Jl'B' CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Cornell University Library D 570.72.G55 A history of the transport service adven 3 1924 019 168 685 © » Cornell University VB Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924019168685 A HISTORY OF THE TR4NSPORT SERVICE VICE ADMIRAL ALBERT GLEAVES, U. S. N. VICE AmriRAI. AI.IIFRT (IIEAVUS, I . S. X . A HISTORY OF THE TRANSPORT SERVICE ADVENTURES AND EXPERIENCES OF UNITED STATES TRANSPORTS AND CRUISERS IN THE WORLD WAR BY VICE ADMIRAL ALBERT CLEAVES, U. S.N. COMMANDER OP CONVOY OPERATIONS IN THE ATLANTIC 1917-1919 WITH 113 ILLUSTRATIONS AND DIAGRAMS NEW XsJr YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANt COPYRIGHT, 1921, BT GEOBGE H. DORAN COMFANIT PRINTED IN THEJUNTFED STATES OF AMERICA THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE WHO ACHIEVED WHAT THE ENEMY THOUGHT IMPOSSIBLE PREFACE There seems no excuse for offering the pubKo another book of personal Memoirs of the Great War; but SQ much has been written about all the different phases of preparation and action, and so little of the actual trans- portation of the troops, which made the fighting possible, that I have yielded to the persuasion of friends and shipmates to add my contribution to the daily increasing stories of the events of 1917-18. I do this because in a measure I may be able to show my appreciation of the hard work done by the officers and men of the American Transports, and my admiration for their unsurpassed skiU and endeavor in the performance of their duties. At sea almost constantly, in the severest weather that has swept the Atlantic Ocean for many years, these Mas^ ter Mariners of the United States lived up to the highest traditions of the sea, and brought credit to their coun- try. For the most part this story is told by them, in their own words, and so far as possible taken from theii; official reports. In thus presenting the narrative the book will have served its purpose if it throws a light on the character and professional ability of those officers and men of the Navy who had the good fortune to take our gallant Army to France. I am much indebted to Commander C. C. Gill, TJ. S. N., my Aide and Flag Secretary, for his wise counsel, his unfaltering assistance while preparing the manuscript, 9nd for his literary skill in smoQthing out my patchwork vS viii PREFACE in getting into shape a mass of material whicK sudden orders to sea forced me to leave confused and unfinislied. ' At.bebt GtLEAVBS, Admiral U. S. Navy. Commander in Chief, Uni^ted States Asiatic Fleet tr. S. Flagship 'South Dakota, Vladivostok, Siberia, 13th January, 1920. CONTENTS FAOB Introduction — The Crisis of 1917 .... 17 CHAPTER I The Naval Mission — Summary of Transport Operations 24 II The First Expedition 32 III The Stat in France — ^The Return Voyage . 50 IV Lessons Learned from Experience of First Voyage — ^Repairing the German Ships . . 62 V Safeguarding the Troopships 75 VI Development of Transport Force — ^Returning THE Army 86 VII Sinking of Antilles — Finland Torpedoed . . . 103 VIII Loss of President Lincoln — Covington Torpedoed . Ill IX U-BoATS Bring War to American Shores — San Diego Sunk by a Mine 133 X Mount Vernon Torpedoed 143 XI The Work of the Cruisers 154 XII Contacts of Transports and Cruisers with Enemy Submarines 161 XIII Orizaba Depth Bomb Explosion — Great Northern Collides with British Freighter Brinkbum — FnsB on Board the Henderson 172 X CONTENTS CHAPTEB PAGH XIV Sidelights on Transpokt Life 180 ■ XV The Loss of the U. S. S. Ticonderoga . . . 193 XVI Foreign Transports in U. S. Convot— jLoss of Dmnsk — Adventures of Lieutenant White- marsh 202 xvii adventtjres ob lieutenant isaacs .... 217 APPENDICES A Organization of Cruiser and Transport Force of United States Atlantic Fleet, July 1, 1916 240 B Report by months of transport and escort duty per- formed by U. S. and foreign navies up to the signing of the armistice 241 C Report by months of transport duty performed by U. S. Navy and all other ships, U. S. and foreign, in re- turning troops and other passengers to U. S. prior to signing of armistice 244 D Report by months of transport duty performed by U. S. Navy and all other ships, U. S. and foreign, in re- turning troops and other passengers to U. S. since signing of armistice 245 E Record of diips of the cruiser and transport force List of all U. S. Naval Transports and U. S. Battle- ships and Cruisers engaged in transporting troops to and from France between the dates of June 14, 1917, and October 1, 1919 246 Battleships and cruisers used for returning ships . . 252 Merchant ships converted into troop transports for returning troops after signing of armistice . . . 254 German ships used for returning troops after signing pf armistice .,,.,., 263 CONTENTS xi PAGE P Record of ten leading ships, cruiser and transport foree 264 G Sick and wounded returned by the cruiser and transport force, during 1918 and up to October 1, 1919 . . 266 Memorandum of von Holtaendorff, Chief of the German Admiralty 271 ILLUSTRATIONS Vice Admiral Albert Gleaves, U. S. N. . . Frontispiece ^ PAGE General Pershing and Admiral Gleaves on Deck oe» U. S. S. Seattle in the Harbor of Brest .... 28 v. S.S.Seattle 28 Admiral Gleaves and Aides at Jonchevt, France, 5 July, 1917 28 Point Espagnolb, Brest Roadstead 28 Ceremonies at LaFatjjtte's Tomb, Picpus Cemetery, 4th July, 1917 29 St. Nazakre Harbor, the Landing Place op the First Ex- pedition 29 U. S. S. Cyclops, "Mystery Ship" 29 Sea Plane Scouting 44 Starting Sea Plane ofw Catapult 44 Hoisting in Sea Plane 44 Watchin'g for the Enemy. Mast-head Lookout . . 44 Observateo'n Balloon Towed Aloft 44 Blimp Escorting Transport Through Danger Zone . 44 Convoy of Troopships at Sea 45 Convoy of Troopships at Sea 45 Convoy of Freighters at Sea 45 Examples of Camouflage. U. S. S. Destroyers Fairfax and Small 45 Examples of CamouiIagb. U. S. S. North Carolina . . 45 The German Raider See Adler 57 Damage to Pommern's Boilebs 68 xiv ILLUSTRATIONS PAQB Prinsess Irene. Damaged H. P. Ctlinder, Ready for In- sert, Pkeparatort" to Welding 68 Prinzess Irene. Insert in H. P. Cylinder in Place, Ready TO Weld 68 Prinzess Irene. Finished Weld in H. P. Cylinder . . 69 Agamemnon, Ex-Kaiser Wilhblm II. Showing Clearance Between Stern and Head op Dock 69 Agamemnon, Ex-Ka.iber Wilhelm II. Showing Clearance Between Stern and Caisson of Dock .... 69 Captain Db W. Blamer, U. S. N., Chief of Staff . . 69 Naval Transport Gun Okew 76 Range Finding 76 Adjusting Timing Mechanism on Depth Bomb of "Y" Gun 76 Depth Charges in Position for Dropping .... 76 Decoy Ship with Attending American Submarines . 77 A Double Depth Charge Firbd from a "Y" Gun . 77 A Convoy Steering a Zig-zag Course 77 Recruiting Poster by Herman Reutbrdahl ... 77 Burney Gear, Hoisting in One of the Otters . . 77 BuENEY Gear. Sketch Showing Method of Fitting . 77 American Troops Carried by Ships of Each Nation . 91 TJ. S. S. Leviathan when Sailing under the German Flag AS the Vaterland 92 U. S. S. Leviathan in Dress of Camouflage .... 92 Rear Admiral Hilary P. Jones, U. S. N 92 Rear Admiral Marbury Johnston, U. S. N 93 Transport Docking at Hoboken 93 U. S. Cruiser ChxurksUm Abriving at Hoboken with Re- turn Troops 93 ILLUSTRATIONS xv PAGE Nttmbeb of Men Transpokted Monthly to France . . 95 Ports of Embarkation m America and Debarkation Centers in Europe 97 Down the Gang-Plank. The Last "Over the Top" . 108 The Ka.iser'8 Goat. Official Mascot of the 27th Di- vision 108 Disembarked Troops, in the Reservation Yards at Hoboken 108 Decorations at Pier in Hoboken to Greet the Return OF General Pershing 108 Repatriated Geraian Prisoners on U. S. S. Princess Maioika 108 Transport Madawaska Arriving with Troops at New- port News 109 Soldiers on Deck of Madawaska Awaiting Their Turn TO Go Ashore 109 The Imperator while in Transport Service of the United States 109 Torpedoing of the President Lincoln 112 Sick and Woutjded Troops at Sea 124 Wounded Arriving at Hoboken 124 Rough Weather. Rigging for Man with Compound Fracture of Leg 124 The X-rat Plant on U. S. S. George Washington . . 124 Rough Weather. Rigging for Man with Compound Fracture of Both Legs 124 Ttpical Troop Hospital Installed on U. S. S. Imperator ' 125 Caskets Brought from Overseas Awaiting Removal from Pier at Hoboken 125 President Wilson with Officers and Crew o'f the George Washington 125 U. S. S. George Washington Carrying ifsB Pbesidbntlal Party to France 125 xvi ILLUSTRATIONS PAOE Torpedoing of the Covington ....'•••• l2o U. S. S. George Washington in Beest Harbor .... 140 President and Mrs. Wilson among the "Wounded on Deck of the George Washington 140 The U. K. 152 on Watch for Allied Shipping ... 140 U. S. S. Ticonderoga , 140 The Life Boat of the U. S. S. Ticonderoga Alongside the U. K 152 . 140 U. S. S. Covington Sunk by German Submarine, 2 July ' 1918 .*.... 141 U. S. S. Covington Listed to 45 Degrees Just Before Up-ending 141 U. S. S. Covington. Stern Just Going Under . . . 141 U. S. S. President Lincoln Sunk by German Submarine U-90, 13 May 1918 . .141 Troops on Deck of President Lincoln in Danger Zone . 141 U. S. S. San Diego Sunk by German Mine .... 156 Submarine Division Eight, Operating with Transport Force 156 U. S. Naval Officers Examining a German Mine Picked Up off the American Coast 156 Shell Hits on U. S. S. 0-6 156 E-2 Making a Periscope Observation at Slow Speed 156 Sea Plane View of Submarine Firing a Torpedo . . 156 Making Passage. U. S. Submarine en Route to Azores 157 The Deck of a U-Boat 157 Sea Plane View of Submarine on the Surface . . 157 Forecastle of a U-Boat 157 The U-111 at 17 Knots with an American Crew Aboard 157 Survivors from a Torpedoed Vessel Afloat in an Open Boat I57 ILLUSTRATIONS xvu PAOB The E-2 Trailing the Schoonbb Helvetia (a Decoy Ship) 157 Smoke Screen Thrown by Destroyers Abound Mount • '' Vernon 172 No. 2 5-INCH Gtjn on Mount Vernon Coming into Action t on the Morning op 5 September 1918 .... 172 Hole in Hull of Mount Vernon Caused by Torpedo . 172 War Nose op German Torpedo Found in Fire-Room op Mount Vernon . .' . 172 Crew on Deck op Mount Vernon Shortly After ToRPBbo Struck, 5 September 1918 ........ 172 U. S. S. Von Steuben 173 Admiral Gleaves and Staff 173 JJ.S.S.DeKalb 173 Admiral Gleaves and his Flag Lieutenant Lawson . 173 Mascot op U. S. S. Huntington 188 Submarine Lookout in Winter Clothing and Life Jacket . ^ 188 U. S. S. Huntington • 188 Ice on Forecastle op a Cruiser . . . . . . . 188 Frozen Spray Dubing Severe Winter op 1917-1918 . 188 Cruiser in Heavy Weather at Sea 189 Types of Garments Suppljed to Men Working in Ex- ) posed Positions 189 Torpedo Striking a Steamer 189 XJ. S. Destroyer Cassin in Dry Dock After Being Struck BY A Torpedo 189 U. S. S. Henderson 204 U. S. S. Pocohontas Loaded with Troops on Way to' France, September, 1917 204 TJ.S.S. Great Northern 204 v. S.S.Orizaba 204 xviu ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Bibd's-ete View of the Harbob op Brest . , . . 205 Their First View of France. Soldiers on the Leviathan 205 Lightering Troops Ashore at Brest 205 Marines Disembarking at French Port Direct by Gangway onto Dock 205 Crowded Deck of Princess Matoika 220 Daily Inspection on U. S. S. Mercury 220 A Lesson in French en Route to France .... 220 Song Service Aboard a Troop Ship 220 Mess Deck Provided with Benches and Tables fob Troop Use 221 Bunks Triced Up for Inspection 221 Troops at Mess on Swinging Tables 221 Part of Galley Equipment on U. S. S. George Washington 221 A HISTORY OF THE TRANSPORT SERVICE A HISTORY OF THE TRANSPORT SERVICE INTRODUCTION THE CRISIS OF 1917 In April, 1917, at tlie time of tlje war declaration of the .United States, the Allied cause was in serious danger. Apparently Germany had victory within her grasp. Both on land and at sea William HohenzoUem was at the zenith of his power. France was on the verge of col- lapse. Great Britain, dazed by the submarine blow struck at her trade and shipping, found her sea suprem- acy challenged an4 the great British Navy unable to pro- tect fully the commerce essential to England's existence. Had the German genius been equal to the role, thia would have been the year for the supreme effort of Prus- sian Militarism. But the German General Staff was contemptuous of the unprepared, peace-loving peo- ple across the Atlantic. The "War Lords miscalculated the spirit and fighting abilities of the American people. They had applied their own formulas in reckoning with a nation totally unlike their own. This was ^heir fatal error. When Ludendorff in the Spring of 1918 launched his great offensive, it was too late. By that time the U-boat had been checked and Allied supremacy of the sea reestablished. This marked the wane of Prussian power. 17 18 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The fierce attacks and temporary successes of the enemy on the Western front in the Spring of 1918 rej)- resented the final desperate effort to wrench victory from defeat. It was doomed to failure. The weight of America's potential power was already beginning to tip the scales. A great army had arisen; it was being spir- ited across the seas, and a few months later, at the Marne, it met, turned, and routed the best troops of Germany. This reverse shook the HohenzoUem. throne, and served notice to all the world that the strength of the United States Army was equal to its task. It was not only the effective fighting of our Army which contributed so much to win the war. Even more overwhelming was the surprise of its presence, its dem- onstrated ability to fight, and the conviction forced upon the German command that there was an unending stream of the same fighting power pouring in upon the battle- fields. All this, however, came one year after the crisis of 1917. Judgment in retrospect is often influenced by the light of later events. In view of what has happened, since May, 1917, to the casual inquirer it now appears to have been a natural and obvious course, that the United States should have devoted all its resources to raising, equipping and transporting a great army. Analy- sis and reflection, however, show that this was not an ordinary enterprise either in conception or in execution. On the contrary, it was unique and remarkable. There is little risk of hyperbole in venturing the opinion that the raising, transporting and supplying overseas of this army of two million men wiU be finally ranked as one of the greatest achievements in the annals of history. Turning back now to the Spring of 1917, we find that on land German arms were ascendant on all fronts. In' THE :CRISIS OF 1917 19 the East, Russia had been almost eliminated as a mili- tary factor; Roum'ania, Serbia and Montenegro had been conquered; Bulgaria and Turkey, although ostensibly Allies of Germany, were actually under the Prussian yoke; the aims of the German Eastern Policy, which in- cluded a (German Mittel-Europa, had been realized, and it only remained to compel the Western countries to recognize them. In the West, although foiled in the at- tempt to crush France, German arms had attained con- siderable success; Belgium and Luxemburg had been overrun ; HoUand had been isolated; and a valuable strip of Northern France had been occupied. On the Western front, likewise, the adverse factors in the military situation must be appreciated; it is true that Joffre had stopped the enemy at the Mame in 1914, and that the German offensive against Verdun in 1916 had failed, but, on the other hand, the much-heralded Allied offensive for the Spring of 1917 was at that time also ending in failure. The hope of Allied victory aroused by German readjustments along the Hindenburg line had been quenched by their stubborn defense in the Battle of Arras (April-May, 1917), and it had become evident that success in "^bxeaMng through" the German positions was no nearer than it had been before^ the costly Battle of the Somme. The Italians had also been unable to develop a suc- cessful offensive. In fact, both in the East and in the West the Central Powers were showing ability to hold fast all the great military advantages they had gained. It is not surprising that enemy hopes ran high, while the Allied peoples were depressed. Nor did the enemy fail to exploit their advantage. For long years they had prepared for this opportunity and the German Government had a special army of secret agents and political hirelings spattered throughout for- 20 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE eign countries instructed to Mndle sedition and under- mine Allied morale. In this connection, it is interesting to recall tlie "8py,rlos VersenU" ^ incident, the Zimmer- man note (scheming the return of New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas to' Mexico), the rnmor of a Ger- man-Japanese treaty, and, most significant of all, the political disintegration — almost always a consequence of nulitary disaster in the field — ^prooeeflingin France in the Spring of 1917. Even now, few people in this coun- try appreciate that enemy agents had attained such pow- er in Paris that they then worked almost in the open, spreading corruption both in the homes and in the trenches. When French regiments mutinied and the Comxnanders in the field reported explicitly to their gov- ernment the sources from which sedition was propagated, officials either would not or dared not take prompt effec- tive action. All this was revealed at the trial of Malvy, then Minister of the Interior, and charged with safe- guarding France against enemy machinations. He was finally convicted for neglect of duty and banished. Also, the then Head of the Secret Police, together with the Assistant Prefect of Police in Paris, were later sen- tenced to prison for intercourse with the enemy during this period. It was not until after the first Amencan Expedition had landed in France and Clemenceau had been swept into power that these alarming conditions were fuUy exposed and dealt with effectively. Bad as was this 1917 situation on land, the situation on the sea was even more threatening. The German Government had broken away from international law and on February 1, 1917, had begun a campaign of un- restricted submarine warfare. This had been planned as the great German offensive of 1917. It was a blow ^"Bpurlot Tersenktj" the conception of German diplomacy by which all evi- dence of U-boat unscrnpulonsness was to be obliterated by sinking witho^t leaving a trace of ship, crew, or passengers, THE CRISIS OF 1917 21 aimed at the vitals of the Allies, their lines of conmrnni- cation, and so careful and thorough had been its prep- aration that it came perilously near to success. When the