Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 230, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1919 — Defector That Doomed the Hun U-Boat [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Defector That Doomed the Hun U-Boat

by B rewster S. Beach

11 AT EVER plans Germany may be f making for the “next wap,” If in truth she is or ever will be capable of carrying them out, it is certain that the submarine will play no part in her I The submarine is dead. The Uo boat peril has vanished forever, never to be resurrected. The collapse of submarine warfare during the closing months of the European conflict and the prediction that its resumption may never be seriously feared again, was the result of the invention in the United States of a wonderful listening device, *> r submarine detector, which came very - close to idrlvlng the Hun submersible from the ocean, and •would have done so, In the opinion of naval experts, had the war continued through another summer. • ’ 1 As soon as the United States entered the war the navy department formed a special board to develop ways and means for combating the U-boat peril, then growing to alarming proportions. This board consisted largely of officers from the bureau of steam engineering, of which Hear Admiral R. S. Griffin Is chiefs It called to its assistance in an advisory capacity many noted engineers and scientists from Industrial concerns, including the General Electric company, represented by Dr. W. R. Whitney, director of that company’s research laboratories. Commander C. S. McDowell, U. S. K. served as ■executive secretary of the board, while the other (advisory members were Col. F. B. Jewett of the "Western Electric company, and Prof. It. A. Millitam of the University of Chicago. Development headquarters were established at iNew London, Conn. The General Electric company in conjunction with the Submarine Signal company of Boston started an experimental field <rt»Mon at Nahant. Mass., and, were later Joiae<Lby. experts from the Western Electric company. ' ~ scientists there was developed the American listening device, an Instrument which proved to be able successfully to detect submarines while submerged within range of anywhere between 3 and 12 miles. Even with the signing of the peace treaty little tan yet be known of the details of this device. It Is, however, an instrument using the principle of «ound-wave transmission through whter in a new and startlirg way and it depends for its dl-xection-getting qualities on the peculiar and littleunderstood faculty of the human ear to detect the direction of sound by the shifting of sound from one ear t p the diher as the Instrument was revolved. As soon as the device was considered practical the General Electric company undertook its manufacture on a largo scale in Lynn. Mass"], developing three kinds of listeners: One which was hung overboard from the deck of submarine chasers, another which could be trailed off the stern and S third which protruded through the hull .of the vessel. American destroyers, chasers and submarines were at once equipped .with the instrument. When the submarine detector had been turned »out in sufficient quantity, the navy department believed that the allies should get the benefit of the ilnvention at once. A special service party, in (charge of Capi. R. H. Leigh, of the bureau of steam •engineering, was formed to take samples of the apparatus abroad and test it under actual conditions before the British admiralty. The instrument was likewise demonstrated to the French land Italian navies. The party, consisted, besides •Captain Leigh, of Lieutenant Carter. U. S. N., Enrtrign Welch, U. S. N. R. F., six enlisted men, C. E. Eveleth.-<5. F. Scott, and T. P. Collins of the Gen- - eral Electric - company, representing the Nahant •group, and W. L. Nelson of the Western Electric company, who was connected with wireless development. They sailed November 22, 1917, and (joined the British grand fleet at Scapa Flow in 'the Orkney Islands during the first week of the (following month. ’ . The admiralty and the -supreme war council .shortly afterward adopted the American device jand from that time on submarine patrol work was {revolutionized. Defensive tactics which had been employed {since 1914 were now no longer the sole reliance. The war was carried Into the enemy’s territory. ■Fighting ships, instead Of patrolling the steamship janes looking for a stray “sub” to poke its -

