15 AUGUST 1914, Page 2

One of the cruiser squadrons of the main Fleet was

attacked last Sunday by German submarines. None of the ships was damaged, and one of the German submarines, U15, was sunk by shots from the 'Birmingham.' This encounter cannot fail to create confidence among the crews of the larger vessels. The ability of ships to beat off submarine attacks is one of the most discussed questions of naval warfare, and the first bringing of the matter to the test is very gratifying to us, as the German plan was evidently to reduce the strength of our watching fleet by torpedo attack before risking a great action.