United States entered, the war German U-boats were sinking merchant ships at the alarming rate of 800,000 tons a month. This placed England in desperate straits and unless these submarine depredations could be checked, the time that Great Britain could hold out was simply a matter of mathematics. Nor was this the only success scored by the German Navy. The more or less prevalent conception that German Naval Power took no important part in. the war is erroneous. The cover of German dreadnought guns permitted the U-boats to slip out on their deadly purpose: the High Seas Fleet had accomplished an essential mission in preventing a close blockade, in converting the Baltic practically into a Ger- man Lake, in lending aid to the Armies advancing against Russia, and in keeping the great British naval establish- ment busy in the North Sea. Also of far-reaching consequence had been the success of the Goeben and Breslcm in escaping to Constantinople. This inflpenced Turkey to enter the war and contributed to the defeat suffered by the Allies in their attempt to force the Dardanelles. Thus did the German Navy blockade Western and Southern Eussia. Communica- tions via the Northern and Eastern ports of Eussia were slow, inadequate and imcertain. Such in brief were conditions on land and on sea when the United States entered the war. The leaders of France and England were keenly alive to the crisis ex- isting at this time and the need of impressing it upon the government of their new associate. Both countries lost no time in dispatching military and naval envoys to Washington. In April, 1917, the Joffre Mission arrived from France and the Balfour Mission from Eng^land. 22 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Their object was to urge the prompt and active assist- ance of the United States. The Allied Admirals re- quested the Navy Department for as maay destroyers as possible, but said "even one" would suffice to serve notice to the Central Powers that the United States was in the war in earnest. With the same desire for moral effect, Joffre pleaded for at least one division of the Army to be sent to France at once. The first fruits of these Allied appeals were the dis- patch of six destroyers to Europe. The readiness of these destroyers for foreign service, when the call came, was a matter of gratification to the entire country. They were followed at intervals by nearly the entire destroyer force, only a few of the older type being retained for pa- trol and escort duty on our own coast. No doubt Germany anticipated that her unrestricted submarine offensive would cause the United States to en- ter the war. This was not, however, a sufficient deter- rent. Grermany was confident that her U-boats would prevent the United States from taking an effective part. The enemy counted upon our unpreparedness and did not think it possible for this country to transport and supply overseas a large army. And it should be added that some of the leading Allied strategists took a view hardly more sanguine as to the extent of America's war effort.^ In the glamour of our overwhelming victory there is a tendency in present-day discussion to underrate the > On 19th July, 1917, the British Naval Authority Admiral Beresford ex- pressed himself as follows : "At the pr^ent rate of losses — ^British, Allied, and Neutral, average from 1st of February to 14th July (aay about six months) — I mal^e out that British, Allies and Neutrals are losing ships at the rate of about seven million tons a year. I also make out that if the allied ship- building firms of the world put forward their full strength as at present, they could not produce more than four million tons of new shipping. In other words about one^half. I am also distressed at the fact that it appears to me to be impossible to provide enough ships to bring the American Army over In hundreds of thousands to France, and, after they are brought over, to supply the enormous amount of shipping which will be leqnired to keep tbem tull up With monV tiOQ, food and equipment," THE CRISIS OF 1917 23 product of the deliberations of the expert German Gen- eral Staff which directed the enemy policy as well as military effort. It naust be admitted by unprejudiced opinion, based on a measured view of the military situar tion in the Spring of 1917, that Germany had at least plausible grounds for her conclusions. (The German point of view is given in detail in a German Admiralty memorandum reproduced in the appendix, p. 271.) The German Staff argued that in the face of their submarine campaign and the consequent shortage of shipping which was already causing embarrassment to England and France, the United States would never ven- ture the overseas transportation and supply of an effec- tive army; and if they did venture this hazardous under- taking the U-boats would see to it that disaster should attend and make imppssible its accomplishment. Pew informed critics will venture to attack this opinion as altogether illogical. On the contrary, the experience of previous wars viewed in the light of the then current official utterances and state papers, seemed rather to support the argument that the interest of the United States in the issue did not constitute a sufficiently im- pelUng motive to induce the government to make a deci- sion involving a great risk. The decision to send the United States Army to the Western front was made, however, and ultimate victory or defeat hinged upon whether or not this decision — ^the overseas transportation and supply of an effective army — could be successfully carried out. CHAPTER I THE 'NAVAL MISSION— SUMMARY OF TRANSPORT OPERATIONS I THE NAVAL MISSION Thk work of the Navy in oonneotion with the transporta- tion of troops to France constitutes a distinctive feature of the World War. As has been pointed out in the Intro- duction* the 'attending poKtioal and military, circum- stances incident to the collapse of Russia, the critical situation on the Western front, and the threat of the German submarine combined to make the undertaking of special significaiice, and throughout the year following the entry of the United States into the war the military and naval developments were such that the safe transpor- tation across the Atlantic of troops and supplies became a problem of more and more pressing importance. The United States Army in Fraiice was a decisive factor in obtaining speedy victory. The transportation of this army overseas under naval protection was, there- fore, a major operation of first importance. A large share of this urgent mission devolved on the United States Navy, and its successful accomplishment in the face of great diflSculties is another page to the record of the service in keeping with its past Hstory and traditions. Much confusion of thought has existed as to just how the vast work of transporting a United States Army numbering 2,079,880 souls to Europe was accomplished. It is unfortunate that misinformation should be d|issemi- 24 THE NAVAL MISSION 25 nated respecting an operation in wliich the different or- ganizations concerned performed their respective func- tions in utmost harmony and cooperation. All did their allotted parts splendidly and efficiently. All share in the satisfaction resulting from the successful accomplishment of a difficult and urgent undertaking. Inasmuch as the principal field of British naval activ- ities was the North Sea and English Channel — ^the Grand Fleet containing the enemy High Seas Fleet was an essential condition without which neither troop trans- ports nor freighters could have sailed — the task of break- ing the U-boat blockade in the Atlantic naturally became the immediate mission of the United States Navy. The prompt dispatching of destroyers, coast guard cutters, yachts, and aU other available craft of a type useful against the submarine, to the East Atlantic, and the splendid work accomplished by these vessels and others later sent to augment their strength, in cleaning up these waters of U-boat devastation is a matter of record, the importance of which in winning the war is conceded from aU quarters. This was the first step in prepai*ation for sending the United States Army overseas. The next step was the development of the transport service and the convoy and escort system. In this work the Cruiser and Transport Force cooperated with the destroyers and other anti-submarine craft abroad. In addition, Great Britain, France and Italy supplied troop ships. As would be expected from Great Britain's enor- mous merchant marine, she was able to supply the great- est carrying capacity. She had the ships ready for this use, and 481/4 per cent of the American Army were trans- ported in British steamers; 2% per cent were carried in French ships, and 3 per cent in British leased Italian vessels. The remaining 46^ per cent were carried in 26 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE United States ships, ajid all but 2% per cent of these sailed in United States naval transports. AU the troops carried in United States ships were escorted by United States men-of-war; that is, cruisers, destroyers, converted yachts, and other anti-submarine craft Also for the most part the troops carried in British, French and Italian ships yrere given safe con- duct through the danger zones by United States destroy- ers. Eoughly, 823^ per cent of the maximum strength of the naval escort provided incident to the transporta- tion of United States troops across the Atlantic was supplied by the United States Navy, Mi/g per cent by the British Navy, and 3% per cent by the French Navy. In making our Army in France effective, special men- tion should be made of the Naval Overseas Transportar tion Service. Little could have been accomplished without these unromantie, rusty, slow plodding tramps, transporting food, munitions and supplies. It was one of the anomalies of this war due to our small deep sea merchant marine that instead of mer- chant sailors being called upon to help man our battle- ships, the war fleet was called upon to help supply trained officers and men for transports and freighters. The newly-created Emergency Fleet Corporation and the Shipping Board did their best, and indeed accom- plished wonders in quickly building and equipping a vast merchant fleet; but in obtaining civilian crews to operate the ships they were heavily handicapped by labor condi- tions and the lack of trained seamen. When the shipping board turned to the Navy for assistance, that our naval establishment was ready to operate successfully ah enor- mous merchant fleet was a war-winning factor, which is now too frequently overlooked. In the latter part of 1917, the Naval Overseai Trans- portation Service was organized under the Navy Depart? , THE NAVAL MISSION 27 ment and supervising branch offices were established in the principal Atlantic ports ;, 72 vessels were originally assigned to this service but when the Armistice was signed the Navy had a cargo fleet of 453 ships, including. 106 ready to be taken over. The Naval Personnel oper- ating these ships numbered 5,000 officers and 45^000 en- listed men. This cargo fleet was additional to the fleet of troop transports also manned by the Navy. The crews of some of these freighters endured the greatest hardships of the war. They faced not only the menace of the U-boat, but also the perils of the deep, danger of collision and shipwreck, and the liability of instant death by accident from inflammable and explosive cargoes. Nor should the Ship Control Committee be forgotten. This Committee, headed by Mr. P. A. S. Franklin, was charged with loading the cargo and quick turn-around of the vessels. The services of Mr. Franklin and his as- sistants are part of the history of war transportation and supply. To quote the expression of General Shanks (Commanding General at the Port of Embarkation in New York), "Our great embarkation service was of a threefold character, the Navy, the Army, and the Ship Control Committee." At the time of our entry iuto the war, although we had a very small deep-sea Merchant Marine, our coast- wise and inland shipping industry was a flourishing one. The ships for the most part were unsuitable for overseas work, but the personnel trained ia them was of excellent quality and proved an invaluable accession to naval strength. I think I can speak with authority of the fine i work done by both officers and men. In the Cruiser and Transport Force the Merchant Marine and the Navy worked together, without difference or distinction, shoul- der to shoulder, "all of us together on the capstan bars.** 28 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The outstanding lesson which the experience of the war has driven home is the value both in peaxje and in war of a prosperous deep sea Merchant Marine. SUMMABT OF TEANSPOET OPEEATIOITS ' Previous to 1917 the idea of a United States overseas expeditionary force numbered by millions was regarded as a remote if not impossible contingency. Consequently no extensive peace-time preparations had been made for such an undertaking. The declaration of war with Ger- many found the United States without a transport fleet and without a merchant marine capable of supplying ships for transporting a large military expedition. At this time the Cruiser and Transport Force had not been developed. Of the twenty-four cruisers later gathered together for war service in this command, some were in the Atlantic Fleet, some on special duty, some unas- sigued, while still others' were in the navy yards in re- serve, manned by reduced complements. Out of the forty-eight naval transports engaged in carrying troops abroad only two were then in the naval service. These were the Henderson, still under construction, but>neariag completion, and the Hancock, an old vessel of slow speed, later withdrawn from overseas transport duty because of her unseaworthy condition. The Army had a few transports, but they were not suitable or ready for trans- Atlantic service. Thus it was that our Navy entered a new field of operations. Without warning, the Navy Department and the War Department were confronted with the problem- of sending to Europe hundreds of thousands of soldiers'' — ^how many, no one could teU. Joffre, in an interview*; with the Secretary of War in May, 1917, said that he thought that 400,000 would be our limit, and that onei OEXEHAL PEBSHING AND ADMIRAL CLEAVES ON DECK OF u, s. s. ''Seattle" in the harbor of brest U. S. S. SEATTI.E ADMIRAL CLEAVES AND AIDES AT JONCHEVY, FRAXCE, 5 JULY 1917. HEADaUAETERS OF GENERAL MICIIEI.ER, COMMANDING StH FRENCH ARMY .-.^^^SK^^^V^^ .r'. • -'i'iiisT!* POINT ESPAGNOLE, CONVOY RECONNAISSANCE POINT, BREST ROADSnUD fTr^ ..■*''W^-''^Ss^^%*. CEREMONIES AT LAFAYETTe's TOMH, PICPUS CEMETERY, 4tH JULY, 1917. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: GENERAL PERSUING; BRAND WHITLOCK, TJ. S. MINISTER TO BELGIUM; ADMIHAI, GLKAVES ; M. PAINI.EVE, MINISTER OF WAR, FRANCE COXGESTED CONDITION OF ST. Js'AZAIRE 1IARHOR, THE lAXniXO PLACE OF TUE FIRST EXJ'EDITIOX r. s. s. "cvci.ors," ".aiysteiiy miu'" THE NAVAL MISSION 29 French, port would be sufficient to receive them. How amazed he would have been could he have looked into the crystal and seen what this country transported to France in men and material during the next eighteen months. It is a remarkable and noteworthy example of Anier- ican ingenuity and zeal that, starting with almost noth- ing at the beginning of the war, a United States naval transport service was built up which carried almost a million soldiers to Europe. In spite of the determined efforts of submarines to prevent it, their numerous at- tempts were frustrated and these troops were landed in Europe. This was accomplished without the loss of a single soldier by the hand of the enemy.^ The Ri^lendid cooperation of the Army made this pos- sible. The Army organized and developed an efficient system for loading and unloading the ships at the ter- minal points. The Navy transported the troops and safeguarded them en route. Gfeneral Ludendorff 's book reveals the promises made by the German naval chiefs that their submarines would prevent the transportation of United States troops. When the soldiers began to arrive the German people and the German press began to complain bitterly that these promises had not been kept. In spite of renewed promises and redoubled efforts our transports con/tinued to arrive without losses while East-bound. This resulted in the fall of von CapeUe. His successor, Admiral von Mann, was equally unsuccessful, although f or-a time submarines were diverted from trade routes to concentrate their ef- forts against our transports. When the British steamer Justicia was sunk the German Admiralty officially an- unced that it was the Leviathcm loaded with Ameri- ■* This refers to the U. S. Naval Transport Force. U. S. soldiers embarked In t' 3 Britigh steamer Tuacania were lost when that vessel was torpedoed and Bank and 102 more were killed or drowned when the American freighter Ticonderoga was sank by a U-boat. 30 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE can soldiers. The consequent jubilation in the German press, followed by depression when the truth was ascer- tained, is an indication of how eagerly the enemy sought to revive the morale of the people by successful opera- tions against our troopships. On homeward-bound voyages, however, the Navy wasi not so fortunate. In a measure this was due to need of oonoentratiug maximum naval escort protection on troop-laden convoys. Frequently this necessitated lighter escort for the ships returning, and it was on these home- watd-bound vessels that the submarines scored their suc- cesses. The United States Transports Antilles, Presi- dent Lincoln, and Covington were torpedoed and sunk. The Finkmd and Moimt Vernon were torpedoed, but were able to reach port for repairs. The United States armored cruiser Scm Diego struck a mine laid by a Ger- man submarine and was sunk. The service was not without hazard, as is shown by the fact that more than half of the war casualties in the United States Navy were suffered in the Cruiser and Transport Force. This was to be expected because the large deep draft ships were the chief prey sought by the enemy U-boats. Nor were the enemy guns and torpedoes the only menace — danger from fire and internal damage was enhanced by the machinations of enemy secret agents, and the likelihood of collision was increased by the ne- cessity of maneuvering without lights in convoy forma- tion vessels manned for the most part by inexperienced crews. On November 11, 1918, when the Armistice was signed, the Cruiser and Transport