II. Propulsion VI. References

SUBMARINES IN PERIODICAL LITERATURE FROM IgIi TO I9I 7. COMPILED BY HELEN R. HOSMER. ]ntroductiou iII. Armament I. GEneral TORPEDOES HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT GUNS MILITARY CONSIDERATIONS IV. Special Equipment PERISCOPE DIMENSIONS SIGNALLING SPECIFIC BOATS V. Builders II. Propulsion BOAT BUILDERS ENGINES EaG1NE BIJILDERS STORAGE BATTERIES VI. References INTRODUCTION. IN this outline of publications discussing the submarine, an attempt is made to present the general status of current knowledge on the subject rather than give detail. At the same time such exact data are included as might be required by the person who, approaching the problem as a stranger, may wish to get an idea of the magnitudes involved. More exhaustive inquiry will always demand consultation of the original publications, to which this paper may, in that case, serve as an index. No material is given here that is not quoted directly from the references under consideration. Where ambiguity has existed, the form of expression also has been followed rather than risk further error by imposing the interpretation of the compiler. Many short notes and general papers have been omitted from notice when it has seemed that they would not add value to the collection. Also, none of the many articles appearing in the Scientific American have been quoted. This last is for the reason that such articles generally contain exactly the same data that are found in the technical papers, and in an already abstracted form. Where 25I 252 HELEN R. HOSMER. [J. F. I. other library facilities are lacking, a very great deal of informa- tion may be gained by the consulting of the files of this journal. I. GENERAL. History of Development. Military Considerations. Dimensions. Specific Boats. Bedell 1 (I917) gives a general description of the gross characteristics of the submarine and a brief history of its development. He mentions that vision from the periscope through the water, in the clearest water, does not exceed lOO to 2oo feet. In the turbid waters along our shores nothing can be seen 75 feet away. Kearney's ~ (1915) article is very general in nature and in- tended to amuse rather than instruct. He outlines the development and purpose of the submarine. Hinkamp a (i915) gives the principal dates in the development of the submarine, and then goes on to a general description of the methods employed in operation. No specific data are included. In reference a (2) (I915) Hinkamp mentions the improve- ments made since the early days of the submarine in each of its most prominent features. Woo dhouse 4 (1917) states that vision downward from an aeroplane is not affected by the refraction that limits that from a ship. At an elevation of iooo to 15oo feet the wake of the periscope is plainly visible against the dark water, even when there are white-caps. In clear weather the submarine can be seen at depths from 2o to ioo feet, depending upon the clearness of "the water. The foamy wake at the stern is also clearly visible. Painting will not obscure this last. Hundreds of kite balloons sent up from ships are being used as outlooks for submarines. Lake 5 (i915_i916) introduces a paper upon the future possibilities of the submarine by an historical account of its development. This goes back to Bushnell's American turtle, and gives considerable detail on the construction and operation of ekug., 1917.] SUBMARINES IN PERIODICAL LITERATURE. 253 subsequent types. The United States Government first recognized the possibilities of the submarine in I893 by appropriating $2oo,- ooo for building such a boat. Holland's Plunger was the result, which failed to meet the requirements of a guarantee such as has never yet been met by any submarine. She never made a submerged run. A great deal of detail concerning the construction and principles affecting operation is given. The problems solved in the building of Lake's Argonaut and other contem- porary boats are gone into in detail. Lake ~ believes coast-defence submarines will be found espe- cially valuable. Speed and high tonnage will not be necessary. A boat of 5oo tons displacement and a speed of 14 or 15 knots can have comfortable living quarters and carry eight Whitehead torpedoes. Such a boat can be built for one and one-half million dollars. These boats should be equipped to fire in any desired direction submerged. The Seal (G-I) is the only one thus far equipped with torpedoes that can be fired to either broadside. If such submarines were stationed at intervals of five miles outside New York Harbor, no ship could pass without being seen by day or heard by means of the Fessenden oscillators or microphones, with which all submarines are now equipped. As