Popular Science Monthly 



Vol. 88 

 No. 6 



239 Fourth Ave., New York 



June, 1916 



$1.50 

 Annually 



Undersea Fighting of the Future 



I. — Mobilizing Submarines on Rails 

 By Simon Lake 



Under the general title ''Undersea Fighting of the Future,'" we publish two 

 articles, by two distinguished engineers, in which the possibilities of the submarine 

 are set forth in a way which shows that we have only begun to learn the use of the 

 most powerful naval weapon thus far developed. Mr. Lake's article deals with the 

 mobilization of submarines for defense; Mr. Chandler's with a highly ingenious 

 method of engaging and destroying submarines tinder water. 



Simon Lake came prominently before the public notice about fifteen vears 

 ago as the inventor of a submarine on wheels — a craft which could not only navigate 

 tinder water but which could also travel on the bottom of a waterway. He acted 

 as advisor on submarines to the German and Russian governments. — Editor. 



I FIRMLY believe 

 the destiny of the 

 submarine is to stop 

 all future maritime 

 wars between coun- 

 tries. A tremendous 

 power for destruction, 

 the submarine is in it- 

 self useless for purposes 

 of invasion. The mo- 

 ment the submarine 

 becomes visible it be- 

 comes vulnerable. Its 

 function, therefore, is 

 to lie in wait and at- 

 tack unawares. All 

 students of warfare 

 must now admit that 

 it is manifestly impos- 

 sible to send an army 

 across the sea with big 

 guns and troops and to land them, if 

 submarines are on watch. I believe all 

 engineering experts must also admit that 

 when the proper motive power for sub- 

 marines is evolved, a motive power which 

 v/ill give the submarine the speed of a 



Simon Lake, the author of the 

 article on this page, is the in- 

 ventor of the "even-keel sub- 

 mergence type" of under- water 

 craft which has in recent years 

 been introduced by most of the 

 navies of the world 



surface ship, then mer- 

 chantmen cannot carry 

 on commerce on the 

 high seas except by 

 mutual agreement equi- 

 table to all nations. 

 And I believe this will 

 hasten the day when 

 each country will con- 

 sent to agreements to 

 "do unto others as they 

 would be done by." 



If, in time of nation- 

 al differences, it were 

 possible for each 

 country to encircle it- 

 self with a zone ten 

 miles in width, to pass 

 which would be sure 

 death, it would not be 

 long before quarreling 

 countries would make up their differ- 

 ences. If our country had sufficient 

 submarines to protect its coast line 

 and to establish such a similar zone, 

 an offensive war would be rendered 



unnecessarv. 



803 