Force of the United States Fleet numbered twenty-four cruisers and forty- two transports, manned, exclusive of troops carried, by about 3,000 officers and 42,000 men. This is in addition THE NAVAt MISSION 31 to the 453 cargo ships which the Navy manned and oper- ated with 5,000 officers and 45,000 enlisted men. After the signing of the Armistice the United States Transport Fleet expanded still more, and developed into a fleet of 149 ships manned by 4,238 officers and 59,030 men, with the gratifying result that 86.7 per cent of our overseas army was brought home under the Stars and Stripes. The return movement began immediately after the Armistice and continued at a much more rapid rate than was attained in going over. In June, 1919, our Naval transports, which had been increased in number by sev- enty-one ships, brought back in 115 ships 314,167 combat- ant troops, while foreign ships carried an additional 26,825. The maximum number transported during the war — ^by all ships in one month — ^was 311,359. From November, 1918, to July, 1919, a total of 1,493,626 had been returned to the United States. The older battle- ships and armored cruisers were also used in the re- patriation of our soldiers. The United States Navy alone transported across the Atlantic a grand total of 2,511,047 soldiers. The scope of this book is a brief narrative of the adventures and achievements of the United States Cruiser and Transport Force compiled from the official files with such explanatory notes and summaries as ap- pear necessary for reason of coherence and clearness. It has been authoritatively said that the best way to write history is to let those who made it tell their own story in their own words. In the following pages it has been attempted to use this method and they are made up largely of quotations from those who took part in the operations. CHAPTER n THE FIEST EXPEDITION PEEPABATION At the time the United States entered the war I was in command of the Destroyer Force of the United States Atlantic Fleet and had had this assignment for about one year and a half. I was summoned to Washington on May 23, 1917, and informed by the Secretary of the Navy that in addition to my other duties I had been selected to command the first expedition to France. On May 29th, I received formal orders designating me "Conunander of Convoy Operations in the Atlantic." My flag was then flying in the armored cruiser Seattle, and I proceeded immediately to New York to expedite preparations. The 9th of June had been set for the sail- ing date, but, after a personal inspection of the ships which the War Department had chartered and was con- verting into transports, and having conferred with the Army Quartermaster, I recommended that the sailing date be advanced to June 14th; this date was selected not without consideration of the phase of the moon as affecting night submarine attack at the expected time of arrival off the French Coast. The Navy then had three vessels available for troop transport work, the Hancock, the Henderson and the recently seized German converted steamer Prms Eitel Friedrich, renamed the DeKqlh. The Army had a few 32 THE FIRST EXPEDITION 33 regular transports, but none were suitable and ready for trans-Atlantic convoy operations. It was necessary to conunandeer such ocean-going vessels as could be found and alter them as quiddy as possible for carrying troops. Unfortunately we had no adequate deep-sea Mer- chant Marine to draw npon and the somewhat motley as- semblage of ships finally gathered together for the first expedition did not long survive the duty imposed upon them. Some were torpedoed, others relegated to carry cargo and cattle, and some were subsequently wrecked or dropped out altogether because of imseaworthiness. Looking back to the first expedition of June, 1917, it seems indeed that the hand of Providence must have been held over these "arks" or the task never could have been accomplished. Who would have dreamed at that time that we were laying the foundation of the greatest transport fleet in history? As the terms "train," "escort," and "convoy" are somewhat confusing to those unfamiliar with naval ter- minology, it might be well to define them. "Train" re- fers to a body of troopships or cargo ships or other vessels requiring protection and making passage in com- pany. The term "escort" designates the fighting ships which accompany and protect the "train." The en- tire assemblage of ships consisting of both "train" and "escort" comprise a "convoy." For example, we would speak of a "convoy" of twelve ships including the "train" of six transports with an "escort" of one cruiser and five destroyers, or "escorted" by one cruiser and five destroyers. The first expedition comprised four convoys made up as follows: S4 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE CONVOY GROUP I TRAIN Troopship Saratoga (Lt. Comdr. L, Coxe) " Havana. (Comdr. J. R. Defrees) " Tenadores. (Comdr. W. R. Sexton) " Pastores. (Comdr. B. B. Bierer) ESCORT Armored Cruiser Seattle. (Captain D. W. Blamer) Auxiliary Cruiser De Kalb. (Comdr. W. R. Gherardi) Converted Yacht Corsair. (Comdr. T. A. Kittenga-) Destroyer Wilkes. (Lt. Comdr. J. C. Fremont) Destroyer Terry. (Lt. Comdr. J. F. Shafroth, Jr.) Destroyer Roe. (Lt. Comdr. G, C. Barnes) CONVOY GROTIP H TRAIN Troopship Momus. (Comdr. W. N. Jeffers) " Antilles. (Lt. Comdr. D. T. Ghent) " Lenape. (Lt. Comdr. P. E. Dampman) ESCORT Scout Cruiser Birmingham. (Comdr. C. L. Hussey) Converted Yacht Aphrodite. (Lt. Comdr. R. P. Craft) Destroyer Fanning. (Lt. A. S. Carpendar) Destroyer Burrows. (Lt. H. V. McKittrick) Destroyer Lamson. (Lt. "W. R. PurneU) CONVOY GROUP HI TRAIN Troopship Malloiy (Lt. Cbmdr. G. P. Chase) " Finland. (Comdr. S.V.Graham) " San Jacinto. (Lt. Comdr. S. L. H. Hazard) ESCORT Cruiser Charleston. (Comdr. E. H. Campbell) Armed Collier Cyclops. (Lt. Comdr. George Worley) Destroyer Allen. (Lt. Comdr. S. W. Bryant) Destroyer McCall. (Lt. Comdr. L. M. Stewart) Destroyer Preston. (Lt. j.g. C. W. Magnider) THE FIRST EXPEDITION 3d CONVOY GROUP lY TRAIN ESCORT Cargo Ship Montanan Cruiser St. Louis. (Comdr. P. N. 01m- (Comdr. M. E. Trench) stead) Cruiser Transport Hanooek, " Dakotan. (Captain E. T. Pollock) (Comdr. C. Shackford) Armed Collier Kanawha. " El Occidente. l(Lt. Comdr. R. Werner) (Lt. Comdr. H. W. Destroyer Shaw. Osterhaus) E. Luckenbach. (Lt. Comdr. A. Pickens) (Lt. Comdr. M. S. Davis) Destroyer Ammen. (Lt. G. C. Logan) Destroyer Flusser. (Lt. j.g. R. L. Walling) Destroyer Parker. (Lt. Comdr. H. Powell) The table below shows the pre-war owners and em- ployment of vessels used in this convoy: Name Saratoga. Havana. . Tenadores. Gross Tonnage 6391 6391 7782 Pastores 7781 Momus 6878 AntiUes 6878 Lenape 5179 Mallory 6063 Finland 12,229 San Jacinto 6069 Montanan 6659 Dakotan 6657 E. Luckenbach. 2730 Line New York & Cuba Mail S. S. Co. New York & Cuba Mail S. S. Co. Tenadores S. S. Co. Pastores S. S. Corp. Southern Pacific Company it tC (I Clyde S. S. Go. Mallory S. S. Go. Dampfsch. Ges. Argo. Mallory S. S. Co. American S. S. Co. American & Hawaiian S. S. Go. Luckenbach S. S. Go. Mail Steamer Mail Steamer United Fruit Co. Line United Fruit Go. Line , Cargo carrier Cargo carrier The arrangement of bulkheads and compartments in most of these transports was not at all satisfactory from the standpoint of water-tight integrity. This added to 36 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE our anxieties, as it meant that little time "Would be af- forded to save life in ease a torpedo found its mark. Tlie MoMmee (Lt. Comdr. H. C. Dinger), an oil tanker, sailed from Boston a few days before the expedition sailed from New York to take her previously assigned station on the route of the convoy to refuel the destroyers as might be required. Oiling at sea was one of the maneuvers which had been developed in the Destroyer Force three or four months before the war. A division of destroyers had been oiled en route to Queenstown at the rate of 35,000 gallons per hour, in a moderate sea, and the wind blowing a half gale. Without the ability to oil at sea the destroy^ ers would have had to be towed and the eastward move- ment correspondingly delayed. Only the newest destroy- ers, those which, could get over to the other side by one refueling, were designated to go all the way across, wMle the old boats, the short-legged fellows, as they were called, went only half way or as far as their oil could carry them, and then returned to New York, or in case of necessity called at St. Johns or Halifax, and as a role they had to steam against strong headwinds on the way back. The work of converting the requisitioned cargo ships was pressed to the utmost. They were armed with guns, fitted with lookout stations, a communication system and troop berthing accommodations. The method of com- missary supply and messing was worked out and the sanitation of the ships unproved as far as possible. Life belts were supplied in a quantity 10 per cent in excess of the number of passengers carried. Special measures ' were taken to protect life in case of casualty, and suffi- cient rafts were provided so that if life boats on one side could not be launched because of the listing of the ship or other reason, all hands could still be accommodate4. THE FIRST EXPEDITION 37 Attention was given to tlie paramount necessity of land- ing the troops ia good health and in good spirits. The instructions issued to all ships were, in brief, as follows, and every man had to be as familiar with them as with the Lord's Prayer: 1. The use of maximum speed through the dan- ger zone. 2. Trained lookout watches made effective by an efficient system of communication between offi- cers of the deck and fire control watch. 3. Continuous Eilerf gun watches in quick com- munication with lookouts through the fire control officer. 4. Constant zigzagging. 5. Minimum use of radio; reduction of smoke to a minimum; darkening of ships at night; throwing nothing overboard lest it point to the trail. G. A trained officer always alert and ready to use the hehn to avoid torpedoes. 7. Special prearranged day and night signals between ships on manner of maneuvering when sub- marines were sighted. 8. Use of guns and depth bombs by all trans- port and escort vessels. In addition, it was directed that Abandon Ship drills be held daily; that in the danger zone at daybreak and twilight, the hours most favorable to submarine attack, troops be assembled at Abandon Ship Stations fully equipped and prepared to leave the ship; that water- tight doors always be kept closed; that all communica- tion pipes and ventilator ducts be kept closed as niuch as possible; that the water-tight bulkheads be frequently 38 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE examined — ^in short, that everything possible be done first, to guard against disaster, and second, to save the ship and to save life if mined or torpedoed. On the 4th of June, I went to Washington for final instructions. On leaving the Secretary's office, Mr. Dan- iels said : "Admiral, you are going on the most important, the most difficult, and the most hazardous duty assigned to the Navy — good-by. ' ' My friends in the Department wished me God-speed and that night I returned to New York. On June 7, 1917, I issued the following secret order to the Commanders of the ships comprising this First Transport Fleet : Secret. DESTEOYEB FOECE, ATLANTIC PUBET IT. S. S. Seattle, Flagship Op. Order. No.l. 7 June, 1917. Forces : (a) Convoy Group One. Train: Tenadores, Saratoga, Havama, Pas- tores. Escort: Seattle, Corsair, Be Kctlh, Wilkes, Terry, Roe. (b) Convoy Group Two. Train : Momus, Antilles, Lenape. Escort: Birmingham, Aphrodite, Famimg (if ready). Burrows, Lamson. (o) Convoy Group Three. Train: Mallory, Finland, San Jacinto. Escort: Charleston, Cyclops, All&n,, McCaU, Preston'. THE FIRST EXPEDITION 39 ,(d)j Convoy Group Four. Train : Montcmcm, Pakotcm, Ocddente, Ludken' bach. Escort: iS'*. Louis, Hcmcoch, Sham, Amm&n,, Flusser, Parher. 1. Eeports of enemy submarine activity indicate that the area of greatest activity is East of longitude twenty West, and within a circle radius five hundred miles from FAYAL, AZORES. Submarines may be encountered on the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada. Every effort has been made to hold secret the sailing of the convoy buf it may be assumed that the departure of convoy from the United States and the hour of departure , will be communicated to the enemy. It is possible that particular effort will be made by the enemy to accom- plish the destruction of the convoy and no part of the waters traversed by the convoy may be assumed to be free from submarines. Enemy raiders may be encoun- tered. 2. This force will furnish transportation and escort for U. S. Troops and their equipment to the port desig- nated. 3. (a) (b) (c) (d). Escort assembles AM- BROSE CHANNEL LIGHTSHIP at — see area dear. Convoy arrive AMBROSE CHAN- NEL LIGHTSHIP at Groups take forma. tion specified and proceed without delay on course and speed signaled by Group Commander. The date and hour for departure will be given orally to Group Commanders. (v) Coal burning destroyers attached to any group will continue with Group such distance as will permit destroyers to return to U. S. Port without refueling — where they ,will report arrival to Commander in Chief and request instructions. (w) The Ma/umee has been stationed at sea on the route of the convoy to refuel oil-burning destroyers. "When last destroyer of Group Four has refueled Mem- 40 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE mee will proceed to ST. JOHNS, NEWFOUNDLAND. Grroup Commanders will be informed orally of Maumee's position and this position will also be contained in tbe sealed instructions to each ship. (x) Oil-burning destroyers wiU refuel from Maumee when directed by the Group Commander. Seven hun- dred fifty ton destroyers will after refueling from Mcm- mee eontimie with convoy such distance as will permit them to proceed to ST. JOHNS, NEWFOUNDLAND, without again refueling. Thousand ton destroyers will contiaue to destination. (y) Yachts will continue with convoy to destination. If it become apparent that their fuel capacity is not suffi- cient, yachts will be directed to proceed to FAYAL, AZOEES, to refuel and thenpe to destination. (z) Before arrival at destination convoy wiU be met by a Division of destroyers. This division of destroyers will form part of escort from meeting point to desti- nation. 4. All ships will be fueled to maximum capacity. 5. Convoy Commander in Seattle. If necessity for use of radio arises use sig code quintuple cipher 3084— 672—5934—186—7865. (s) D. W. BiAMEE, Captain, U. S. N., Chief of Staff for Albert Glbaves, Eear Admiral, U. S. N. Commcmder Destroyer Force, Atlawtic Fleet and U. S. Convoy Operations in the Atlantic. Copies to: Operationsi C-in-C. Ships Mentioned (2)'. Previous to. sailing, two groups were assembled in the North Eiver and the others at the overcrowded an- THE FIRST EXPEDITION 41 ehorage at Tompkinsville, Staten Island. At daylight on the 14th of June, the ships got under way in one of the densest fogs that I have ever seen in New York. This called for good seamanship, but the movement in the narrow tide-swept channel was accomplished without mishap, save for one destroyer, which was caught in the anti-submarine nets at the Narrows and had to return to the Navy Yard for repairs. When this was reported to me, I recalled the fact that just before sailing the Captain of this destroyer handed me a report to the Commandant of the District stating that in his opinion the submarine net at the en- trance of New York Harbor was inadequate and not likely to stop any determined enemy submarine which might attempt to enter. At about the same time that the Commandant received this report the author appeared ia the Commandant's office with his request for repairs to damages caused by that very net. This was not the only trouble which developed. The Corsair was unable to keep up owing to green firemen and fell back to the second group, being replaced by the Fannmg, which afterwards greatiy distinguished herself by capturing the first prize of the war. Another de- stroyer developed condenser trouble on Jime 16th and was sent back to New York for repairs. The groups sailed at intervals of two hours from Ambrose Channel Lightship, except Group IV, which was held by the Department twenty-four hours for belated dispatches and stores. Group I was the fastest. Group IV the slowest, and their departure was timed to avoid congestion at the eastern terminus. It is obvious that as the expedition advanced the intervals between the groups opened out, thus tacreasing the difficulties of sub- marines lying iu wait to attack. 