Dealing Death with Depth-Bombs 



How depth-bombs and new sea 

 tactics are foiling the submarines 



Bv Llovd E. Darlino- 



WHAT is the reason subi; arines 

 have occupied less and less of the 

 limelight recently? How does it 

 happen that their ferocity has proven not 

 so unconquerable as at first thought? 



It's a good old American reason — pluck 

 and inventive genius. 



We should an- 

 nounce at the begin- 

 ning that the tactics 

 of American de- 

 stroyers operating in 

 the submarine zone 

 are just the opposite 

 of what has been cur- 

 rent practice. Every 

 time our destroyers 

 see a submarine, they 

 head straight for it. 

 The old idea was to 

 circle around and take 

 pot shots every time 

 opportunity offered. 

 The new idea works 

 havoc with the plans of 

 underwater plotters. 



But suppose our 

 destroyers do head 

 straight for the sub- 

 marines —how do they 

 do any exterminating 

 even then? Answer: 

 Depth-bombs. 



Let us pause for a 



Depth-bomb mentioned by E. F. 

 Chandler. Water enters through 

 holes, pushes dial or diaphragm. 

 Spring, regulated by set-key, op- 

 poses the pressure. At proper 

 depth pressure causes explosion 



moment and consider how two American 

 destroyers, the Fanning and the Nichol- 

 son, recently disposed of a U-boat with 

 depth-bombs. The incident, as vari- 

 ously reported in the Associated Press 

 despatches, was exciting. We may retell 

 it as follows: 



Wherein One Sub- 

 marine Succumbs 



"Periscope two 

 points of? the star- 

 board bow!" called a- 

 lookout on the Fan- 

 uing. Instantly an 

 alarm to general head- 

 quarters was sounded 

 and the helm thrown' 

 hard over. Signal 

 flags were swung out, 

 notifying the sister 

 ship of the exact loca- 

 tion of the enemy. 

 At the same time the 

 heliograph began its 

 staccato flashing of 

 orders for a combined 

 attack. 



The submarine sub- 

 merged. Straight for 

 the spot where last it 

 was seen went the 

 Fanning. Arriving, 

 the commander re- 



Submarine sinking for the last time. 

 Fanning's gun at left means business 



Crew of submarine surrendering to United 

 States destroyers Fanning and Nicholson 



5G^2 



