Rival Submarines

F. Westerman Percy

Description

Renowned action-adventure author Percy F. Westerman gained his knowledge of nautical warfare the hard way -- through two stints of service in the Royal Navy. He later turned his experience on the high seas into a series of gripping thrillers that has captivated generations of readers young and old alike. The Rival Submarines is full of the kind of edge-of-your-seat excitement that propelled Westerman to the top of the bestseller list in his era.

Sujets

• Adventure (Guyana)
• Adventure

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776528608
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE RIVAL SUBMARINES
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PERCY F. WESTERMAN
 
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The Rival Submarines First published in 1913 ISBN 978-1-77652-860-8 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I - Captain Restronguet Leaves Cards Chapter II - Sub-Lieutenant Hythe Discovers the Submarine Chapter III - The Man Who Walked Out of the Sea Chapter IV - The Signal from the Depths Chapter V - Captured Chapter VI - Face to Face Chapter VII - In the Conning-Tower Chapter VIII - Explanations Chapter IX - The First Day in the "Aphrodite" Chapter X - The Second Officer Returns Chapter XI - Concerning Captain Restronguet's Rival Chapter XII - The "Vorwartz" is Sighted Chapter XIII - The Missing Submarine Chapter XIV - "La Flamme" Chapter XV - A Visit to Gibraltar Chapter XVI - Over a Volcano Chapter XVII - The Rescued Italians Chapter XVIII - The Rivals Pass through the Suez Canal Chapter XIX - Struck by Lightning Chapter XX - Rammed Amidships Chapter XXI - Captain Restronguet Learns the News Chapter XXII - Beset by Somalis Chapter XXIII - Over the Bar Chapter XXIV - The Aero-Hydroplane Chapter XXV - The Approach of the "Vorwartz" Chapter XXVI - The Sinking of the "Topaze" Chapter XXVII - A Pilot Under Compulsion Chapter XXVIII - In the Ballast Tank Chapter XXIX - The "Pride of Rhodesia" Chapter XXX - Captured Chapter XXXI - The Unsuccessful Competitors Chapter XXXII - The Fate of Von Harburg Chapter XXXIII - Hythe's Masterstroke
Chapter I - Captain Restronguet Leaves Cards
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The garrison port of Portsmouth was mobilized. Not for the "real thing,"be it understood, but for the quarterly practice laid down in the jointNaval and Military Regulations of 1917.
Everything, thanks to a rigid administration, had hitherto proceededwith the regularity of clockwork; the Army officials were pattingthemselves on the back, the Naval authorities were shaking hands withthemselves, and, in order to cement the bond of unity, each of the twoServices congratulated the other.
To the best of their belief they had reason to assert that Portsmouthwas once more impregnable. A series of surprise torpedo-boat attacksupon the fortress had signally failed. The final test during themobilization was to be in the form of a combined attack upon thedefences by the battleships then lying at Spithead and the airships andaeroplanes stationed at Dover, Chatham, and Sheerness.
At eight o'clock on the morning of the day for the grand attack thefleet at Spithead prepared to get under way. Forty sinister-lookingdestroyers slipped out of harbour in double column line ahead, and assoon as they had passed the Nab Lightship a general signal wascommunicated by wireless for the battleships to weigh and proceed.
The Commander-in-Chief and the Admiral-Superintendent of PortsmouthDockyard had breakfasted ashore on that particular morning, and bothofficers, with the Military Lieutenant-Governor of the Garrison, were toproceed to Spithead on a cruiser to witness the departure of the fleet.It was a fine day, but the beauties of the morning were lost upon them;to have to breakfast at an unearthly hour had considerably ruffled theirtempers.
"Come along, Maynebrace," exclaimed the Commander-in-Chief irritably."It's six bells already."
"Coxswain! Coxswain! Where in the name of thunder is my coxswain?"shouted Rear-Admiral Maynebrace.
"Here, sir!" exclaimed that worthy, saluting.
"Has the Lieutenant-Governor arrived yet, coxswain?"
"Yes, sir. The police at the Main Gate have just telephoned through tosay that Sir John Ambrose has arrived, sir, but being rather lateproceeded straight to the jetty."
"And kept us kicking our heels here," grumbled Sir Peter Garboard, theCommander-in-Chief. "Look alive, Maynebrace, or—"
At that moment a flag-lieutenant, red in the face and well-nighbreathless with running, dashed up the steps of the portico of theAdmiralty House.
"Sir!" he exclaimed. "Sir, this message has just come through."
Sir Peter took the proffered envelope, fumbled with the flap with hisflabby fingers, and at last untied the Gordian knot by tearing off oneedge.
"Good heavens, Maynebrace!" he gasped. "Read this!"
The Admiral-Superintendent, with unbecoming haste, grasped the paper andread:—
