It would be very difficult for one submarine to fight another submarine, for the submarine when completely submerged is blind. It could not see in the water to find its enemy. The torpedo-boat-destroyer is able to destroy a submarine by means of torpedoes, shells full of high explosives, or quick-firing guns. Advantage must be taken of the moment when the submarine comes to the surface to get a view of her enemy.
One of the great enemies of the submarine will probably be the air-ship, for while the submarine when under water cannot be seen from a ship on the surface, it can, under favorable conditions, be seen from a certain height in the air.
Most submarines use a gasolene motor for surface travel, and an electric motor run by a storage battery for navigation below the surface. The best submarines can travel at the surface like an ordinary boat, or "awash"—that is, just below the surface—with only the conning tower projecting above the water, or they can travel completely submerged.
The rising and sinking of the submarine depend on the principle of Archimedes. The upward push of the water is just equal to the weight of the water displaced. If the water displaced weighs more than the boat, then the upward push of the water is greater than the weight of the boat and the boat rises. However, the boat can be made to dive when its weight is just a little less than the weight of the water displaced. This is done by means of horizontal rudders which may be inclined so as to cause the boat to glide downward as its propeller drives it forward.
The magnetic compass is not reliable in a submarine with a hull made of steel. The electric motor used for propelling the boat under water also interferes with the action of the compass, because of its magnetic field. The gyroscope, which we shall describe later, is not affected by magnetic action, and may take the place of the compass.
Water ballast is used, and when the submarine wishes to dive, water is admitted into the tanks until the boat is nearly heavy enough to sink of its own weight. It is then guided downward by the horizontal rudder. The submarine is driven by a screw propeller, and some submarines are lowered by means of a vertical screw. Just as a horizontal screw propels a vessel forward, so a vertical screw will propel it downward. When the submarine wishes to rise, it may do so by the action of its rudder, or the water may be pumped out of its tanks, when the water will raise it rapidly. A submarine which is kept always a little lighter than water will rise to the surface in case of accident to its machinery. Figs. 99, 100, and 101 are from photographs of United States submarines.
FIG. 99–THE "PLUNGER"
Photo by Pictorial News Co.