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| USS Lake Pleasant (1918) |
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OIL CAMOUFLAGE OF U-BOAT CAPTAINS IS EXPOSED BY ALLIES, Instead of Sailing on, Destroyers Drop Many Depth Charges Near Floating Oil in The Tulsa Weekly Democrat (Tulsa OK) July 25, 1918—
Tricky German U-boat commanders have concelved a new plan destined to deceive crews of the Allled submarine destroyers in the game of hide and seek in European waters. When a depth bomb is discharged and does not cripple or destroy the German under-sea boat, as sometimes happens, a quantity of oil is released by some device of the submersible and quickly rises to the water's surface.
The hope of the German U-boat captain is that the commander of the destroyer will see the oil, believe that the submarine has been wrecked and drop no more depth charges. Meanwhile, the German is endeavoring to escape.
Amerlcan and British commanders of destroyers and submarine chasers discovered the scheme some time ago and since then have been dropping depth bombs in greater number-than previously, using the oil as a guide to the general location of their target.
"Oil camouflage" the Amerlcans and British navymen call this Iatest German submarine trick.