42 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The first group proceeded at fifteen knots, the second at fourteen, the third at thirteen and the last at eleven. Throughout the voyage the weather was pleasant. The morale of the troops was excellent, and as they far miliarized themselves with the ship's organization and plans for saving life in case of disaster, their confidence in those responsible for their safety overcame the natural timidity of the landsman embarked on such a dangerous passage. The necessity of having no one on lookout who could not speak the language soon became apparent. In the inky blackness one night I asked a muffled lookout on the quarter-deck what he would do if he saw a periscope. He replied: "I gotta tell 'a Sargn't." He was one of the bandsmen. At 10 :15 P. M. June 22nd, in Latitude 48° 00' N., Lon- gitude 25° 50' West, the first group was attacked by enemy submarines. At this time we were crossing the line from North Ireland to the Azores, the probable route of U-boats bound for those islands. The Azores were then under suspicion as hiding an enemy submarine base. The es- cort reenforoement from the east had not joined up but was due to meet us a little further to the eastward. It is suspected that the Germans also had this information and timed their attack accordingly. After the sinkings made by the U-53 off Nantucket, however, we knew that we had to be ready at all times, even in our home waters, to repel submarines, and we were not caught off our guard. The cruising dispositions made for protecting the troop ships placed the cruiser Seattle, my flagship, ahead, and to starboard of them, with the auxiliary cruiser De Kalb ahead and to port, thus covering the most likely angles for enemy approach. My first intimation of the presence of the enemy was THE FIRST EXPEDITION 43 the report by Seattle lookouts of sighting in the extremely phosphorescent water the wake of a submarine crossing our bow from starboard to port toward the convoy. Si- multaneously with this report and before the Seattle had time to give the prescribed alarm, the De Kalh, which had sighted two torpedo wakes, one passing ahead and the other astern, opened fire. Two torpedoes also passfed dose to the Eavama. Captain Grherardi, of the De Kalh, who was on the bridge of his ship, told me afterwards how he plaiOfly followed for several hundred yards the unmistakable straight track of a torpedo by its telltale wake of bubbles. He handled his ship to perfection and disaster was averted. It is the irony of fate that Kttle is heard of the Captain who by constant vigil and alert attention to duty saves his ship. It takes an explosion with, attending loss of life and excitement to make popu- lar appeal. This, however, is beside the point. Fortunately, our protective measures were effective and in accordance with the prescribed doctrine the ma- neuver to evade the enemy at night was performed in a prompt and seamanlike manner. The ships of the right and left columns of the convoy turned to starboard and port, respectively, and ran at full speed as per instruc-; tions. Inhere were no torpedo hits and no evidence of injury to the enemy. The convoy reformed at daylight and proceeded on its course. Lieutenant T. E. Van Metre, U. S, Navy, Executive Officer of the destroyer Wilkes, was stationed at the spe- cial listening device known as the oscillator 'Which had recently been installed in that vessel and he reported: "I put on the headgear and heard coming into the re- ceivers quite strongly the sound of a submarine running totally submerged. The sound grew in intensity until I could hear it in both receivers, although much louder in the starboard one. I called to the Captain (Lieutenant 44 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Commander J. C. Ffemont, U, S. Navy) that I believed the submarine was close aboard on the starboard bow." A little later, after we had left this submarine astern, Van Metre reported that he heard faintly what he be- lieved to be another submarine running on the surface. This experience demonstrated in a striking way the value and possibilities of listening devices to detect sub- marines. It was afterwards learned from a confidential bulle- tin issued by the French Admiralty on July 6th, that on the 25th of June in the same vicinity the British steamer Fernieaf was attacked, and on the 29th of June, 400 miles north of the Azores, the Bemquda and L'yna were sunk. On the 4th of July, presumably from the same subma- rine, the port of Ponta Delgada in the Azores, received a few shots. It was the conclusion of the French bulletin from these activities that submarines had been sent out from the German secret base known to exist in the Azores, to intercept our convoy expedition. On the 24th of June, in the afternoon, we sighted the Queenstown destroyers, and right glad we were, too, as they bore down to take their stations around us. We had joined up with them on time at the appointed ren- dezvous, which was a good piece of navigation on both ^ sides. The destroyers immediately began zigzagging and I remember that Hanraban's swift destroyer, the Cush- Mg, took station ahead of us and seemed to be doing a sort of "do-see-do" figure of the old-fashioned quadriUe. The next day smoke was sighted to the northward and I sent Alford Johnson, commanding the destroyer O'Brien, to reconnoiter. It proved to be the French escort, composed of two small destroyers. Floating wreckage all around us gave sinister evi- dence of the activities of the submarines as was also frequent S. 0. 8. and "AUo" wireless calls. At this SEA PI.AXE SCOl-TIVG m starting sea plane off catapult as bigoed on" the u. s. s. "iiuntixgton" HOISTING I.V SEA PLANE AFTER BETCRX FROM BECONXAISSANCE FLIGHT WATCHING FOE THE ENEMT. IMAST-IIEAD LOOKOUT OBSERVATION" BALLOOX TOWED ALOFT FROM LEADING CRUISER OP CONVOY Ur.IMl' ESCORTING TRANSPORT THROUGH DANGER ZONE 'I.S':..' ^"^^-■■■^^ CONVOY OF TROOPSIIirS AT SEA CONVOY OF TROOPSHIPS AT SEA CONVOYS OF FBEIGirTF.RS AT SEA, ESCORTED BY AMERICAN DESTROYERS EXAMJ'I.KS 01' CAMOTIFl.Ar.K: ir. S. S. DUSTnOVF.TlS "FAIInAx" ANI) "SMAl.l." hxa:\ipi,f.s oi' CAAtoni, \(;i: : r-.s.s. N(Uitit cvholina THE FIRST EXPEDITION 45 _/ time the submarine warfare was at its height and it has been frequently remarked that never after was there; so much wreckage to be seen in the Bay of Biscay. At 3 :00 P. M. we sighted Belle Isle and shortly afterwards two airplanes and a dirigible were seen over the land coming out to greet us. The most trying experience of tbe voyage was now to come. We were passihg to the southward of Belle Isle when at 8 :00 P. M. I received a radio report from Brest, dated at 6 :00 P. M. that two submarines had been sighted thirty miles to the southward of the group's then position, both submarines standing to the northward. In other words, they could easily have been within six nules of the group at the time tbe message was received. In spite of this all vessels of the group were com- pelled to slow down weU outside the entrance to Croisic Bay, in order to take on board pilots to steer us through the mine fields which the Germans had generously planted in the vicinity, and I confess to a bad quarter of an hour while waiting to get them on board. So much time was lost that the group was compelled to anchor in the open roadstead and wait for daylight. That the group was not attacked that night seems in- explicable as the Germans lost a marvelous opportunity. As a matter df fact, the channel we took into St. Nazaire was planted with mines by the enemy the following night, and the other groups of the expedition used another channel. The fourth group was also attacked on June 29th, and the Commanding Officer of the LtdCTcenbach reported : "About 10:30 A. M., this vessel was attacked by a submarine, and one torpedo was seen to pass within about 50 yards of the Luckenbach. The course of the ship had just been changed by the Commanding Officer to avoid this torpedo, aijd the 46 HISTORY 6f transport SERVICE torpedo was seen to come to the surface in the wake of the Luckenhach at the point where the change of course took place." Of this incident the Commanding Officer of the KcmoAJoha reported that he saw a submarine when the, torpedo was fired and watched the wake, the submarine being directly between the Kcmawha and Luckmbach, and close upon the Kcmawha. It was his opinion that the Litckenbach would be hit and his crew gave a cheer when they saw her change course to go clear. Lieutenant (j. g.) J. C' Carey, TJ. S. Navy, was in charge of the battery of the Kcmawha', which did some very good shooting at this submarine's periscope, drop- ping some shell« almost on toj) of it, if they did not actually hit this small target. It may well he that those shots so confused the aim of the submarine as to cause her torpedoes to miss. Commander A. C. Pickens^ of the Luckenhach later remarked that he was just as well satisfied that the tor- pedo missed because his cargo consisted of 5,000 tons of ammunition, with a deck load of gasoline, hay, motor oil, and oxy-acetylene tanks. The second group encountered two submarines, the first at 11:50 A. M. 26th of June in Latitude 47° 01' N. and Longitude 6° 28' W., about 100 miles off the French coast, and the second two hours later. The group was under escort of six additional American destroyers at the time. Both submarines were successfully evaded, and the destroyer Cmnmmgs, upon sighting the second subma- rine, headed for it at twenty-five knots. The submarine immediately submerged and the periscope was lost to view, but the course of the submarine was plainly dis- closed by a wake of bubbles. The Cummings passed about twenty-five yards ahead of this wake and dropped THE FIRST EXPEDITION 47 a depth bomb, tbe explosion of which was followed by the appearance of several pieces of lumber, oil, bubbles and debris upon the surface. There was no further evidence of the submarine, and if not destroyed it is probable that it was at least badly damaged. Commander Neil, who made the counter attack on the submarine in the Cwmmings, was decorated by the British Government for this exploit. On the 2nd of July the last group arrived at St. Na- zaire. The entire expedition crossed without the loss of a man; one officer reported: "We didn't lose but one horse, and that was a mule." The German Admiralty had boasted that noj; one American soldier should set foot in France. The bluff had been called and it could not have been called at a more psychological moment. Commander W. R. Sayles, our Naval Attache in Paris, was charged with the important duty of arranging the landing at St. Nazaire. Secrecy was of first impor- tance and conditions in Prance at that time made this particularly difficult. Commander Sayles made his plans as though the con- voy were going to Brest. As he expected, the Germans found this out and in the belief that our ships were bound for that port, the enemy mined theentrances. The sink- ing of the French cruiser Kleber by one of these mines is grim evidence of what had been prepared for the Yankee troopships. It is not surprising that the Germans were deceived as to our destination. Brest is an admirable port for troop debarkati6n, whereas St. Nazaire is ill adapted for this purpose by reason of its small size and lack of facili- ties. This port was not well known and the landing of the first expedition put it on the map. 48 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The cliaimel is of sueh depth that vessels of deep draft can enter only at high water, while a five-knot tide makes it hazardous for vessels to move inside the harbor except at slack water. The holding ground is also bad. At various times our ships dragg'ed anchor and serious damage was narrowly averted. The fact that little or no preparation was made there for our reception no doubt helped to deceive the enemy but also had disadvantages as will be seen. The arrival of so many transports within so short a space of time caused great congestion in St. Nazaire's small harbor. All the troopships carried cargo and large quantities of troop equipment and stores. The un- loading of all vessels and quick preparations for the re- turn voyage presented a perplexing problem with the poor facilities available and the shortage of labor. Five hundred negro stevedores had been brought from the United States by the Army to discharge ships, but they were found altogether unequal to handle such a large number of vessels. The Marine Eegiment, which had been carried in the Henderson, Be Kalb and Hancock, relieved the situation somewhat by turning to and dis- charging their own vessels. The sea wall was a scene of great activity as the docks, cranes, and railroads, endeavored to absorb several hun- dred per cent more than their usual capacity. From the ships ' holds were discharged boxes of provisions, ammu- nition, locomotives, baled hay, horses, automobile trucks, gasoline and other Army impedimenta. French steve- dores, American sailors and marines, negroes and Ger- man prisoners worked side by side. The basin at St. Nazaire was something to look at for the next two weeks, but one to which the inhabitants of that quaint Breton town were soon to become accus- tomed. THE FIRST EXPEDITION 49 From the transpoi-ts an almost continuous stream of troops inarched off over the cobblestones of the narrow winding streets to the camp in course of construction by German prisoners a few miles behind the town. The population gathered along the quays looked on in whispering wonderment at ^ the young khaM-clad strangers who had appeared, almost overnight, from over the seas. There was no cheering, no patriotic demon- stration, only the respectful silence of the women and children, the old men and the broken soldiers. In their eyes, however, was unuttered thanksgiving and also an Unconscious, wistful look to see what they could read of the spirit of America in the faces of these, her soldiers. It was a joining of hands in war of France and America recalling the d^-ys of Lafayette and Eochambeau. In a few days the shjrness disappeared and in its place came occasional smiles and spoken greetings. The mes- sage from America had been read aright — ^it wsis the promise of a great nation to stand by France to the finish. CHAPTER ni THE STAY IN FRANCE— THE RETURN VOYAGE On the evening of our arrival at St. Nazaire, I dined at La Boule, an attractive resort on the coast, a few miles out of town, and learned that Genera]. Pershing was to make a visit of inspection the following day to the new United States Army camp in process of construction just outside the city. It was arranged for General Pershing and General Sibert to lunch with me on board the flagship Seattle, and I invited a number of American and French officers to meet him. Major Frederick Palmer, at that time at- tached to Pershing's Staff, suggested that a number of French newspaper correspondents be asked to come on board after the luncheon for the purpose of interviews and taking photographs. The cabins of the Seattle were filled to overflowing and every one was in the best of humor. I remember what a fine impression the American Commander-in-Chief made upon every one. He was accompanied by his per- sonal aides and by General Peltier of the French Army, who had lost his arm at the Mame and had been detailed to Pershing's Staff by the French Government. After luncheon the newspaper men, about thirty, came into the cabin where I received them and presented them to Pershing in a brief speech in which I spoke of the services of the French Fleet in the Chesapeake which made possible Washington's victory at Yorktown in 1781. In acknowledging this essential aid rendered by France 50 THE STAY IN FRANCE 51 to us in our struggle for Independence, I said it was par- ticularly gratifying to have the honor of commanding our first troop convoy expedition to French shores. The General also made a few remarks and we both went on deck, where many pictures were taken in a pouring rain. It was at this time that Joseph Dunn, the stem man of the Captain's gig, was washed overboard, and before the boats could get to him he was swept away and under by the swift current. This was the first death in the Force. A few days later his body was recovered and shipped to the United States in the U*. S. S. Cyclops, the ship which later in the war so mysteriously disappeared.^ We had another man-overboard-episode while in St. Nazaire which ended more happily. One evening, while the returning sailors of one of our liberty parties were embarking in the Seattle's boats at the dock, one of the , party reported seeing a man overboard and going down. He jumped in and dove several times but could not find anything but a neckerchief. When the party was mus- tered in, our sail-maker's mate, old Ben Amble, was the only one reported missing and as the name on the neck- erchief appeared to be his, he was supposed to have been drowned. »P. S. 8. CYCLOPS, Mystery Ship. The 19,000-ton naval collier Cyclops disappeared at sea mysteriously, having been last heard from on the 4th day of March, 1918. She vras il large and most valuable vessel carrying a crevr of 293 officers and men. Quite some time afterward a bottle floated ashore at Baltimore containing a note signed by "John Bammond" of Chicago which said : ' "Our ship, the Cyclops, has been captured by an enemy submarine." There was, however, no man of the crew by the name of Rammond and the Navy Department attached no truth to this note found in such an unlikely locality. Enemy submarines had been frequently reported operating In the West In ' ^ T ^ FRENCH SHIPS |IL^^^^22^ 4-7.000 MEN - 2^ ITAUAN SHIPS 6SaoOMEN-3^ AMERICAN jgHtPS ^27;oaoMett - ^^ BRITISH SHIPS AUBBICAN TBOOPS CABBIED BY SHIPS OP BIACH NATION 7 day intervals and fast troop transport convoys (15i/^ knots and above) at 5 day intervals. On November 11, 1918, the Armistice was signed and the war activities of the Force were ended. Up to the signing of the Armistice a total of 2,079,880 of the A. E. F. had been transported in 1142 troopship sailings. This number was carried as foUftws: 92 history: of. transport service 0/ totail Total carried ■ By U. S. Navy Transports 911,047 43.75 By British Ships 1,006,987 48.25 By British leased Italian Ships 68,246 3 . 