Britain. has consistently urged the total abolition of submarines as offend sive weapons particularly susceptible to illegal use in war. Other nations, which regard them as an economical form of naval defence, refuse to consider their abolition. Under-water craft, and the means to fight them, therefore continue to figure in most of the navies of the world, states "The Observer."
Developments since the War have not produced larger submarines. Experimental vessels of the type of the British XI, of 2,425 tons, completed in 1925 and scrapped eleven years later, and of the French Surcouf, 2,25 tons, completed in 1932, and armed with 8-in. guns, are unlikely to be repeated, being definitely too large and unwieldy. Nevertheless, modern developments and science have brought vessels of 2,000 tons and less with surface speeds of 15 to 22% knots and very wide range of action.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.