periscope above the waves, were augmented by submarine chasers equipped with listening devices, and hunted the submarine in its underwater lair. Up to this time the British had been frankly disappointed in results. It had been a rare thing for a submarine chaser to actually see a submarine. Days would go by without sight of one. creased n 1 ;irm 1 n illy, _imd_ni.fi ...rates oldestrUCßqm. and construction constantly approached the danger point. It was apparent that if an improvement in this situation could not be effected the allies faced privation, if not actual starvation, and any material help from America either in the form of men or supplies would be impossible. The success of the device is well illustrated by the chart shown herewith which gives a vivid picture of the chase of an enemy U-boat in the English channel and demonstrated the ability of the listeners to keep hot on the trail of the submarine, doubling and crossing in an effort to escape. This dramatic incident —one of many—is vividly , described in the following report of the engagement in question:, - ■* “At 1:25 o'clock unit No. 6 ffixed’ (located by triangnlntion) a submarine directly ahead at a dlsboat barrage attack, each boat letting go three stern charges and ‘T’ gun. Pattern laid symmetrically, thoroughly covering any possible maneuver of the "submarine. Stopped and listened. No bearing for about 20 minutes. Then got contact. Distinct sound of submarine making noise as if, shafts were badly bent. Also giving out squeaking sound. Submarine sounded as if having great difficulty in keeping propeller going. She stopped frequently. We,followed. . . . Heard submarine hammering, squeaking, sfraffilngyfunning intermittently, apparently with greaV difficulty and for short periods. “The second depth charge of this attack threw into the air a 50-foot to 60-foot cylindrical black object about the, size of a depth charge. .•. . > Another depth charge attack carried out Submarine had gradually, been, making -Shorter turns for some time. ... From this point on believe submarine bottomed and was never able to move except to start and scrape along the bottom a short distance. Noises indicated this.” * ' Word was then sent to Penzance for additional depth charges and a radio dispatched to the base for a destroyer post haste. “Subsequent events,” continues the report,. “show that submarine never moved from this spot Noises Indicated repair. Occasional unsuccessful attempts to start motor . . . sounds rapidly becoming less frequent" When morning came the submarine chasers and the destroyer which had been sent to their assistance gathered near the spot where the crippled submarine was resting at the bottom. Sounds of

feverish activity within the submarine’s hull were distinctly heard. Suddenly there was a dead silence. Then 25 revolver shots rang out —three first, followed by 22. “Taking into consideration all circumstances and events,” continues the account, “conclude submarine damaged externally, unable to start motor after repeated attempts. Unable to rise to surface and is on bottom in the vicinity. Reports of listeners substantiate this conclusion.” As a matter of fact, the British naval intelligence department learned later that the crew of a German submarine had been lost In the English channel about this very time. The report, as they obtained It, indicated that the Hun boat had been trapped on the bottom and so seriously damaged she was unable to rise. C. S. Scott, engineer of the General Electric company and member of special party sent abroad, contributes this incident which happened in the Adriatic sea: “We had 36 chasers based In a little bay on the Island of Corfu and the barrage of boats extended across the Straits of Otranto, a distance of about 40 miles. The chasers were operated in units of three, which on patrol kept about one mile apart. A distance of five mileswas kept, between _ •nril+o th'r rtiflrffftlp" tOFhunting submarines. The water was very ranging from 400 to 600 fathoms, which meant that the submarines when hard pressed could not seek shallow water as was their custom in the English channel and the North sea. Due to less shipping traffic in these waters there was practically no sound interference, which made for very good listening. , . • “Many successful attacks were made in these waters, one in particular being quite exciting. “One of the ships in a unit heard what sounded like a submarine. In a few minutes all three listeners had* picked him up and the bearing of his course was being plotted. The middle chaser, the flagship, was getting readings showing that the submarine was in a direct line astern, and steaming toward (her. - =- —— ~ ••The was very loud, as If the sub must be very close. Suddenly the water began to slap the bottom of the boat, so that everyone could feel it; and the next moment the observer reported that his bearing on the submarine had changed from 180 degrees, which, was dead astern, to three degrees, which was on our bows. The submerged submarine had passed directly under the center boat. All three boats were immediately got under way and the attack was delivered. After all the depth charges had been dropped, the ships were stopped and observations again taken. A propeller was heard to start up and ran for about 30 seconds; and then a crunching noise was heard. It was quite evident that the sub, having been put out of control, sank to the bottom and had collapsed due to I the’ tremendous pressure at these depths. We went back to the spot next morning and. found an oil slick two miles long by 800 yards wide on the surface of the water.” The development of the submarine detector was the result of the foresighted vision of the navy department and the generous co-operation extended by private manufacturers who had placed their entire organizations at the disposal of the government for the period of the war. Large electrical manufacturers with exceptional facilities for research and experimental work were 1 able to render invaluable assistance in cracking the submarine “nut.” \ In fact, it may be said thilt “big business” In the commonly accepted meaning of the term, will be found to have contributed k very large share toward winning the war when the whole record of war’s inventions comes to be written.