The instinct of
self-preservation at once provoked a discussion of the most
effective ways and means of disguising its whereabouts when it
travels submerged. To this end the German naval authorities
conducted a series of elaborate and interesting experiments off
the island of Heligoland. As is well known, when one is directly
above a stretch of shallow water, the bottom of the latter can be
seen quite distinctly. Consequentiy, it was decided to employ
aerial craft as detectives. Both the aeroplane and the dirigible
took part in these experiments, being flown at varying heights,
while the submarine was maneouvred at different depths immediately
below. The sum of these investigations proved conclusively that
a submarine may be detected from aloft when moving at a depth of
from 30 to 40 feet. The outline of the submerged craft is
certainly somewhat blurred, but nevertheless it is sufficiently
distinct to enable its identity to be determined really against
the background or bottom of the sea. To combat this detection
from an aerial position it will be necessary inter alia to evolve
a more harmonious or protective colour-scheme for the submarine.
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