German Submarine Warfare 1914-1918 in the Eyes - British Naval ...
German Submarine Warfare 1914-1918 in the Eyes - British Naval ...
German Submarine Warfare 1914-1918 in the Eyes - British Naval ...
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imports to smaller harbours or concentrat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> exports <strong>in</strong> bigger ones. Sail<strong>in</strong>g<br />
vessels still made up twenty percent of ship total and around 10% of <strong>the</strong> tonnage.<br />
The worldwide ship build<strong>in</strong>g capacity <strong>in</strong> <strong>1914</strong> was over 3.3M BRT: 1.9M BRT<br />
on <strong>British</strong> yards, and 0.38M BRT on <strong>German</strong> yards. 23 11M BRT of merchant<br />
vessels were build <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Allied and neutral countries from 1915 to <strong>1918</strong>, and 0.6M<br />
BRT <strong>in</strong> <strong>German</strong>y. 24<br />
Blockade perceptions<br />
For her survival as an island nation, Brita<strong>in</strong> was wholly dependent on overseas<br />
trade <strong>in</strong> raw materials and foodstuffs, along with <strong>in</strong>dustrial products exports. Lord<br />
Fisher did not m<strong>in</strong>ce words when he warned <strong>in</strong> 1903 that: “In <strong>the</strong> month of May<br />
England has three days food <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> country – <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> month of September (on account of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ga<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g<br />
of <strong>the</strong> English harvest) <strong>the</strong>re is three weeks food. Stop <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>com<strong>in</strong>g food for a week or<br />
two: what can <strong>the</strong> Army do? The country must capitulate!” 25 <strong>German</strong>y produced between<br />
seventy and eighty percent of needs domestically. In coal she was self-sufficient;<br />
supplemental iron ore came from Scand<strong>in</strong>avia via <strong>the</strong> Baltic. <strong>German</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry was<br />
fully employed throughout <strong>the</strong> war, only restricted by a severe shortage of labour<br />
and also by shortages <strong>in</strong> certa<strong>in</strong> rare raw materials. Brita<strong>in</strong>’s hunger blockade<br />
created a slow strangulation that struck at <strong>the</strong> weak first, mostly <strong>the</strong> elderly and<br />
children. Several hundred thousands civilians died as a consequence of <strong>the</strong><br />
blockade.<br />
America protested strongly aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> blockade but was unable to break its<br />
force. Industrial profits made a stronger claim. When <strong>British</strong> orders for arms and<br />
ammunition began to pour <strong>in</strong>, protest waned and died. Even <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> Admiralty<br />
<strong>the</strong>re were contrast<strong>in</strong>g views about <strong>the</strong> blockade. In <strong>the</strong> official history, a chapter<br />
had to be discarded and rewritten due to cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g legal scruples concern<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />
blockade. 26<br />
23 Nauticus, <strong>1914</strong>.<br />
24 Salter, Allied Shipp<strong>in</strong>g Control, p. 361.<br />
25 Lambert, Fisher’s Revolution, p. 88.<br />
26 NA, ADM 116/3424, p. 214.<br />
xvi<br />
U-boats<br />
The surface force, <strong>the</strong> High Seas Fleet, held sway. <strong>Submar<strong>in</strong>e</strong>s were almost an<br />
afterthought until after <strong>the</strong> war had started. Even spectacular successes by<br />
submar<strong>in</strong>es early on did not have <strong>the</strong> force to reallocate resources (or alter <strong>the</strong><br />
mentality) that gave <strong>the</strong> High Seas Fleet supremacy <strong>in</strong> naval plann<strong>in</strong>g. The m<strong>in</strong>dset<br />
scarcely changed throughout <strong>the</strong> conflict: <strong>the</strong> surface fleet was kept battle ready<br />
until <strong>the</strong> very last days of October, <strong>1918</strong>.