raised to half again as much. Based on the rapid strides that have been made since the war has been going on, it does not take any great foresight to predict that in the near future, if the U-boat blockade is not broken, submarines of upwards of 500 feet in length and 10,000 tons’ displacement will form the merchant fleet of the United States.
The Great Blockades of the Warring Nations.—The great blockades by which the Allies have bottled up the German Empire by their superior naval forces, and by which Germany is trying to shut off the trading of other countries with the Allies by her U-boat warfare, have prevented either side from scoring a victory.