nt to destroy unarmed shipping. The patrols were but rarely in
sight; the submarine became a surface destroyer. There was no necessity
for submergence on the ocean routes: under-water tactics were held in
reserve for use against fast ships--the slower merchantmen were
brought-to in a contest that was wholly in favour of the U-boat. In a
heavy Atlantic gale, _Cabotia_ was sunk by gunfire, 120 miles from land.
She had not the speed to escape. Despite the heavy seas that swept over
the submarine and all but washed the gunner from the deck, the enemy was
able to keep up a galling fire that ultimately forced the master to
abandon his ship. _Virginia_ was fired upon at midnight when steering
for the Cerigo Channel. Notwithstanding the courage of Captain Coverley,
who remained on board to the last, there could be but one end to the
contest. _Virginia_ was sunk. A strong ship; the enemy had to expend two
of his torpedoes to destroy her.

Against such attacks only one measure could be advocated--the measure we
had for so long been demanding. It was impossible to patrol adequately
all the areas of our voyaging. Guns were served to us and we derived a
confidence that the enemy quickly appreciated. We did not expect wholly
to reduce his surface action, but we could and did expose him to the
risk he had come so far out to sea to avoid. On countless occasions our
new armament had effect in keeping him to his depths, with the
consequent waste of his mobile battery power. Even in gun action he
could no longer impose his own speed power on a slow ship. Under
conditions that he judged favourable to his gunnery, the submarine
commander still exercised his ordnance--usually after a torpedo had
failed to reach its mark. Many of the hazards were against us, but our
weapons brought the contest to a less unequal balance. If we did present
the larger target, we had--in our steady emplacement--a better platform
from which to direct our fire. From the first it was a competition of
range and calibre. Six-pounders led to twelves; these in turn gave way
to 4.7's. Anon, the enemy mounted a heavier weapon, to which we replied
by a new type of 4-inch, sighted to 13,000 yards.

Thus armed and equipped, we were in better condition to meet the enemy
in our independent sailings. He was again obliged largely to return to
the use of his torpedoes, with all the maze of under-water approach that
that form of attack involved. If outranged in a surface action, w