There are two very different kinds of submarine chasers, and these are (1) boats which travel on the surface of the water, and (2) craft which travel through the air. The first kind only, though, is called a submarine chaser, while the second kind may be either a dirigible balloon or a warplane.
The 80-Foot Submarine Chaser.—The submarine chaser is simply a boat whose success as a destroyer depends on four factors, and these are (a) how fast she can go; (b) how light her draft is; (c) how well she is armed, and (d) how fast she can be built.
Two kinds of these chasers have been built, and both have shown their real worth. The first is known as the 80-foot submarine chaser. 550 of these noble craft have already been built for England and sent over to operate against the U-boat in British waters.
They are powered with gasoline engines and are built just about like the high-speed pleasure boats that are now so common here on this side of the Atlantic, that is, they have a three-quarter cruising cabin and cockpit as shown in [Fig. 64].
FIG. 64. EIGHTY-FOOT GASOLINE SUBMARINE CHASER.
They are very seaworthy, and the powerful gasoline engines installed in them give them speed enough to outrun the fastest submarines that have yet been built. Each one carries a rapid-fire gun of the 3-inch type.
The 110-Foot Submarine Chaser.—The only fault with the 80-footer is that its small size makes it impossible to store away enough fuel to give it a large cruising radius, and so a new type of submarine chaser is being built which is 110 feet long. Its general appearance is shown in [Fig. 65].
