Submersible Forts to Protect Our Coast 



They are conceived as anchored, floating turrets, 

 capable of discharging torpedoes at the enemy's ships 



The turret-shaped submersible fort can be rotated upon a substructure anchored by means 

 of four mushroom anchors. Its only armament is represented by a single torpedo tube 



IT is a short time before sunrise. The 

 sea is fairly calm and reflects in undu- 

 lating patches the gorgeous colors of 

 the sky already visible in fiie East. The 

 rhythmic sound of a whirling propeller is 

 faintly audible. It is still far away, but 

 approaching rapidly. 



Fifteen minutes later the graceful yet 

 forbidding form of a warship emerges 

 from the light morning mist. It is an 

 enemy raider headed for the roadway to 

 one of America's important Atlantic 

 ports. 



On board the hostile ship the tension is 

 great. There may be mines and sub- 



marines, coast batteries and other de- 

 fences. The deck watches have seen 

 nothing suspicious and cautiously the 

 raider continues its way toward the 

 roadway. 



The hostile craft has just passed a few 

 hundred yards from a piece of wreckage, 

 a waterlogged barrel, when the watcher 

 notices a sharpjy defined line of bubbles 

 rapidly approaching the ship. 



"Torpedo coming, look out!" he yells 

 with all his might. It is too late. Before 

 the course of the ship can be changed the 

 torpedo strikes amidships. A tremendous 

 explosion makes the water rise like a 



51'i 