00 By other U. S. Ships 41,534 2.60 By other foreign ships, French, Italian, etc 52,066 2.50 Note : Total carried in United States ships was 952,- 581 ; percentage of grand total, 46.25. EETUENING THE AEMY With, the signing of the Armistice the Eastward flow of troops ceased and the return movement began, at first slowly. Transports continued sailing on a slow schedule without escort and not in convoy. Advantage was taken of this comparatively inactive period to give certain ves- sels, including the Leviathan, a much needed overhaul, ^ Soon the public began to demjind the speedy return" of the overseas Army so that the civilian army could be demobilized. As was to be expected, the British and other foreign ships which had carried a little more thaii^ half of our soldiers to France were rapidly withdrawn' from this service and most of the work of repatriating this Army of two million fell to the lot of the Cruiset and Transport Force. When submarine activities ceased, relieving the necea- sity of numerous anti-submarine precautionary measures incompatible with, crowding beyond certain limits, it wa^ possible to increase the troop carrying capacity of ves^ sels in use at that time. The following are example of this work, which was at once proceeded with in all vessels ': BEAR ADMIRAL HILARY I". JONES, V. S, N. COMMANDER OF NEWPORT NEWS DIVISION OF CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE REAR ADMIRAL MARBURY JOHNSTON, U. S. N. COMMANDER OF SQUADRON TWO OF CRUISER FORCE TRAN'SI'OKT HOCKINT. AT IIOTtOKF.X. SOI DTKIIS (illKFTTNC IKIKVDS ASIfOKE L. S. (KUlSlllt "cirARITlSTON" ARRlvIXfi AT IIOBOKEN WITJI UETUHN TROOPS RETURNING THE ARMY 98 Leviathan Increased from 10,000 to 12,000 Agamemnon " " 3,000 to 5,500 America " " 4,900 to 7,000 Geo. Washington " " 5,600 to 6,700 Orizaba " " 3,100 to 3,900 Siboney " " 3,100 to 3,900 This work was carried on as opportunity offered and mthout delays to- the movements of the vessels con- cerned. The work was laid out by a joint Army-Navy Board and involved the installation of standees, increase of ventilation, washroom and galley facilities, and life saving equipment. The increased capacity resulted in a very material 'saving. The troops were necessarily crowded and deck spaces for airing and exercising troopa limited, but in no case was this overdone and no justi- fied or serious complaint was received. The force continued to expand and 56 cargo vessels were converted by the Army into troop transports and added to the Force. The majority of the officers on these converted vessels were enrolled in the Naval Eeserve and continued in their same position when the ships were commissioned. On a few of the larger vessels it was con- sidered advisable in the interests of efficient organization and administration to place regular officers in command until the Eeserve Officers had been indoctrinated with the methods of the Navy and of the Transport Force. These reserve officers quickly absorbed the spirit of the Navy and. the mission they had to accomplish, and are deserving of the highest praise for their excellent work and devotion to duty. In December the battleships of Force Two and the armored cruisers were assigned for the transportation of troops. The battleships carried an average of 1,100 tropps, and the armored cruisers about 1,750. The for- mer operated on a forty-day round trip schedule and the armored cruisers on a thirty-day schedule. When 94 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE the fleet was reorganized in the Summer of 1919 orders were received to withdraw battleships and cruisers from troop transportation service. On April 19, 1919, the Kaiserm Auguste Victoria, the first of the nine German vessels allocated by the Peace Conference to help return the TJ. S. Army, arrived in New York for conversion into a troop transport. These vessels were converted by the Navy on an average of less than 14 days per ship and at a cost per troop of about $40.00 for material, labor and overhead charges. Under the Army the average time in port of the cargo vessels was 75 days and the cost per troop for conver- sion was about $78.00. This comparison is made not as a criticism but to emphasize the obvious lesson the war has taught that naval handling and operation of troop- ships makes for economy and efficiency. The results ob- tained by the, Navy were due to intelligent planning and supervision, born of knowledge of ships and experience gained from previous work of this nature. The trans- portation of troops had developed into a science and methods had been, revolutionized. The German vessels were converted to carry a total of 3,997 officers and 39,132 men. The giant Imperator was fitted out to carry 9,000 troops and 1,400 first class passengers in a period of 10 days. Beginiiing January Ist, the troop movements gradu- ally increased and the number of troops carried by this Force increased from month to month until the maximum was reached in June, when the total of -314,167 were actu- ally landed in the United States. This exceeded the maxi- mum carried overseas by all U. S. and Allied vessels in any one month during the war. When the troop movement reached its highest efficiency, the average cycle of troop transports was 25 days,, and of the con- verted cargo vessels about 35 days. For certain lO-day RETURNING THE ARMY 9S RETURNING THE ARMY »7 RETURNING THE ARMYj 99 periods, the average oyole of the former reached the low level of 21 days, and the latter 29 days. It was antici- pated that the troop transports required approximately a 30-day cycle, and the cargo vessels a 40-day cycle, but the increased efficiency of loading troops in France, and of repair, provisioning and coaling, enabled us to exceed the estimated speed of repatriation of troops. The maximum number of vessels assigned to and op- erated by the Force for the transportation of troops was 142, with facilities for carrying 13,914 officers and 349,770 men. ^ The following table gives the total monthly^arrivals in ■United States ports and number of passengers carried from January to June, 1919 : Vessela Eastbound \Ves&ound Jan 47 97,039 Feb 41 96,368 Mar 67 165,312 Apr 87 243,397 May 108 278,600 June 115 314,167 Of the above westbound passengers New York handled 778,318; Newport News 330,398, and other ports 141,389. Until April, 1919, practically aU activities in home ports were confined to New York and Newport News. At this time the Department directed that the District Su- pervisors, Naval Overseas Transportation Service of the 1st, 4th, and 6th Naval Districts, be my representa- tives in Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston respec- tively. These officers performed their functions most efficiently and vessels landing at these ports were pre- pared for sailing with a minimum delay. The following table shows the troop movement activities in the three ports mentioned for April, May and June, 1919: 100 HISTORYt^ OF, TRANSPORT SERVICE Vessels Troops Boston 23 66,091 Philadelphia 20 41,141 Charleston 14 34,167 MATEBIAIj The material conditions of ships in the Cruiser and Transport Force were as a whole on a very high plane, when the very severe operating conditions are consid- ered. The cmisers stood up very well indeed for two years of most exacting duty, and hard steaming. With the exception of the U. S. S. South Dakota, which broke a propeller shaft, all cruisers maintained their schedules throughout the war and while in use as troop transports. These vessels averaged about one month Navy Yard overhaul for the two years. The troop transports were more easily maintained, due to more rugged and simpler machinery installations. During the year ending July 1, 1919, the following tiransports had extended overhaul or repair periods : Aeolus Boiler, engines, auxiliaries. Agamemnon " " " Great Northern Turbines. Harrisburg Gondenser tube sheets — ^boilers. Kroonlqpd Main engines — auxiliaries. Leviathan. .'. Turbines. MaUory Engine foundations. Henderson " ^ " Sierra " " — crank shafting. Powhatan Boilers, en^es, auxiliaries. Pocahontas " " " Von Steuben Boilers. Mount Vernon Repairing torpedo damage. America Sinking at dock. K' der Nederlandeu Boilers, RETURNING THE ARMY 101 The Tenadores was lost by grounding in the fog off St. Nazaire, on Deoemher 30, 1918 ; the Northern Pacific ■went aground near Fire Island Light on January 1, 1919, but was later floated, towed into port and repaired; and on January 11, 1919, the Graf Waldersee was ia col- lision and beached, but was also floated and the com- paratively slight damage done was repaired: no lives were lost in these casualties. Other transports maintained their schedules with very little, if any, delay. Generally speaMng, all vessels decreased the amount of assistance required from out- side sources and the volume of repairs per unit was materially decreased during the year. This was due to improved organization and training of personnel and to a generally improved material condition, as a result of superior methods of maintenance employed in Naval practice. On September 1st, I was relieved as Commander of the Transport Force and having been promoted to the rank of Admiral hoisted my flag in the South Dakota as Commander-in-Chief of the U. S. Asiatic Fleet and sta- tion. Nearly all the troops having been returned, the transport fleet was rapidly demobilized under the direc- tion of my successor, Bear Admiral C. B. Morgan. During September and October, 42 transports were turned over to the Shipping Board for further transfer to owners, whUe 15 were turned over direct to the Army Transport Service. On October 31, 1919, only 3 vessels, the George Washington, Martha Washington, and Po- cahontas, were retained under Naval operation; these were transferred to the supervision of the Commandant of the 3rd Naval District and the Transport Force was finally demobilized and disbanded. While this is true of the ships, there is stiU a link which binds the personnel. 102 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Shortly after the Armistice, Commander Eobert Hen- derson suggested that the spirit of comradeship and service developed during the war be perpetuated by a "War Society of the Cruiser and Transport Force." This suggestion was received with enthusiasm. The So-^ ciety was formed and a constitution with by-laws was drawn and approved. In due time Lieutenant De C. Fales was directed to incorporate the Society under the laws of the State of New York; Ensign E. B. Lanier was elected Treasurer, and Lieutenant Clifford N. Carver, Secretary. These officers, all of whom performed ex- cellent war service in the force under my comcmand, have ably managed the affairs of the Society. It has expanded rapidly and is fast establishing itself as one of our national institutions. The following tables wiU be found in the Appendix: Table A Organization of Cruiser and Transport Force July 1, 1918. Table B Report by months of Transport and Escort Duty performed by United States and Foreign Navies up to signiag of Armistice. Table C Report by months of transport duty performed by U. S. Navy and all other ships, United States and foreign, in returning troops and other passengers to United States prior to signing of Armistice. Table D Report by months of transport duty performed by U. S. Navy and all other ships. United States and foreign, in returning troops and other passengers to United States since signing of Armistice. Table E Complete list of all U. S. Naval Transports and U. S. Battle- ships and Cruisers engaged in transporting troops to and from France between the dates of June 14, 1917, and October 1, 1919, which were operated under the Conuiiand of the Com- mander of the Cruiser and Transport Force. Table P Sick and wounded returned by the Cruiser and Transport Force. Table G Record of ten leading troop carrying ships, v CHAPTEE Vn SINKING OF ANTILLES—FINLAND TORPEDOED LOSS OP THE Antilles The Antilles arrived in Brest, France, from New York, on October 7, 1917, with approximately 1,100 troops and officers. On October 15th she sailed for the United States in convoy with the U. S. Naval Transport Henderson, and the Army Cargo Transport Willehad, escorted by the TJ. S. S. Alcedoi U. S. S. Corsair, and U. S. S. Kwnmnha. The Antilles was an Army transport manned by mer- chant officers and crew, and-carrying an additional detail from the Navy of two officers, two gun crews, qnarter- masters, signalmen and wireless operators. The senior Naval officer was Lieutenant Commander D. T. Grhent, U. S. Navy. On the second night out of Brest the weather was intermittently squally ^nd foggy, with a fresh easterly breeze and rough sea. During the evening the increasing sea forced the Kanawha to change course and leave the convoy. Early in the morning of the 17th the fog had cleared, permitting a view all around the horizon. At 6:48 A. M., T^hile in Latitude 48° 10' North, Longi- tude 11° 20' "West, the quartermaster of the watch sighted a tprpedo headed for the ship from two points abaft the port beam and about 400 yards distant. The torpedo was sighted almost simultaneously by the officer of the ■watch and the signalman. The rudder was immediately 103 104 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE put over to turn the ship to starboard in order to parallel the course of the torpedo and reduce the target area presented by the full length of tbe ship. There was not sufficient time, however, and within half a minute after it was sighted the torpedo struck the port side of the ship and exploded in the after part of the engine room. The effect, of the explosion was terrific; the ship shivered from stem to stern, and almost immediately took a heavy list to port. One of the lookouts in the main top, although behind a canvas screen reaching to his shoulders, was whipped out of the top, thrown to the deck and instantly kiUed. The guns were manned at once by their crews, who searched the surface of the water for a glimpse of the submarine, but not even a periscope was sighted, nor was anything ever seen of the submarine. The explosion of the torpedo completely disabled the engines and wrecked the engine room, which was flooded almost instantly, and within a few moments the fire room and a cargo hold just abaft the engine room were also flooded. . The ice machine in the engine room was wrecked and the escaping fumes of ammonia overcame the engineers who had not been killed outright by the explosion or thrown into the moving machinery.; Of the engine room crew, only one man escaped; he was an oiler who hap- pened to be on an upper grating at the time and suc- ceeded in climbing up the hatch. All of the fire room crew were killed except two men who climbed to the deck through a fire room ventilator. Lieutenant Commander Ghent, seeing that there was no chance for the ship to remain afloat, gave the order to abandon ship shortly after the torpedo struck. Navy radio electrician C L. Ausbume went to his station in the wireless room, relieving the operator on SINKING OF ANTILLES 105 watch, and commenced sending out the call for help and the ship's latitude and longitude. Ausbume remained at his station, goiag down with the ship, and in report- ing his act to the Navy Department, I wrote as follows : "At the time the Antilles was torpedoed, Ans-, bume went to Ms emergency station at the radio key in the Wireless Eoom. It was his duty to send the *SOS' distress signal and he evidently sacrificed his life in persistent endeavor to accomplish this duty. For this service, in which he distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, I recommend that a posthumous Medal of Honor be awarded and sent to hisi next of kiu." The boat falls were manned without confusion, "and the boats lowered with considerable difficulty. The ship listed to port and began to settle by the stem, making it impossible to lower two of the boats into the water. One of them had been destroyed by the explosion and the boat davit of another had been damaged so that the boat could not be swung out over the water. The heavy seas swamped two boats alongside and only four of them got dear of the ship. Life rafts were launched and the men who could not go in the boats jumped into the sea with their life belts on and swam to the rafts. The tem- perature of the water was 53° F. The ship was seen to be sinking rapidly, and the for- ward gun crews, who were stiU standing by their guns under command of Lt. (j.g.) R. D. Tisdale, U. S. Navy, were ordered to leave their guns and get clear of the ship. The after guns at this time were submerged. Ghent, engaged in seeing all hands clear of the ship, was walking aft to order some men in the water along- side to swim away to escape the suction when he him- 106 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Belf was picked up by a heavy sea breaking over the deck and washed overboard into a tangle of floating wreckage, At this moment the bow of the ship rose vertically in the air and she began to slip rapidly, stem first, into the sea. The smokestack was just above Ghent's head and about to carry him under when the explosion of the boil- ers produced an upheaval of water which washed the life raft to which he was clinging a few feet clear of the stack. The ship disappeared into the sea only six and one- half minutes after she had been torpedoed. Sixteen en- listed men of the. Army, returning to the United States, four of the Navy, forty-five of the merchant crew, one civilian ambulance driver and one colored stevedore, were lost, making a total of sixty-seven out of 234 per- sons on board. Most of these casualties were probably victims of the e35)losion. When the Antilles was torpedoed the Henderson and Willehad turned to starboard and port respectively, and proceeded at full speed. The yachts Alcedo and Corsair returned to the Antilles and circled about her on look- out for the submarine, one vessel patrolling while the other rescued the survivors. The ship was abandoned in excellent order and with- out undue excitement. The saving of 71 per cent of those on board in the rough sea that was running, while the ship went down in the unusually shoW time of six and one-half minutes, was a creditable performance. The gun crews, in particular, displayed coolness and daring, remg,ining quietly at their guns and searching for the submarine while the ship was sinking, hoping that they might get in one shot at least. Later, one of the gun crew, unable to find a raft, swam to a large ammunition chest which was floating SINKING OF ANTILLES 107 about upright and perching himself upon it, cahnly waited to be picked up. When the Corsair bore down directly for him he signaled to her in semaphore — ^"Keep dear, thisi box contains live ammunition!" The following is excerpted from a letter written to me by Captain L. W. Steele, Jr., U. S. N., then command- ing the TJ. S. S. Henderson, next ship to the ill-fated Antilles. TJ. S. S. Henderson. October 18, 1917. My deab Admieal, Yesterday we witnessed the sinking of the poor old Antilles, our companion of all three voyages. She was struck at 6:47 A. M. Greenwich Mean Time, and as we were in longitude 11° 22' W., this time was just about sun- rise. "We were in column, this ship leading, followed by Antilles and a freight steamer named Willehad, or some- thing like that. Our escort, the yachts Corsair and Al- cedo, were some distance, 3,000 yards, ahead of the col- umn. We were zigzagging, plan one, and you can sketch the position we were in at 6 :47. Our speed was 10 knots. The sea was a bit choppy, with enough white caps to make discovery of a periscope extremely difficult. I was attracted by the sound of Antilles' s whistle, and looked around and saw the explosion of the torpedo against her port quarter, about opposite the well deck. The water rose as high as the hounds of her mast. This was followed almost immediately by an internal explo- sion aft, and she began to list to port. I remember Ghent 'si telling me that aU her heavy machinery, stores, etc., were on the port side. In the meantime I was busy taking Henderson away from that vicinity. It is not a pleasant feeling, Ad- 108 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE^ miral, to run away from a sHp in such a predioameii|' and it should be strongly emphasized ia orders so thai' a person doing it will not feel such a deserter. But the yachts were already returning. The next glimpse I had of Antilles she had turned'; head on to our position, and all her boats seemed to be lowered to the water. And then, in a very short ^TBOlet, I looked again, and there she stood, upright agaiB|^| the red morning sky, looking like some strange monst^f.' She sank vertically and rapidly, but silently, and AtiMles was no more. Fonr, it was, I think, of her boats we coimted,''and the w^ter dotted with heads. The water closed over her at 6:53% — ^it had taken six and one-half minutes! I do not like to picture the awful confusion caused by her standing vertical in the water — ^what crashings there must have been ! "We hope and pray that many of those men were picked up, but there must have been many "casualties. It made many of us very quiet and thought; ful yesterday- — some did not eat a bite aU day after see* ing it. It is practically certain that the sub which sank 'An- tilles fired at Henderson and missed. There was no rear son to pass us by for a smaller ship half as well aimed. Finla/nd toepedoed The Transport Fvnlcmd arrived in France on Oot%y ber. 7th in the same convoy with the ill-fated AntUl^ and sailed again for the United States in the early, morn- ing of October 28th in company with the cargo vessels Buford and City of Savamiah. The escort was made up of the armed yachts Alcedo, Corscdr and Wakiva, and the destroyers Smith, Lamson, Preston and Fluss&r. The speed of the convoy was eleven kuots. Commander S. V. nOWX TIIF OASG-l'T.AXK, TKK LAST "OVEH THK TOi'" hOR TIIESK TKOOPS Till-: KAISKll S COAT. OFFK'IAT, MASCOT OF THE '27tii nnisiox K^iMtei^^ '^r*^'-'.