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THE STORY OF OUR SUBMARINES
BY
KLAXON
AUTHOR OF 'H.M.S. ——,' 'ON PATROL'
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
MCMXIX
All Rights reserved
THE STORY OF OUR SUBMARINES
I
I
There has naturally been a great deal of ink spilled during the War onthe subject of the U-boat. The British Submarines have worked unseenand unheard of. Occasionally a few official lines have appeared in thenewspapers about them, but the very nature of the work they have beendoing has precluded any divulging of their activity. With thepermission of the Admiralty I am about to speak now of some of the workthey have done, and to give their own reports describing some of themany occasions on which they have been in contact with the enemy.
On August 4, 1914, we had in our Submarine Service the following boats:9 E class, 8 D class, 37 C class, 10 B class.
Of these, the B and C classes were 320 tons submerged displacement, andwere not suitable for the patrol round the mouth of the Bight. The Dand E boats were designed for that purpose, being of 600 and 800 tonssubmerged displacement respectively. The B and C classes were used inthe War for local patrols, defence of the coasts and ports, and (as theWar progressed and they became obsolete), for instruction of newentries of personnel.
Before I get on to the War itself I want to give a short description ofthe entry and training of our personnel both before and after the Warbegan.
In peace time an officer who wished to join the Submarine Service hadfirst to receive a recommendation from his own Captain. He then had toproduce either a first-class certificate for his Torpedo examinationfor Lieutenant, or, if he had not that qualification, a certificatefrom the Torpedo-Lieutenant of his ship to the effect that he showedspecial zeal in that branch of his duties. If his name was accepted itwas placed at the bottom of the candidates' list, and in due time,after an interval which varied from year to year, he was appointed toFort Blockhouse, the Submarine Depot at Gosport. There the batch of newofficers were medically examined, and (the standard being high) theunfit were weeded out and returned to their ships.
For the next three months he went through a course of practicalsubmarine instruction, his training period terminating in examinationswhich provided another obstacle, the meshes of wh