"Vice-Admiral, First Battle Squadron, Home Fleet, to Commander-in-Chief,Portsmouth. On fleet weighing anchor a painted board was found attachedto the anchor of every battleship, the said board bearing the words'With the compliments of Captain Restronguet.' Have ordered fleet toanchor again and am sending divers to investigate. Will communicatetheir report in due course."
All traces of irritability vanished from the faces of the two Admirals.Instinctively they realized that something of moment had taken place,and that instant action was necessary.
"A diver has been playing the fool, perhaps?" hazarded Maynebrace.
"Diver? Humph! Can you imagine a diver leaving his card, in the shapeof a painted piece of wood, attached to the anchors of forty ships? No,no, Maynebrace, it's not that: at least, that's my opinion."
"Well, then, sir, what is it?" questioned the Rear-Admiral.
"A menace to our fleet, that's what it is. Although there is no realharm done the moral result is bad enough. It's my opinion that there'sa foreign submarine at work. Moreover, she must have means of directoutside communication while she is submerged."
"What makes you think it is a foreign submarine?"
"Logic, my dear Maynebrace, logic. None of ours are capable of such afeat, and there's no knowing what these foreigners are up to. Asinventors they are miles ahead of us. And what is more, thename—Restronguet—doesn't that sound French?"
"Perhaps," admitted the Rear-Admiral. "But all the same it isexasperating; it is humiliating. And there are some who think that thedays of the submarine are over!"
Even as the introduction of ironclads propelled by steam machinery hadrevolutionized naval warfare in the middle of the nineteenth century, sohad the vast strides in military aeronautics rendered obsolete, ornearly so, the huge battleships that were the chief features of theworld's navies in the beginning of the present century. For severalyears a fierce war of controversy was waged between the supporters of anall-powerful navy and those who pinned their faith in vessels capable ofsupporting themselves in the air and able to use the terribly aggressivemeans that the researches of science could bestow.
Not only did the Great Powers take up the question. The lesser statesof the world, realizing that a sudden revolution in warfare might placethem on an equal basis with nations who had hitherto kept them in thebackground, took the liveliest interest in the discussion. They agreedthat since the ill-advised building of the first British Dreadnought hadgiven other Sea Powers a chance to build equally formidable vessels atthe same rate of construction, and that in consequence the predominantNavy flying the White Ensign was practically out-of-date, a drastic andsudden revolution whereby a comparatively cheap means of offence couldbe created might also render obsolete the huge costly leviathans thateven the richest nations could ill-afford to maintain in the race fornaval supremacy.
In Great Britain the opinion of those qualified to judge was nearlyequally divided. The Blue Water School maintained that a numericallysuperior fleet of ships, capable of defence against aircraft, would meetthe case, provided a supplementary division of airships and aeroplaneswas ready to act in conjunction with the squadron. Battleships couldkeep the sea in all weathers, while aircraft were at the mercy of everyhurricane.
On the other hand the supporters of the air fleet deprecated the need ofa huge navy—using the word navy in the strict sense of the term. Allthe warships that Great Britain had at her command could not prevent thepassage by night of airships and aeroplanes—either singly orcollectively—across the comparatively short distance between theContinent and the East Coast of England, while by a judicious study ofthe barometer and climatic conditions generally the dangers of beingovertaken by a heavy gale could be reduced to a minimum. Besides, hadthere not been instances of foreign aircraft manoeuvring over the EastCoast naval ports at night during the progress of a terrible equinoctialgale that had caused, amongst other disasters at sea, the loss ofseveral destroyers taking a doubtful shelter in the badly-protectedAdmiralty Harbour at Dover?
Up to the present time the result of the controversy in Great Britainwas a compromise. Instead of spending a couple of million pounds upon asingle battleship of between forty or fifty thousand tons, smaller shipswere laid down and completed within eleven months. They were notpleasing to the eye. Even the "ironclads," ugly in comparison with thestately "wooden walls" of the early nineteenth century, were models ofsymmetry and grace beside the latest creations from the brain of theChief Constructor of the Navy.
The modern battleships were vessels of but ten thousand tonsdisplacement, or about the same as the "Anson" class of 1886. Theirdraught was, however, considerably less, being but twenty-two feet whenfully manned and ready for sea. They were propelled by internalcombustion heavy oil engines capable of developing 22,000 horse-power,the maximum speed being forty-two knots. The principal armamentconsisted of twenty-four six-inch guns, that for muzzle vel