Finding U-Boats in the Depths of the Sea
Item
-
Title (Dublin Core)
-
Finding U-Boats in the Depths of the Sea
-
Article Title and/or Image Caption (Dublin Core)
-
Finding U-Boats in the Depths of the Sea
-
Caption: Showing the under-water telescope in action provided the searchlight could be made ton penetrate the depths
-
extracted text (Extract Text)
-
“MAN the observing tube and watch
sharply,” is the command given
by the captain of the submarine chaser.
In the gloomy light his binocular has
shown him a distant periscope and it
behooves him to be cautious. Just behind
a gun on the forward deck of the sub-
marine chaser
an observer
takes a po-
sition at one
end of a view-
ing tube
which inter-
sects the bot-
tom of the
vessel and en-
ables him to
sight objects
under the
surface of the
water. He is
aided by a
viewing plate
in the tube
and a power-
ful electric
searchlight
behind lenses
in the bottom
of the vessel
near the bow. The rays of light illumi- |
nate the depths of the ocean and reveal |
even small objects clearly. Valves are ar-
ranged to prevent water from entering the
vessel and also to keep it in the tube close
to the viewing plate in order to ac-
centuate the visibility of objects
through the tube.
The observer scans the depths
for a time without result. At
length, however, he glimpses a
submarine many feet be-
low. The submarine is |
moving slowly and the
“chaser” adapts her
speed to that of the U- |
boat. Quickly the chas-
er's commander gives |
orders for the release of
a depth bomb. Through
the tube the observer
sees the death-machine
drop on its mark. There |
follows a great disturbance of the waters |
where the submarine has been. After-
ward the lenses reveal only dismembered |
parts of the submarine.
It is thus that Alexander Egenes of
Lower Rochester, Nevada, would combat |
the submarine menace; for he has in- |
vented a submarine chaser which em-
bodies the features unfolded in the fore-
going description. But Egenes forgets
many things.
In the first
place, electric
lightshave no
great pene-
trating power
in water. In
the second
place, the
waters of the
North Sea
and theNorth
Atlantic
Ocean are us-
ually so rough
that even if
the most
powerful
searchlights
could be di-
rected down-
ward, nothing
but murkiness
could be seen.
-
Contributor (Dublin Core)
-
Alexander Egenes (inventor)
-
Language (Dublin Core)
-
eng
-
Date Issued (Dublin Core)
-
1918-07
-
pages (Bibliographic Ontology)
-
27
-
Rights (Dublin Core)
-
Public Domain (Google digitized)
-
Archived by (Dublin Core)
-
Filippo Valle
-
Alberto Bordignon (Supervisor)
Popular Science Monthly, v. 93, n. 1, 1918
