SUBMARINE VESSELS 



well within torpedo range, even when an attack is 

 expected. 



In these experiments the United States cruiser 

 "Yankee" in Buzzard's Bay was attacked by five sub- 

 marines of the most recent type. The "Yankee" re- 

 mained stationary expecting the attack, but to offset 

 this disadvantage the crew was fully aware of the 

 exact time that the attack was to be made. Indeed the 

 officers of the cruiser had watched the submarines 

 steam away until they disappeared. When twenty 

 miles from the "Yankee" the five submarines sub- 

 merged and headed for the cruiser, making observations 

 at intervals by means of the periscope. 



The day was perfectly clear, and all on board the 

 "Yankee" were keenly watching for the expected sub- 

 marines. Yet the first intimation they had of the prox- 

 imity of the diving boats was the striking of five tor- 

 pedoes against the cruiser's hull. Each submarine had 

 scored a bull's-eye. -Not content with this success, the 

 submarines repeated the attack from a nearer point, 

 again scoring five hits before their presence was detected. 



One great obstacle to successful submarine naviga- 

 tion on an extended scale is the difficulty of keeping a 

 supply of air not only for the use of the crew, but for 

 the engines. Any really powerful engine, either steam 

 or gas, consumes an enormous amount of air. This is 

 not true, of course, of the storage batteries which fur- 

 nish the power for running while submerged, but 

 these, at best, are but feeble generators of energy, al- 

 though Edison's recent improvements may materially 

 improve their power. If gasoline engines could be 



[115] 