- -•|V^';';f ^-r^a^.r_ .;;^*-::: ^^ i .. 10 GREET THE RETUHX OF GENERAL PERSHIXG REPATRIATED GERMAN PRISONERS ON U. S. S. "princess MATOIKA," commanded by captain H. D. HINCKLEY, U. S. C. T. TBANSPORT "maDAWASKa" ARRIVING WITH TROOPS AT NEWPORT NEWS SOLDIERS ON DECK OF "MADAWASKA THEIR TURN TO GO ASHORE AWAITING FINLAND TORPEDOED 109 Graham, U. S. Navy, was the senior Naval Officer on board the Finland^ At 9 :2? of the same morning of departure, while in Eatitude 46° 49' North, Longitude 6° 21' West, a torpedo fired at the Finkmd was sighted about thirty degrees abaft the starboard beam at a distance of about 200 yards. A few seconds later it struck tbe starboard side under the bridge before the ship could be maneuvered to avoid it. Both the FinXand and the AntiUes were manned by civilian crews, the Naval personnel on board being addi- tional to safe^ard the ship against the enemy and to take charge in emergency. The Finland was carrying home the survivors of the Antilles, and the majority of these merchant sailors were a very low class of foreign- ers of all nationalities, the sweepings of the docks, shipped jnst before sailing from New York for one voy- age only. The terror from which the men of the An- tilles had not yet recovered had been communicated by their stories to the crew of the Finland, which was made up of the same type of men. The result was that when the torpedo struck the ship both the crew of the Finland and the survivors of the Antilles rushed to the boats and began lowering them. Some of the boats were in the water and some were cap- sized before the Naval officers and ship's officers gained control of the situation. At the same time the engine room and fire room crews left their stations and rushed on deck, which was contrary to orders. These men were finally driven be- low with the aid of a revolver and a heavy wooden mallet, arid the engineers' stations were again manned. As the ship began to list heavily to starboard, the other boats were lowered in a more orderly manner, with the passengers and some of the crew in them. 110 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The damage was found to be confined to one of the cargo holds, which was flooded; the engine room and fire room compartments were intact. The list which the iship had taken did not increase, and Graham decided that the ship would remain afloat and that she could be worked under her own steam. A number of men who were drifting about in the boats were taken on board and the remainder left to be picked up by the Wakiva and Alcedo, which were standing by and rescuing men in the water. At 10:45, the Fmland shaped a course for Brest and anchored in the harbor the next momiag. As a result of this experience with the ignorant and unreliable men composing the crew of the Finland, the Court of Inquiry which investigated the circumstan®Bs, recommended that all troop transports be officered and manned entirely by Navy personnel. This reenforced the recommendations I had previously made and was done as rapidly as possible. CHAPTER Vm LOSS OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN— COVINGTON TORPEDOED AND SUNK THE LOSS OF THE President LmcoUt On the 29th <^ May, 1918, a convoy consisting of the Troopships Rijndam, President Lincoln, Susquehamma and Antigone, escorted by destroyers, sailed from Brest, France, on the return voyage to America. At about sundown the next day, having almost passed through the so-called danger zone of supposed greatest submarine activity which would be completely cleared by the next morning, the destroyer escort left the convoy to make rendezvous with and act as escort for another convoy carrying troops eastward bound. It was our policy always to provide maximum escort strength for ships loaded with troops. The homeward bound ships had to run chances when the exigencies of war required that chances be taken. At this time the German submarine U-90, Captain Eemy in command, was on her cruising station about 300 mUes to the westward of the French Coast. She was making five knots on the surface, when, about one hour after midnight, her lookout sighted in the moonlight a convoy, distant about 2,000 yards. Captain Eemy, at a safe distance, trailed this convoy, which included the President Lincoln, and finding that he had superior speed, he made a wide detour on the surface in the hope of getting ahead in position to attack the next morning. Ill 112 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE In this lie was successful, and being in a favorable position, he submerged before the convoy was near enough to sight the smaller submarine. Eemy singled out the President Lmcoln for attack as she was the largest in the group. The submarine approached from the port bow, intending to close just ahead of the left- hand ship, the Rijndaim, her quarry being the second ship, while the Awtiffone and 8usquehJ " . S. S. GEOnr.E WASTTTNGTOX CARRVIXC. THE PRFSIDESTTAT, PARTY TO FRANCE. PHOTO FRO>t OXE OF THE ESCOHTIXG DESTROYERS, SHOWIXC AFRO ESCORT AX1> PHESTllEXTl AI, FI Ar. AT ]\rAST-IIEAn COVINGTON TORPEDOED 125 The Covington, Captain E. D. Hasbrouck, U. S. Naivy, in command, had sailed from France on June 30, 1918, in a convoy of eight transports, including the Lenape, Bijndam, George Washington, Be Kaih, Wilhelmina, Princess Matoika, Covington and Dcmte Alighieri. Captain E. T. Pollock, U. S. N., commanding the George Wctshington, was the Group Commander, and on tilie- evening of July 1st the convoy was proceeding in two lines under escort of seven destroyers, speed 15 knots, all ships zigzagging in two lines as shown by the accompanying sketch. At about 9 :15 P. M. lookouts on board the Covmgton sighted the wake of a torpedo heading for the ship, 200 yards on the port beam. The Executive Officer, Lieuten- ant Commander Marshall Collins, U. S, N., was on the port wing and gave the rudder order, "Hard right." About ten seconds later the torpedo hit at the forward engine room bulkhead on the port side, well below the water line, throwing a mass of water and debris high in the air. Shortly after the torpedo hit, gun No. 6, on the port quarter, opened fire on what appeared to be a peri- scope wake. The mortally wounded ship took a quick list to port of about 20 degrees ; then, as the water found its way across the ship, swung back to a five degree list. The main engines were at once put out of commission. Lieu- tenant B. C. Edwards, U. S. N. E. F., Chief Engineer, soon reported to the Captain, who was standing on the starboard bridge wing at the time of the explosion, that the water in the engine room was at the tops of the main engine cylinders, and in the fire rooms at the tpp of the boilers, thus completely flooding the ship's two largest compartments. . The crew went to collision quarters to save the ship and also made ready to lower the boats in case it became 126 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE necessary to abandon ship. There were no lights show- ing and the emergency lights on the battle circuits were kept out, in order not to show the position of the ship. Although the escorting destroyers had driven off the enemy by a depth bomb barrage, the ship with her motive power gone was in a precarious condition. She was gradually listing to port and giving evidence of loss of R£ta CUMtN/IINQS ^^ WIUIELMINA RIJNDAM ^^ MATOIKE EORO e WA SHriMglON QAMTE AueSHIERI COVINQTOM UTTLE SMITH PORTER COIMNOIR TORPEDOING OF THE COVmOTON stability. There was also a possibility of the submarine firiag another torpedo and quickly sinking the ship be- fore she could be abandoned with a resulting heavy loss of life. The increasing list, moreover, would soon pre- clude lowering the boats. The. Captain decided to insure the safety of the crew and to conduct such salvage opera- COVINGTON TORPEDOED 127 tions as might be possible. Under trying conditions tbe entire crew were transferred quickly and sMlfully to the destroyer Smith. The Captain, with volunteer ofBcers and men, re- mained on board to collect the ship 's papers and to insure that none of the ship's confidential matter should be com- promised. This work being completed, they then left the ship ia the last boat. After a careful search by the Smith of aU boats and rafts, that had by this time drifted well to leeward, the Obtain returned to the Covington with an organized salvage party in one of the ship's pulling boats and sent the heavily overloaded Smith to Brest. About 5 :00 A. M. the 2nd of July, the destroyer Read and three tugs arrived on the scene and a little later two more destroyers. About an hour later, the Covington, in tow of the tugs and protected by the destroyers, was headed at a speed of five and one-half knots for Brest, 150 miles away. The ship was listing about 20 degrees to port and this list gradually increased. At noon the list suddenly in- creased about 10 degrees, and by 1 :30 the ship was heel- ing 45 degrees to port and gradually sinking by the stem. Towing lines were then let go. At 2:30 her bow- rose sharply in the air to a vertical position, and two minutes later she slid rapidly below the surface with a loud rush- ing soxmd of escaping air and a great upheaval of the water. Of a total of 780 officers and crew, only six men were lost, less than one per cent. Of the passengers, all were saved. Mr. William H. Fulton, the only civilian on board the ship, addressed the following letter to the (Captain: 128 HISTORY, OF, TRANSPORT SERVICE AMEBICAN BXPEDITIONABY FOBCBS YOITNG MBH-'S CHEISTIAIT ASSOCIATION Headquarters 12 Eue D'Aguesseau, Paris. July 6, 1918. Captain E. Del. Hasbrouck, U. S. Navy. My Dear Captain Hasbrouck: As tbe only civUian on your ship, the Covmgton, when she was torpedoed, may I venture to express to you my profound admiration for the conduct and bearing in the hour of peril of officers and crew from yourself, our Captain, down to the humblest sailor? In the enjoyment of the courtesy you so generously extended to me as Y. M. C. A. secretary, I had, about fifteen minutes before we were struck, completed the rounds of practically the entire ship, chatting with mem- bers of the crew as occasion permitted and observing with the interest of a landsman the appointments and routing of it all. It was shipshape, as you of the Navy would say; every man at his place of duty, the watch all alert, the gun crews prepared for any emergency. When the ship was struck, listed so heavily, shuddered, and to me seemed about to go down, we had the conditions which would have made for panic in any but the most thoroughly disciplined men. But I did not see even the suggestion of panic. Orders were handed down and obeyed almost as though it were one of our "abandon ship" driUg. Conduct in accord with the very finest trar >4itipns of liie Navy was taken for granted. It was not exceptional, it was everywhere. The most vivij pictures of heroism were rapidly im- pressed upon my memory — the gun crews firing away with unerring accuraoy from gun decks that so far aa the COVINGTON TORPEDOED 129 gunners knew might at any second be submerged; groups in the water, crowded on rafts and singing their merry songs, ' ' Keep Your Head Down, Fritz, ' ' and ' ' Hail ! Hail ! the Gang's All Here." Men voluntaxily going back and forth between the destroyer and the ship, as many as three times, to bring their shipmates off, and only in utter exhaustion yielding the oars to other hands! It was nothing short of sublime, yet it all went on as if only a part of the regular routine. Danger was not only not feared, it was disdained. Sad as it is that any of our brave boys should have lost their lives, it is remarkable that there were so few. It was one of those miracles which are performed only through the wisest forethought and the finest discipline. It must afford you the deepest satisfaction, Sir, to reflect that in so signal a way you were not only the rep- resentative of our country but the arm of Him who travels all seas in bringing about His great purpose. For myself I shall always be grateful that it was given to me in a humble sense to represent the nation's civilian population in an hour of strain and peril, and there to see the nation's seamen equal to that hour. Deeply conscious of what we owe to you as an officer of our Navy, and no less appreciative of your uniform kindness to me personally, I am, Eespectf ully yours, (Signed), "Wm. H. Fxtltoh-. A youthful bluejacket of the Rijndam, Coxswain Baumann— one of the type who came in for the war and . got what he came in for— told me the following story of the torpedoing of the President Lincoln and the Covinff' ton. "It was the Rijndcm's first trip across as a transport, and, believe me, all hands were on the job all the way to 130 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE 'France keeping all tlieir eyes on tlie lookout for sub- marines. "But we didn't see any on the first half of the trip,, and after the excitement of getting rid of the soldiers and taking a squint around Brest, we got under way for home expecting a quiet run without any rows. "There were four of us left Brest at 10:00 o'clock on the morning of the 30th of May — ^the Rijndam; the Susquehamma, the Antigone, and the President Lincoln. The convoying destroyers left us that first night and the next morning we formed in line, the Rijndam on the left flank, and then the President Lincoln five hundred yards abeam of us, and then the Sitsquehcmna and the Antigone. "At about 8:30 that morning, haviag just come up on deck with my bucket of water, I heard the cry of 'Submarine!' come from the fo'c's'le. I looked for- ward, and there from right under our bows I saw come streaking the wake of a torpedo. And it was headed for the President Lincoln. ' ' 1 saw it hit her fair — ^right under the bridge. There was a boom, and then a great sheet of water and timbers and parts of the bridge flew up into the air. "Then right up alongside us — too close for our guns — appeared the submarine, a long, green, slimy thing. She submerged -immediately, before any one could have counted five. "Right away the Lincoln started dropping back and, listing to port. "We were aU watching her, of course, but we did not see the wake of the second torpedo. It hit the poor old Lincoln fairly well aft. There was another big boom and another shower of water and splinters and bits of boats — and over and above all flew the body of a sailor high in the air. It's going to be a long time before I can get that thing out of my mind — that tremendous COVINGTON TORPEDOED 131 shower of spray and wreckage and 'way above every- thing that poor smashed kid, his white suit standing out against the blue sky. I used to lay awake at night after I had turned in and wonder how he felt, if he felt any- thing. . . . "But to get back to the Lincoln. After she got the second torpedo, she straightened up a bit, her torn side gaping, her siren moaning, and her guns going full blast. "We kept on. The Susguehamia and the Antigone beat it ofE to starboard at full speed. We felt like it was a dirty trick to leave the old Lincoln to wallow it out alone, but that's the way to play that game. ' ' From aft we watched her. She kept firing constant- ly — ^her guns pointing further and further downward as her bow lifted up. Her stem slowly settled. Boats and life rafts began to put off. "In the distance we saw the last gun spit out what it thought of the Germans. Then the old Lincoln slipped beneath the waves. "We went on. I looked around for my bucket, and it was gone. All of which goes to show you that no matter what happens in a large way in this world, you've got to keep your eye on your personal property or you lose out. "On our next trip, we left Brest at noon on the day before the Fourth of July, with the Covington and a whale of a convoy. The Covington was second ship from us. The George Washington was 500 yards on our port beam, and the Covington was just beyond her. "The destroyers were still with us that evening, and it had begun to get dark. "Suddenly there came a green sky-rocket from one of the ships on our port quarter. Then a moment later there was an awful boom as the Covington got hers. She 132 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE was hit in the port side in the bunkers, and clouds of coal dust and a great mass of coal flew up. "We saw her take a big list to port right away. Her siren began moaning, and she started drifting back. "Then the destroyers got busy, and depth bombs be- gan to boom and shake us. "The convoy broke up and beat it in all directions. For a little while the George Washington blocked off our view of the Covington. Then for a moment we had a final look at her. She had stopped — a poor, wounded, helpless, moaning thing, Ustuig more to port every mo- ment. "We saw a faint light on her, which immediately went out. ' * Then we slid off into the darkness and saw her no more. "It was a funny thiag about those two ships. Each had tied up to No. 2 buoy inside of the breakwater at Brest just before she started on her last trip. And each was on her sixth round trip as a transport. So, on our next trip, the old Rijndam had to draw No. 2 buoy. Nat- urally, we felt that it was aU up, with wreaths on the grave and Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary coming 600 miles to Newark for the funeral, but we could swim; so we didn't care. "But the President Grant's crew did not want to travel with us. They kept sending us signals that we were a jinx, but we didn't mind that. "Well, they went ri^ht along next door