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SMOKE GUN BAFFLES
U-BOATS
By JOSEPH A. MASSAL
NOT at all like a gun is this device. It, to all indications, is an ordinary
ventilator, but Captain Mitchell, commander of the Donaldson freighter
Lakonia, is authority for the statement that the would-be ventilator is
the outlet of a chemical smoke generator,
and has been officially named by the British
Admiralty—"The Smoke Gun."
The "smoke gun" is chemically fired, that is, the
smoke emitted from it is a chemical process smoke, the
kind that is stifling and blinding. It is of a dense
black, is heavy, and hangs low over the water. Unlike
the smoke generated by soft coal, it is lasting- and
forms a thick, impenetrable wall. To
use the expression of Captain Mitchell,
"you would have to chop your way
through it with an axe."
At the base of the smoke gun is a
great copper vat, with two large tanks
attached. Each of these tanks holds
approximately 100
gallons of chemical.
In another
compartment of
the vessel is a reserve
supply of
1,000 gallons of
acid.
By a purely me­
This "Funnel Ventilator"
Is in Reality the Smoke Gun
That Releases the Horrid
Clouds of Black Fumes
chanical process
these acids are released
into the vat
from the pilot
house or the bridge,
Albert Barber. Who Stood Ready with His 3-Inch
Gun if the Smoke Contrivance Failed
and immediately upon mixing, generate the smoke that vomits
forth, making a most effective screen for the merchantman,
as well as blinding those on board the U-Boat, and causing
this craft to lose her bearings temporarily.
But, what about those on board when the wind is head on,
and the smoke is held close to the vessel? That is where the
British Admiralty has again made adequate provisions for the
crew of these vessels. In the first place, the crew is equipped