el of the decoy's submerged
escort.

It was a ruse of this kind which achieved success in the North Sea
during the early stages of the war. A trawler was employed to tow a
submarine by a submerged hawser. This mode of progress was adopted to
enable the submarine to economise the strictly limited supply of
electricity carried for under-water propulsion.

The trawler then cruised very slowly about, dragging the submarine under
the surface behind her. In order to divert any suspicion which might
have been aroused by her slow speed she was rigged so as to give the
impression that a net was being towed, and the area of operations chosen
was well-known fishing-ground.

In this curious way days were spent before the desired consummation was
reached. Then a large U-boat came boldly to the surface and opened fire.
Instantly the submarine astern of the trawler was released from the tow
rope and forged ahead under her own electric engines. The commander of
the surface decoy stopped his ship and commenced lowering the small
life-boat carried. This was done in order to distract the attention of
the Germans from the tiny periscope which was planing through the water
to the attack.

A shell struck the trawler, carrying away her funnel, but did no other
damage, and a few seconds later the water around the U-boat rose up in a
vast upheaval of white. The plan had succeeded, and when the air cleared
of the smoke from the trawler's damaged stack there was nothing afloat
on the surface of the sea around--except an ever-widening patch of oil
and bubbles.

A few minutes later the thin grey line of the British submarine rose
above the swell some five hundred yards distant from the scene of her
triumph.

Another means by which one subaqueous fleet can attack another is by
laying mines in the seas around the enemy base.

* * * * *

These simple methods formed what may be termed the backbone of the
widespread anti-submarine operations during the Great War, but with the
experience gained and the brains of almost every nation focussed on the
problem of providing an effective counterblast to the under-water
warship, there can be little doubt that in the next great naval conflict
new and more scientific means of attacking these pests of the sea will
have been perfected, though what degree of success they will attain in
the stern trial of war the future alone can tell.[7]

FOOTNOTES:

[6] Greenwich mean tim