to us, and nothing happened. I guess it was because we hadn't made six trips. "Anyway, we didn't sink." CHAPTER IX U-BOATS BRING WAE TO AMERICAN SHORES— fi-^AT DIEGO SUNK BY A MINE U-BOAT CBinSEBS BEINa WAE TO AMEBICAN SHOBES In the Spring qf 1918, as the weather improved, enemy submarines extended their activities further westward and the new type of large U-hoat cruisers began to be heard from, finally carrying the war to our own shores. From this time on the danger zone extended all the way* across the Atlantic. This necessitated some new dispo- sitions, including the provision of destroyer and sub- chaser escort in the West Atlantic, and imposed longer strains and hardships on those engaged in the transport service, but the hope of the enemy that destroyers abroad would be recalled and the movement of troops and sup- plies delayed and thrown into confusion, was not re- alized. "When the much-heralded U-boat cruisers reached our coasts, we were ready for them. The result was that the damage they did was inconsequential, their activities were confined to the less frequented sea areas, while the main lanes of ocean traffic to our principal ports were kept free. Aside from laying a few mine fields along the coast between Eastport and Hatteras, and attacking sev- eral small vessels, their attempt on this side does not ap- pear to have been serious. Not a schedule was broken, nor was the sailing of a troop transport delayed by their appearance. The home guard anti-submarine fleet, including ehas*- 133 184r HISTORY OE TRANSPORT SERVICE ers, patrols, destroyers, submarines and aircraft, pro- tected the Atlantic Seaboard, Even anti-aircraft guns had been mounted on the Palisades of the Hudson to protect New York and Bay points should any sub- marine have brought over seaplanes to be assembled on deck for the purpose of taking flight over New York to drop high explosive bombs. It is true that the enemy destroyed several fishing smacks, some schooners, a few barges and three small steamers, but these losses were insignificant as compared with the German threat that their U-boats were going to blockade our coast. On May 25, 1918, the U-151 suddenly came up out of the deep ten miles off Winter quarter light vessel and sank the American schooner Hadrngton. In June, 1918, the S. S. Carolina, owned by the New York and Porto Eico Line, was sunk off the Carolina coast and the pas- sengers set adrift. This was followed by the sinking of some schooners, the small steamers, Texel and Herbert L. Pratt, and a few barges. Also a U-boat destroyed by shell fire the lightship at Fryingpan Shoals, Cape Hat- teras. On July 21, 1918, a German submarine attacked the tug Perth Amboy and four barges three miles off Or- leans, Mass., at 10 :30 A. M. The tug was burned and the three barges sunk. Several men were wounded but none killed. The attack was witnessed by summer visitors to the Cape and by villagers, gathei;'ed by sounds of the bom- bardment. The following is quoted from th^ New York Times: "No moving picture manager could have staged a. sea battle more effectually for the' summer visitors in this vicinity. Bathers were taking their morning dip and scurried ashore when shells (from the sub- marine) splashed within a few hundred yards of them and niany of the bathers watched the exhibition WAR ON AMERICAN SHORES 135 of German frightfulness from the beach. Automo- bilists stopped their machines on the brow of the sand hills and scores of cottagers did not have to leave their piazzas to see every detail of the fight." Major Clifford L. Harris, conunander of the Cape Cod Battalion of the State Guard, related to the corre- spondent of the Times : "Two shots came upon the beach scattering the crowd. I do not think they were intentionally fired upon the beach but missed their mark or ncochetted from the barges. One shot struck on the shore at Nausett harbor, I am told. The whole affair lasted one hour." It so happened that there was one schooner that never came in contact with or in sight of the U-boats. This was the mystery or "Q" ship, George Whittimore, a four-masted schooner whose innocent appearance cloaked the destruction she carried for U-boats. She had been fitted out by the Navy Department and sent' out in dis- guise to seek the enemy, prepared to greet him with a rain of shell fire from her concealed guns. She worked in cooperation with American submarines and cruised up and down the Jersey Coast for over a month, but met with no success. The enemy mining enterprise was more successful than either gun or torpedo attacks, inasmuch as it re- sulted in the loss of the 8am, Diego, an armored cruiser of 16,000 tons, on the south coast of Long Island. The loss of life fortunately was small. In connection with German submarine operations in the West Atlantic, it is interesting to recall the visit to this country of the ocean-going commercial submarine Deutschlcmd and also that of the man-of-war submarine U-53, made before the War Declaration of the United States. 136 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE OPERATIONS OP U-53 IN WEST ATLABTTIC, OCTOBEE, 1916 On October 7, 1916, the German submarine ^7-55 quietly slipped into the then neutral harbor of Newport, E, L, exchanged official calls, bought the daily papers and departed that same day, strictly in accord with the re- quirements of International Law. The next day, October 8th, the U-boat sank five mer- chant steamers off Nantucket Shoal Light Vessel, namely the West Point, Strathdene, Christicm Kwud^on, Stephcmo and Blommersdyh. The West Pomt was sunk about 2:20 P. M., about forty-five miles off Nantucket Shoal Light Vessel The weather was calm, sea smooth. The crew were given time to take to boats but were not able to save any of their effects. Thirty-three shots were fired into the West Point by the submarine and two time bombs were exploded alongside. According to the statement of the Captain of the West Pomt, these bombs were attached to the boat falls after every one had left the ship and exploded about a half minute after the small collapsible boat from the submarine had shoved off. As the Captain explained it, "They blew a hole in her side large enough to drive a cart through," The Christicm Kimdson was sunk at 10:30 AM. about thirty mUes south southeast of Nantucket Light- ship. One hundred and fifty shells and one torpedo were fired at the Kmtdson before she finally sank. The Kwud- son was built with many small tanks for gasoline and was loaded with gasoline. These sub-divisions will account for the difficulty experienced in sinking her. The submarine commander gave a signed penciled statement to the Captains of both the West Point and Kimdson, stating the time and position of tiie sinking of WAR ON AMERICAN SHORES 137 each sliip and also the nature of the cargo. Both Captains stated that the submarine, with considerable difficulty, towed their boats with all hands in them to within easy visibility of the Nantucket Shoals Light Vessel. The Blommersdyk was sunk at 8 :12 P. M. about two and one-half miles east of Nantucket Lightship. One torpedo was fired by the submarine at 7 :30 P. M. with smaU effect, the Blommersdyk listing only slightly to port. At 8 :00 P. M. the second torpedo was fired and ex- ploded with tremendous force, sending a column of water high above the vessel's masthead. Then the Blommers- dyk began to settle by the stem and at 8 :12 sank, stem first, with bow remaining out of water. The Blommers- dyk was a vessel of about 9,000 tons, loaded with wheat and automobiles and bound from New York for Liver- pool. The Blommersdyk was abandoned by her crew be- fore 6 :00P.M. • The Stephcmo was sunk at 10 :05 P. M. about six to eight miles northeast of Nantucket Lightship. Thirty shells were fired into the Stephano with apparently little effect and then the submarine fired a torpedo which struck about amidships. The ship broke ia two and sank rapidly. All passengers and crew had left the Steplumo before 7 :00 P. M. and before any shots were fired into her. The Stephcmo was a passenger steamer plying be- tween Halifax and New York. American destroyers were dispatdied from Newport to rescue survivors. There were no lives lost and no injuries sustained by any of the passengers or crew of any vessel sunk. THE LOSS OP XHB ARMOBBD CBTHSEB SoM DiegO The San Diego was the only large man-of-war lost by the United States Navy. She was an armored cruiser of 14,000 tons displacement, carrying a crew of 1,169 men, 138 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE nine midshipmen and 49 oflBcers. Her armament con- sisted of four 8-inoh, twelve 6-inch and 22 three-inch guns. On the morning of July 19, 1918, the 8cm Diego^, Gap- tain H. H. Christy in command, was coasting down the Long Island shore making passage from Portsmouth, N. H„ to New York City, from which latter port she was soon to escort a troop convoy. She was so near the approach to New York that the few men who had finished their watch on deck or below were cleaning up and shift- ing into "liberty clothes," preparatory to leaving the ship upon arrival in order to get full benefit of the all too short stay in port. The ship was steaming at 15 knots, zigzagging in a smooth sea under light southerly airs, visibility slk to eight miles, when, at 11:05 A. M., she hit a submerged mine in waters to the northeastward of Fire Island Light Vessel and sank in twenty minutes. The naine exploded well below the water line against the port side at the forward end of the engine room and felt like a dull heavy thud. It lifted the stem slightly and shook the ship fore and aft. Captain Christy, standing on the top of the wheel- house at the time, thought the ship had been torpedoed and immediately sounded to submarine defense quarters and directed the guns to open fire on anything resembling a periscope. Both engines were signaled full speed ahead and the hehn put over in order to point the ship toward the nearest shoal water. Unfortunately, however, the blow was suffered in the vessel's most vital part, and the Senior Engineer Officer, Lieutenant G. J. CoUinsi, reported both engines out of commission and the machinery compartments rap- idly flooding. Headway fell off promptly and this precluded any maneuvering either to combat a submarine or to beach LOSS OF S^N DIEGO 139 the ship, but the Captain still had hopes of remaining afloat. The Executive Oflficer, Lieutenant Commander Ger- ard Bradford, made a tour of inspection through the lower decks, and reported to the Captain that although all hands had gone promptly to their stations and done everything possible to save the ship, still the water was fast getting the better of them. As an instance of thoroughness in the performance of duty, Carpenter David Easdale, in charge of the after repair party, was found by the Executive Officer, shortly before the ship turned oVer, on the berth deck compos- edly engaged in tightening the dogs on a water-tight door leading to a flooded compartment. After a lapse of ten minutes from the time of the explosion the listing of the ship to port began to increase a little more rapidly. Captain Christy, seeing the ship was going to capsize, then gave the order for all hands, except the gun crews, to abandon ship. The gun crews were directed to stand by their guns until they could no longer fire and this order was carried out to the letter. Thirty or forty rounds were fired from the broadside battery at possible periscopes and wakes before the port guns were awash and the starboard guns pointed up into the air by the listing of the ship. The crews were then ordered to take to the water. In the meanwhile the depth charges on the after quar- tet deck had been placed on safety. Later, when the quarter deck was partly submerged. Ensign J. P. HUl- man, the Ordnance Gunner, showed presence of mind by going aft and doubly securing the forks in order to guard against explosions. Had any of these depth charges exploded as the ship sank, many casualties among the crew in the water would undoubtedly have resulted. The evolution of abandoning ship was performed in 140 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE a seamanlike manner. Upon attempting to use the boat cranes it was fouad that the electric current had faile^ due to the flooding of the dynamo compartments.' Be- cause of the rapid listing of the ship and the loss of electrical power the larger boats could not be hoisted out, The life rafts, whale boats and dingles were launehed^||| hand. These, with mess tables, benches, hammocks, and lumber, comprised the floating equipment upon which IMJ crew abandoned ship. The vessel was cleared as if at driH, the men going over the side by divisions. There was a moment (ri| anxiety as the crew in the water scanned the sinking shirf for their Captain. A shout from a raft, "There's the Skipper, I see his bald head," broke the strain and ^'■ cheer went up on all sides for Captain Christy. True" to the tradition of the sea, he was the last man to leave the ship and stayed with her as long as possible. With the eyes of the men in the water watching him, as the vessel slowly turned over to port, Christy first passed down from the bridge to the starboard superstrae- ture deek, then slid down the ship's side to the armor belt, transferred from there to the bilge keel and finally, as the ship's bottom rolled to the surface, he dropped to the docking keel and from there jumped into the water. The Scm Diego floated bottom up for a moment, then slowly sank, disappearing twenty minutes after the iu- itial explosion. From this time on the men took their mishap as an outing; shouts, cheers and laughter filled the air. As no radio report had been sent, the Captain ordered Lieutenant C. J. Bright to proceed in a dingy to the Long Island shore to request assistance. Bright accom- plished his mission and wireless messages for help were broadcasted from shore stations. In tiie meanwhile, boats displayed the national colors, PRESmENT AXD MBS. Wn.SOX AMOXO THE WOFXnEIl ON DECK OF THE "r.EORGE WASIIIXOTOx" KETVHN'IXO FROM FRAXCE 0.8.9. "r.EOnOE W'ASHIXfiTOx" IX HREST HAHBOH THE X'. K.-152 ON" WATCH FOE ALLIED SHIP- PING. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN BY A MEMBEH OF THE GERMAN CREW ON OCTOBER 12, 1918. NOTE THE LOOKOUT ON FOLDING MAST U. S. S. "tICONDEROGA, PHOTOGRAPHED FROM DECK OF U. K. 1.52 PHOTOGRAPHED FROM THE DECK OF THE ENEMY. THE ONLT SURVIVING LIFE BOAT OF THE V. S. S. "tICONDEROOa" ALONGSIDE THE V. K.-152. ITS OCCUPANTS WERE FORCED TO HOLD UP THEIR HANDS AT THE POINT OF REVOLVERS IN THE HANDS OF THE OER.MAN CREW. THE "tICONDEROGa" MAY BE SEEN ON HORIZON' LINK FOUR MINUTES BEFORE SITE SANK U. S. S. "COVDIGTOIf," SrXK BY GER3IAX SFETVI ARIXE, 2 JUI.V 1918 r. S. S. "COTIXGTOX" LISTED 45 DEGREES JUST BEFORE UP-EXDIXG U. S. S. "COVIXGTOX." STEBN JfST GOING UXDER r. s. s. "I'RESinEXT i.iNcnr.x," srxK by (iermax st'BMarixe u-90, 13 MAV, 1(118 TROOPS OX DECK OF "PRESIDENT TJXCOT.X" TX DANGER ZONE nrroHE retnc. torpedoed LOSS OF SAN DIEGO 141 sails were "hoisted to attract attention, and in a short time the steamships Maiden (Captain Brown), Bosswm (Captain Brewer) and 8. P. Jones (Captain Dodge), ig- noring the danger of a lurking U-boat, came to the rescue. By 3 :00 P. M. all survivors were on board and the ships on their way to New York, which port they reached witii- out further difficulty. Incidents occur in. such disasters that oftentimes do not reach the public. Pay Clerk Gagan, Actihg Supply Officer, with his Chief Yeoman, George J. Meyers, took the water, each with a life preserver in one hand and money bags and valuable records in the other. They thus saved $20,350 of paper money and pay receipts amounting to $130,000, besides the payrolls and records. In this connection it is interesting to note the Ameri- can sailor's spirit of fair play with the government they serve. About $27,000 of pay receipts, representing the amoimt paid out in the current month of the disaster, were lost. When the survivors were gathered together they were asked to make a statement to the Captain as to the amount of pay covered by these lost receipts they had drawn atnd to sign duplicate receipts. Of the $27,000 all but $900 was accounted forjby the voluntary state- ments of the men. Since there were six lives lost, it is a fair assumption that these accounted for the $900 and that aU the survivors responded honestly and fairly with- out any man's taking advantage of the lost records to draw more money than was his due. During the night of July 19, the various vessels which had picked up the survivors arrived at the Port of Embarkation, Hoboken, N. J., where the ever-ready women of the Eed Cross met them at the piers and supplied them with comfort kits and hot coffee before they were taken aboard other transports at the docks. The muster that night, verified by another the next 142 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE day, showed a loss of six lives out of a crew of .1,184 ' officers and men. This remarkably small percentage of deaths testifies to the high state of discipline maintained on board. Inasmuch as on the day subsequent to the disaster six German contact mines were located by our mine sweepers in the vicinity of the spot where the San Diego went down, it was concluded that a mine laid by an enemy TJ-boat paused the Scm Diego's loss. CHAPTER X MOUNT VERNON TOKPEDOED The Moimt Vernon was formerly the large German pas- senger steamer KrowprimeSsin CecUe, gross tonnage 19,503. This ship wiU be recalled as the "Gold Ship," which, in the Sfimmer of 1914, just before the outbreak of the war, sailed from the United States for Germany with a large consignment of gold. While at sea she re- ceived notification "of Great Britain's war declaration and, being beset with British cruisers, she turned back, effecting her escape by taking advantage of a fog to slip into the smaU port of Bar Harbor, Maine, where she was interned.. Later she was removed under United States Naval Guard to Boston, and upon our entry into the war was fitted out as an American transport. On the morning of September 5, 1918, the Moimt Vernon, Captain D. E. Dismukes, U. S. Navy, in convoy with the Agamemnon, accompanied by an escort of six (6) destroyers was about 250 miles from the coast of France proceeding homeward-bound from Brest at ^ speed of 18 knots. The weather was fine, the sea smooth and all ships were zigzagging. Suddenly a periscope popped up about 30 degrees on the starboard bow of the Mownt Ver- non, between the two transports, and about 600 yards distant. Seaman E. B.' Briggs, on watch at the Moimt Ver- non's starboard bow