LAND AND WATER 
October 24, 1914 
Now, if we examine the list, we find that, at the time of 
writing, there have only been six successful submaiine attacks 
in seventy-seven days of warfare. Of these six successful 
attrxka two weret delivered by U3. Consequently our loss 
wo:-lca out at approximately one successful attack agaiiist 
us every nineteen days. There have been six gunnery affairs 
in the same period, resulting in the loss of twice as many units, 
so to date the submarine (counting in units) has been only 
half as effective as the gun. As yet, therefore, there is no 
occasion for alarm, the more so as there is reason to believe 
that the Eussians sank some of their submarine attackers. 
In any case, the submarine is neither invulnerable nor 
invincible. The difficulty with it is mainly that it is a new 
arm — this is the first time that it has been effectively tried in 
warfare. Means of defence have therefore to be invented, for 
only in actual warfare can the necessary experience be gained. 
Of itself a Bubmai-ine is a species of intelligent floating 
mine, its speed and visual ability both of a low order. The 
real danger lies in the German habit of using a trawler mother 
ship flying a neutral flag. Each German success has been thus 
secured — the trawler acting as the brain. 
Obviously, then, the first thing necessary is to devise ways 
aJid means of dealing with the brain. 
That is to be done either by restricting the liberty of trawlers 
to fish or cruise in submarinable waters, or else by utilising 
trawlers for the examination service. Further, it is probably 
not beyond the wit of man to devise some means of transform- 
ing small steamei-s into tome kind of submarine destroyer. 
Take the harpooning of Nature's submarine — the whale — for 
example. And, finally, we should be well within our rights 
if we gave it clearly to be understood that the crews of all 
vessels assisting enemy submaa'ines under the neutral flag 
would be hanged as pirates. The percentage of men who will 
face in cold blood the chance of being hanged is small. 
THE NORTH SEA. 
The process of destroying the British Fleet by " attrition " 
has decidedly failed in ita object during the last week. On 
the German side the bag is one old cruiser, the Hawhe; on our 
side four German destroyers, old, but still useful. 
None of these losses affect the main issue, save in so far 
as the principle explained by Bemhardi is concerned. Our 
numerical superiority in the various classes of ships varies, but 
it can be roughly generalised at from 33 per cent, to 50 per 
cent. 
This makes no allowance for ships on foreign service, or 
for what the Germans have to detach to operate against the 
Generalised broadly, the situation is approximately 
follows : — 
Type, 
British. 
German. 
British Surplus. 
" Dreadnoughts " 
Pro-DreadnoughlB 
Cruisers 
Light Cruisers ....... 
Torpedo Craft 
34 
40 
49 
72 
260 
84 
22 
30 
15 
36 
209 
30 
12 
10 
34 
36 
51 
64 
In every case the ships concerned are of widely varying 
fighting value in each class. But where numbers are at stake 
the fighting values of units are apt to coalesce in the general 
total. Taking an arbitrary 100 against seventy, it is obvious 
that if the lesser Power destroys ten of the cneany with a loss 
to itself of seven, it has made no progress whatever. The 
situation remains unaffected ; the superiority of three has no 
meaning. And since the Germans are actually up against a 
proposition which is nearer 100 to forty (even at a moderate 
computation), it is easy to see that even an apparent gain 
would represent an actual loss. 
The following is a list of losses in the North Sea and 
Baltic to date. These two areas cannot act in combination so 
far as the Allies are concerned; but so far as the Germans ai-e 
concei-nod they are more or less one and the same thing : — 
aass. 
Lost by Allies. 
Lost by Germans. 
Cruisers 
Light Cruisers 
4 
2 
1 



6 
Gunboats 
Toipedo Craft 
Submarines 
1 
6 
1 to 4 
Total of all sorts 
7 
13 to 16 
^German Teetifcory 
H ■ Dutch Territory 
PLAN SBOWUiO BOEKOM, OVY WHICH THB OBSKAN DBSTBOTXBS WIBB SOKK, 
Russians in the Baltic Nor does it take into account the 
considerable force of small craft which. the French maintain 
in the Channel. In calculations of this kind, it is always 
bettor to allow a margin. The surplus given is therefore our 
minimum superiority, and the German total, correspondingly 
represents a maximum. 
Space docs not permit of giving the whole sum in exact 
percentages — nor would there be any particular advantage in 
giving it. In matters of this sort broad generalities ai-e the 
things that count. 
Now, working in units this means that it has cost the 
Germans about double value for evei-y unit which they have 
destroyed. Translated into terms of ability to afford it in 
units this works out at something like sixpence expended for 
every penny gained. Translated into terms of fighting value it 
only worlts out at something like it costing twopence to make 
a penny against adversaries which have a shilling available for 
every German sixpence. " Attrition " 
is hardly to be achieved on these lines. 
Turning to the two latest actions; 
little of much moment is to be extracted 
from either. The Hawke was an old 
cruiser launched in 1891, in the days 
when the torpedo counted for very little. 
She displaced 7,350 tons. She was 
armed with two ancient 9'2's, and ten 
equally ancient 6 inch. Her palmiest 
speed was 195 knots. 
The destroyer action is in a 
different category. It must be left to 
others to decide whether Mr. Churchill 
was quite " happy " in his rat-destroying 
simile. But whether he were or 
whether he were not, this paxticular 
action comes under that head. 
So far as can be asceitained, the 
four old German destroyers, S 115, 117, 
118, and 119, sunk by the light cruiser 
UndauiUed, and the t.b.d. Lancr, 
Lennox, Legion, and Loyal, were patrol- 
ling off Borkum. They were boats 
designed for the destruction of battle- 
ships by torpedoes, without the least 
regard to conflict with others of their 
kind. To continue the Churchill simile, 
they were rats which crept out of their 
hole and found a man with a shot gun 
waiting for them. 
Directly they saw the Undaunted they must have known 
that the game was up. To my mind, the disquieting feature 
of the matter is that they did not surrender right off, but 
instead put up a fight with their popguns against over- 
whelming odds. 
The Undaunted, in common with the rest of her class, 
carries a couple of 6-inch guns. These guns mean death and 
destruction on the first hit, whereas an old German destroyer 
might fire at an Undaunted for a whole day without damaging 
her anything to speak of. 
14* 
