If for no other reason than this you ought to follow not only the battles as they are being fought on the east and west fronts of Europe, but the warfare that is being waged by the submarines on the high seas, for on these boats hinges to a very large extent the outcome of the war.
Ever since the year of 1900 when five of the first really successful submarines were built in the United States and sent to England the value of this kind of war-craft has gone forward by leaps and bounds as the devices for operating them were more and more improved.
Further too the submarine has played a far larger part in the war that is now going on than the wildest fancies of her inventors of twenty years ago could have pictured, much less believed, and what is of even greater import she bids fair to become the champion fighter of the sea in the future.
Indeed so wonderful is the submarine and so great are her possibilities that you should by all means know exactly how she is made and works, as well as her torpedoes. The easiest and certainly the most interesting way to find out these things is to read this book and then build a model submarine and torpedo according to the simple directions we have given.
To open the covers of this book and to read it is the next thing to going through the hatch in the bridge of the conning tower and examining the mechanism at first hand. So do it now.
A. Frederick Collins,
Virgil D. Collins,
550 Riverside Drive,
New York City.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||
| “A Word to You” | [vii] | |
| CHAPTER | ||
| I. | The First of the Submarines | [1] |
How the Submarine Came to Be.—The Development ofthe Submarine.—The First Submarine Boat.—A Submarineof the Revolution.—The First Torpedo Fired by a Submarine.—RobertFulton’s Submarine.—The Earliest SteamPropelled Submarine.—The Coming of the Torpedo-TubeSubmarine.—The Invention of the Electric Submarine.—Whatthe Gas Engine Did for the Submarine.—The TwoTypes of Submarines. | ||
| II. | How to Make and Work a Model Submarine | [23] |
The Ballast Tank.—The Air Control Mechanism.—Aboutthe Power Plant.—The Pusher Control Device.—The Propeller-Shaft.—Installingthe Motor.—Ballasting the Boat.—Makingthe Superstructure.—And Now the Conning Tower.—Settingthe Propeller.—Putting on the Rudder.—PaintingYour Craft.—How to Work Your Submarine. | ||
| III. | How a Real Submarine Is Made and Works | [51] |
The Parts of a Submarine.—How the Hull Is Made.—Whatthe Superstructure Is.—The Outside of the ConningTower.—A Look Inside of the Hull.—A Peep into theConning Tower.—Now the Navigating Compartment.—Next,the Diving Control Compartment.—The Four Statesof the Submarine.—How a Submarine Dives.—The BallastPumps and What They Do.—What the Buoyancy TanksAre For.—Compressed Air and Air-Compressor Pumps.—Insidethe Torpedo Compartment.—Why Trimming TanksAre Used.—In the Mine Compartment.—And Last of All,the Sea Anchor.—Where the Crew of a Submarine Lives. | ||
| IV. | The Heart of the Submarine | [73] |
What a Good Power Plant Is.—The Faults of the SteamEngine.—When the Gasoline Engine Came.—How theGasoline Engine Works.—The Last Word in SubmarineEngines.—Why an Electric Power Plant Is Needed.—TheDynamo-Motor and Storage Battery System. | ||
| V. | Making and Shooting the Torpedo | [91] |
The First Submarine Torpedoes.—How to Make a ModelSubmarine Torpedo.—The Body of the Torpedo.—YourTorpedo in Action.—How a Real Torpedo Is Made.—TheDetonating, or Firing Mechanism.—The Engine that Drivesthe Torpedo.—How a Torpedo Is Shot at a Ship.—A Torpedowith a Cannon in It. | ||
| VI. | Making the Submarine Deadlier | [115] |
Arming the Submarine with Guns.—The Need of a Quick-ActionGun.—The Spring Action Gun.—The CompressedAir Action Gun.—How a Submarine Lays Mines.—Kindsof Submarine Mines.—How the Mines Are Made. | ||
| VII. | The Wonderful Eye of the Submarine | [129] |
How the Eye of the Submarine Got Its Name.—The FirstSubmarine Eye, or Periscope.—How to Make a SimplePeriscope.—The Modern Lenticular Periscope.—How theTelescope Is Made.—The Latest Type of Periscope.—TheLimited Use of the Periscope.—The New Enemy of theSubmarine. | ||
| VIII. | The Marvelous Tongue and Ears of the Submarine | [143] |
The Tongue and Ears of a Submarine.—Kinds of SignalingSystems.—The Wigwag Way of Signaling.—The FlashlightSystem.—The Wireless Telegraph System.—UnderwaterSignaling Systems.—The Electric Current, or ConductivitySystem. | ||
| IX. | The Crew of the Submarine | [159] |
Conditions on Early Submarine Craft.—When Crews WereHard to Sign.—What the Base-Ship Is For.—How MenAre Trained for Submarine Duty.—The Complement ofa Submarine.—Breaking in Raw Recruits.—The Conditionsin War Time. | ||
| X. | How the Submarine Attacks | [171] |
The Uses of the Submarine.—The Submarine as a Scout.—TheSubmarine as a Blockader.—How a Submarine Attacksa Merchantman.—When Submarines Attack in Pairs. | ||
| XI. | The New Submarine Chasers | [185] |
Schemes for Outwitting the Submarine.—Plans for Destroyingthe U-Boats.—Kinds of Submarine Chasers.—Howthe Chaser Chases a Submarine.—Shooting the Gunsof the Chaser.—Submarine Air Chasers.—A Way to Liftthe U-Boat Blockade. | ||
| XII. | The Last Word in Submarines | [199] |
Uncle Sam’s Latest Submarines.—The Great Blockades ofthe Warring Nations.—The First of the Merchant Submarines.—SomeFacts About the Deutschland.—How theUnited States Can Break the Blockade.—When Submarine | ||