“The introduction of vessels that swim under water,” he said, “has in my opinion entirely done away with the utility of the ships that swim on top of the water.  The functions of a war vessel were these:  Defensively, [1] to attack ships that come to bombard our forts, [2] to attack ships that come to blockade us, [3] to attack ships convoying a landing party, [4] to attack the enemy’s fleet, [5] to attack ships interfering with our commerce; offensively, [1] to bombard an enemy’s ports, [2] to blockade an enemy, [3] to convoy a landing party, [4] to attack the enemy’s fleet, [5] to attack the enemy’s commerce.

“The submarine renders 1, 2 and 3 impossible, as no man of war will dare to come even within sight of a coast that is adequately protected by submarines.  The fourth function of a battleship is to attack an enemy’s fleet, but there will be no fleet to attack, as it will not be safe for a fleet to put to sea.  Submarines and aeroplanes have entirely revolutionized naval warfare; no fleet can hide itself from the aeroplane’s eye, and the submarine can deliver a deadly attack in broad daylight.

“In time of war the scouting aeroplanes will always be high above on the lookout, and the submarines in constant readiness.  If an enemy is sighted the gong sounds and the leash of a flotilla of submarines will be slipped.  Whether it be night or day, fine or rough, they must go out in search of their quarry; if they find her she is doomed and they give no quarter; they cannot board her and take her as prize as in the olden days; they only wait till she sinks, then return home without even knowing the number of human beings they have sent to the bottom of the ocean.

“Not only is the open sea unsafe; a battleship is not immune from attack even in a closed harbor, for the so-called protecting boom at the entrance can easily be blown up.  With a flotilla of submarines commanded by dashing young officers, of whom we have plenty, I would undertake to get through any boom into any harbor and sink or materially damage all the ships in that harbor.”

A PRACTICAL MAN’S VIEWS

This is not a mere theorist or dreamer talking, says Burton Roscoe in commenting on Admiral Scott’s statements; it is the one man in England most supremely versed in naval tactics, the man to whom all nations owe the present effectiveness of the broadside of eight, twelve and fourteen inch guns and the perfection in sighting long range guns.

The newest type of submarine torpedo is 100 per cent efficient.  The torpedo net of steel that used to be the ship’s defense against torpedoes is now useless.  The modern torpedoes need only to come in contact with a surface like the torpedo net or the armor plate of a battleship to discharge a shell which will burst through a two-inch armor caisson, rupture the hull of a battleship, and sink it in a few minutes.

The torpedo submarines of the modern type have a submerged speed of from eight to ten knots an hour.  Only a small surface, including the bridge or conning tower, is exposed, thus making it almost impossible to hit them with the clumsy guns aboard ship.  The highest type of submarine has a submerged tonnage of 812 tons and its length is 176 feet.