these microphones enable code communication up to several miles, the submarines could be in constant communication with each other and with the shore. Lake believes that the near future will see the building of a high-speed submarine for offensive warfare, equipped with rapid- fire guns of sufficient calibre to deal with merchantmen and with room enough in the superstructure to, keep, a crew in good co.ndi- tion during a long cruise. This should be capable of at least 2 5 knots. As the engine situation stands to-day Lake does not be- lieve such a. boat of even 2o knots can he developed in less than three or four years. This is due to the fact that no internal-combustion engine suitable for such high speeds has yet been pro- duced. There is no difficulty connected with the functioning of the vessel itself. Lake suggests the building of 25o-ton ('submerged displacement), m-knot snbmarines, capable of transportation on railroad trucks, for coast defence. These would be. somewhat smaller than the present coast-defence submarines, and could be transported 254 HELEN R. I-IOSMER. [J. F. I. rapidly to any threatened point of our extended seaboard. This would give them a range much greater than possible with our present submarine fleet, of which the best have a radius of action o.f about ioo miles at five knots, I I miles at ten and one-half knots, or 24 miles at eight knots. He states that these " amphibious " submarines could be built at a cost of about $3oo,ooo each. Lake considers that the proposed one man " baby " submarines would, on account of their low speed, limited range of action, and unseaworthiness, be of very little use to-day. Lake ~ believes that, as it is impossible to see the invisible, submarine cannot fight submarine, and says that, infested as have been the North Sea and English Channel, he knows o.f no one case where: one has succeeded in sinking another. An Austrian submarine did sink an Italian, but the latter was surface cruising. Lake a dismisses as absolutely impracticable the idea that a submerged submarine can be lo,cated by an overhead aeroplane, much less successfully attacked, even if so located. He also considers the efficacy of nets as very doubtful. They could be easily evaded by submarines suitably equipped. He mentions at length a mine-laying submarine which he designed and built, but which the government failed to adopt. Lake 5 states that in the light-surface or decks-awash condi- tion the submarine may.sight a ship at ten miles. The periscope at rest is invisible from a ship one-half mile away. The internal-combustion engines used in surface cruising are very noisy, but the storage battery and motor are practically noiseless. The United States submarine Seal, or G-I, as originally equipped, is the only vessel ever built in the United States with torpedo tubes to fire broadside. She had four torpedo tub,es which could be trained and fired to either broadside, both submerged and on the surface. This would enable her to lie at rest and fire, thus eliminating the tell-tale wake of a lnoving periscope. A periscope of neutral color at rest is almost impossible of detec- tion even at 3oo to 4oo yards. Lake intimates that he has devised certain other improve- ments and tactics as well as methods of protecting ships that it would be unwise to publish. Laubeuf 6 (I915) explains in detail the differences between the submarine of the earlier type and the submersible, and gives Aug., ~9r7.] SUBMARINES IN PERIODICAL LITERATURE. -.°55 cross-sections showing the hull construction of the Holland, Lake, Electric Boat Company's, and French Maugas system submarines, and of the Laubeuf, Germania-Krupp, and Laurenti submersibles. Dimensions, displacements, and values of reserve buoyancy are given for each. If the coefficient of reserve bu;oyancy be de- fined as the ratio of the reserve buoyancy (equal to. the emerged volume of a surface boat) to the total volume o.f the ship con> pletely immersed, this coefficient is 5 ° per cent. for ordinary ships, 3 to 7 per cent. for the earliest submarines, I_, to 13 per cent. for the pure submarine type, and :e7 to 33 per cent., or even 4 l per cent. for the Laubeuf type of submersible. This means that, on the open sea, the last navigates the surface like an ordinary boat, while the submarine, pure and simple, has to withdraw her crew and navigate under the same conditions as when submerged. The submersibles are slower of submergence, but the time required has been reduced from 28 minutes in tim first Laubeuf boat to five minutes in recent boats. The last is stated to meet all military requirements. In I9OO France was the only power possessing submersibles, and since i9o 7 she has ceased building any other type.

Load more