gun, inanaediately opened fire. At about the same time Chief Quartermaster A. W. G. Hines sighted from the bridge the wake of a torpedo coming 143 144 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE straight at the ship. The Officer of the Deck, Lieuten- ant George W. MiUiken, U. S. N. E. F., ordered hard right rudder, rang emergency speed, blew the whistle to indicate change of course and sounded the collision call. The vessel had just started to swing when the torpedo struck amidships, exploding with terrific force and throw- ing a huge column of water high "nto the air. For an instant it seemed as though the ship had been lifted out of the water, men at the after guns and depth charge statioils were thrown to the deck, and the shock was so great that one of the five-inch guns, was thrown partly out of its mount. Men below, in the vicinity of the explosion, who were not killed outright, were knocked into temporary unconsciousness. The torpedo hit fairly on a bulkhead separating two boiler rooms, and had blown open a hole 19 feet in diam- eter, large enough for a Fifth Avenue Bus to drive through. This resulted in rapidly flooding the middle portion of the ship from side to side, for a length of 150 feet. She almost instantly settled ten feet in draft due to the 7,000 tons of sea water taken in through the hole, but stopped there, indicating that, the water-tight bulk- heads were holding and leaving a margin of two or three leet before her buoyancy would be lost. The immediate problem was to avoid a second tor- pedo. To do this two things were necessary; first, to keep the enemy below the surface and confuse him by attack with depth bombs and guns ; second, to make more speed than he could make submerged and so prevent his trailing and attacking again after nightfall. The depth charge crew consisting of Gunners Mates Lutomski, Nielsen and Duffy, who had been thrown down by the explosion, jumped to their feet, and under the direction of Lieutenant Myers, U. S. Navy, proceeded to drop a barrage of five charges, which exploded at regular MOUNT VEBNON TORPEDOED 145 intervals about 200- feet apart and 150 feet below the surface of the water. This was a neat piece of work, the evolution being performed exactly m accordance with existing orders. The Gunnery Officer, Lieutenant Commander Doyle, TJ. S. Navy, had devoted much attention in preparing for just such an emergency as this, and it may weU be that the depth bomb launching device, designed and installed by him, together with his weU-drilled crew, saved the ship. At any rate, the effect was to make the submarine realize that the attack was being promptly and effec- tively met, and that bis only chance of safety lay in immediate submergence. THE BELOW DECK HEEOES The next step was to beat the U-boat in the matter of speed, and it would be impossible to give too much credit to the men below, who accomplished this by sticking to their posts in engine and fire rooms. These men were put to a severe test. The terrific explosion was followed by instant darkness. There they were, with certain knowledge that they were far below the water level, enclosed practically in a trap, with only a long, narrow passage leading to the open air above, and the ship in inaminent danger of sinking. The sound of hissing steam gave warning of the added threat of exploding boilers. It is to the everlasting honor of our Navy that not one man wavered in standing by his post of duty. Due to the explosion, one-half of the boilers in the ship were instantly put out of commission, and the feed line in use as well as systems of communications to the engine room and lighting circuits were destroyed. Un- der the direction of the Chief Water Tenders, Firemen 146 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE and Coal Passers coolly and promptly went about their urgent business. By means of holding burning coal in shovels up to the gauges it was discovered that the water in all the boilers had disappeared below the glass, thus indicating that the feed line had been cut. Quick action was' necessary to avoid boilqr explosion. All hands turned to and succeeded in quickly shutting off the dam- aged feed line, starting the emergency feed pumps in the fire rooms, and pumping salt water from the sea into the boilers. The 150 foot amidship flooded section was between the engine room and the forward boilers, and the flanking athwartship water-tight buliiheads held. Fortunately, steam pipes leading from the undamaged boilers through this stretch of water to the engines remained iatact. Lieutenant Commander P. A. Guttormsen, U. S. N. E. P., Chief Engineer, took command in the engine room. Although the main engines were for a while slowed down to the extreme slow speed limit, they were never stopped; within twenty minutes steam pressure was being again built up, and within two hours the ship was making the remarkable speed of fifteen knots, which she maintained back to Brest. In the meanwhile, the electrical gang under the direc- tion of Lieutenant C. A. Kohls, U. S. N., was engaged in running electric feed lines down the fire room hatches, and in less than a half hour this auxiliary lighting system was in operation and an improvised telephone system had been rigged for communication between the engine room and forward fire rooms. Commander Adolphus Staton, U. S. Navy, the Exec- utive Officer, who had built up and perfected the organi- zation, took charge of all dispositions below deck. The repair parties of carpenters and ship fitters under Lieu- tenant Ahnpn, U. S. Navy, the Construction Officer of MOUNT VERNON TORPEDOED 147 the ship, proceeded to reenforce with shores the athwart- ship bulkheads flanking the flooded compartments. While this was going on, Chief Boatswain Louis Placet, U. S. Navy, and his gang were at work on the forecastle getting ready to place the collision mat. AU naval vessels are supplied with what is known as a Collision mat and gear for handling it. This large heavily lined canvas mat is designed and rigged so that it can be hauled down the outside skin, of the ship to any hole which inaj have been made below the water line by collision, shell fire, torpedo, or other cause, thus covering it as you would place a piece of sticking plaster over a cut. In order to pull the collision mat dpwn the side of the ship into position, it is necessary to pass what is called the dip rope over the bow, the bight under the bottom of the ship, leading the ends, one on either side, aft to abreast the location of the damage, so that by hauling on one side the mat attached to the other end of the liae can be puUed down imder the water. Two other lines, a for- ward guy attached to the forward comer of the mat, and the after guy to the after comer, are so led that the mat can be stretched tight and hauled forward or aft into po- sition as may be necessary. After the torpedoing of the Mount Vernon, in passing the dip rope aft, it fouled the starboard anchor. In or- der to clear it, Chief Boatswain Mate Lyons promptly went over the side on a bowline at considerable risk to himself. The presence of mind and cool daring shown by this man is typical of the American sailor, whose collective seamanship has been responsible for saving so many lives in this war. Of course, in the case of such a large hole as the one made in the Mount Vernon, a collision mat would be of no use; but the size of this hole was not known at the time, 148 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE and the Boatswain's gang went ahead to rig their colli- sion mat exactly as if at drill. As has been explained, however, in this case the ship was able to stay afloat and proceed without stopping the hole and pumping out. Under the direction of the Senior Medical Officer, Lieutenant Commander E. E.' Curtis, M. C, U. S. Navy, the 153 wounded soldiers on board, most of them help- less cripples, were stowed in their assigned boats, with life belts on and bedding and blankets furnished, in readiness to abandon ship if this became necessary. The burned and injured men from the fire rooms were re- ceived in the sick bay and given care and attention. So great was the desire of these men to do their utmost that it was necessary for the doctors to hold some of them to keep them from returning to the fire rooms to assist their shipmates. Thirty-five men were killed by the explosion, the bodies being recovered two days later after the ship had been put in drydock at Brest. One man died of bums a few hours after the explosion and another several days later, in the hospital at Brest, making a loss of thirty- seven, all of the Navy, out of a total of 1450 on board, including 350 army passengers, 100 of whom were sick or wounded. Eleven others who were seriously injured reooveredc The Motmt Vernon reached Brest two hours and thirty minutes after midnight September 6th, where she was docked for temporary repairs. On October 28th she arrived in Boston for complete repairs, after which she was restored to service as a "troop carrier, sailing on the 23rd of February. The war nose of the torpedo which did the damage was afterward found in No. 7 fire room and a photograph of it together with one of the holes made by the ex- plosion are shown in the accompanying illustrations. MOUNT VERNON TORPEDOED 149 IjUcky escapes fbom the flooded fiee booms When the Mount Vernon was torpedoed, Charles L. O'Connor, Chief Water Tender, was in No. 8 fire room, one of the compartments flooded. The fexplosion. of the torpedo threw him to the floor plates. He was choked by the gases from the torpedo and almost fatally burned by the flames driven from the furnaces, but had suffi- cient presence of mind to try to shut a water-tight door leading into a large 1,200-ton bunker. The door was damaged, however, and could not be closed. 'Connor was then swept off his feet by the inrushing water, but lu^dly caught hold of the large ventilator leadiag from the fire room up to the open air. Into this ventilator the water lifted bim and his calls for help were heard from above. O'Connor describes his experience as follows: 1 looked about and saw Kinch, Water Tender, stand- ing by No. 17 boiler. I saw him start for the ladder. After that I did not know what became of him. (Kinch was one of those HUed.) I then tried to close bunker door No. 7, but she would not work. Then I heard the speaking tube ring. Just as it rang I saw right between the boilers what looked like a waU of water. It was about seven or eight feet high and cam6 from both sides and gathered in front of No. 18 boiler. The water formed a whirlpool and boxes, shovels and everything were being thrown about. I bumped against two or three bodies in the grip of the whirlpool. I worked myself to the side of the ventilator and poked my head inside. The water was just entering the bottom of the ventilator. I groped around but could get nothing to hold on to. I kicked off my shoes and braced my back. I managed to get up about seven or 150 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE eight feet into the ventilator, above the water. Then I commenced hollering. It was a boilermaker that answered my call and a rope was lowered, but the rope was too short. Another rope was lowered but that too was too short. I waa just about ready to take to the w^ter. All my strength had gone. A rope struck me in the face. I seized it and tied it around my knee. They pulled me up aad brought me to the sick bay. H. S. Smith, Fireman 2nd Class, also had a narrow escape from the flooded fire rooms of the Motmt Vernon. He had just dragged a bucket of coal from a starboard bunker and was standing in front of No. 18 boUer where he had dumped his coal on the floor plates in front of the furnaces. He was not standing far from 'Connor when the torpedo hit and the'iarushing water swept him from the fire room through the very door 'Connor had tried to close, back again into the same starboard bunker from which he had just brought out the bucket of coal. At first Smith thought he had been washed into the ocean, but as he collected his wits he realized he was in a bunker in which there were still bunker lights burning. He also found that he was not alone, there being three other men there with him. They talked over their pre- dicament, noted the rising water, called for help without result and finally, with little hope of saving their lives, decided to shift for themselves. Smith crawled through the athwartship bunker from the starboard to the port side. He vas at the fend of his rope and could go no further to escape the water. He - had about given up, when his eye caught a bunker venr tilator duct. The opening was rectangular and meas- ured only eight inches by fifteen inches. Smith had no idea that he could get his 155 pounds through that hole MOVNT VERNON TORPEDOED 151 but, as he afterwards put it, he stuck his head up into this ventilator to get a few last breaths before being drowned.. As the water rose he jammed his shoulders into the hole and to his surprise the pressure of the compressed air and water forced his body up, and so assisted he succeeded in raising himself about six feet in this ventilator when he was stopped by a bend in the pipe. He then called for help and finally was heard from the upper deck. Chief Engineer Guttormsen called down, «'Who is that?" The reply was, "Smith." The Chief asked, "Are you hurt?" The answer came, "I don't think so." Then Guttormsen said, "Hold on and we will cut you out. ' ' At first a hole was started in the barber shop, but it- was soon found that this was not low enough and the rescue party proceeded to the troop galley on the deck below. Chief Machinist Mate Hudson and Fireman 1st Class Follis, his rescuers, worked in steadily rising water, where they were being struck by heavy debris such as meat blocks. When they began cutting, the water was up to their knees. By means of hand chisels the German steel was cut through, but before the work was completed the water had risen shoulder high and the ship had begun to list to port. Every time she rolled Smith was cov- ered with water. Finally, almost unconscious, his shoul- ders and hipsi badly skinned, he was pulled out. Had the rescue been delayed. Smith would have been drowned. The place where he was stuck in the ventilator was completely under water when the ship took her final position. , "Hard Luck Smith," as he was called, enlisted on board the Scm Diego, and on his first voyage that vessel was sunk by a mine off Fire Island Light Ship. His second voyage wasi the one of the ventilator episode on 152 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE board tlie Moimt Vernon. Smith modestly recoimts his experience as follows : I was standing ia front of No. 18 boiler, close to the ' aUeyway, when I heard a gun fired. Expecting more, I braced myself. Then the torpedo hit. Fire from the high doors of the boilers behind me burned my shirt. The next JJiing I knew I was being spun around and around in a whirlpool which the water had formed. I remember being carried up and then down again. The next thing I knew I was going down and under. I was washed through a hole and it seemed that I came out in the broad daylight. I thought I had been washed into the ocean. I looked all around and decided to take my shoes off; I then realized that I was in a bunker. The lights were still burning in this bunker. At that time the water was about a couple of feet between the upper floor plates and the deck. I reached for the plates on the ceiling and in a few minutes swung myself up. A little while later I met two other fellows. We sat there for a while and gathered strength. An- other feUow came up named Crabtree. We all began to talk it over and see what to do. After a while we all stopped talking and did some rapid thinking. I noticed the water was filling the bunker. I reached the ventilator and got stuck up to the waist. The water pushed me up into the ventilator more. The water was rushing up and down and went over me about six or eight times. I had to hold my breath each time. I started to holler, and I think it was about twenty minutes when somebody set to work to get me out. They started at the barber shop. Then they went to the troop's galley and started to cut me out. Later I was taken out of the yentilator and to the sick bay. MOUNT VERNON TORPEDOED 153 Patrick F. Fitzgerald, Fireman 1st CIelss, was anotlier man who succeeded in getting out of the fire room oppo- site where the torpedo hit. The explosion threw h\m down on the floor plates with his feet extending into the ash pans of a boiler. The cold water revived him and in the dark he managed to get hold of a ladder. In passing along a grating he stumbled over the unconscious form of L. Vallin. Fitzgerald kicked VaUin several times, re- -viving him and finally succeeded iu leading him to safety. CHAPTER XI THE WORK OP THE CRUISERS "Of seOrcaptams, yowng cmd old, andt the Mates — mid of all intrepid, sailors; of the few, very choice, taciturn, whom Fate cannot surprise nor death dismay!" Op these I write. These of the deep sea escort of the Jarge convoys, who checkmated the German raiders and prevented surface attacks with guns by the big U-boat cruisers. Theirs was the constant and unceasing toil, in summer and winter. "Down the wet sea lanes, across the grey ridges all crisped and curled," as Kipling puts it. Seven, days of rest in port, then out again, mothering liners and pot-bellied merchant ships loaded with their invaluable cargo. The hard part of it was that they rarely sighted land on the other side but met the escort- ing destroyers far out from shore, when they had to turn around to buck the heavy NorVesters and so for homfe again, only to coal, have a little run on the Avenue per- haps, a look at the movies, then back again with another convoy. Pour of the armored cruisers were sent to Halifax to convoy the Canadian and English ships and these had the worst of it, for the Winter of 1917-18 was one of the severest ever experienced in the North Atlantia After driving through a gale in below zero weather these ships often became so covered with ice that they resembled icebergs hewed into the similitude of ships. 154 THE WORK OF THE CRUISERS 155 AH of these cruisers, both the heavies and the lights, were very much in my thoughts during that memorable winter. On Christmas I sent out a radio to all the ships under my command, "A Merry Christmas to all, espe- cially for those at sea." One of the Captains told me long afterwards that when he read that radio in the midst of a howling gale he said to the Executive Officer, "We are not forgotten ; post this on all the bulletin boards. I want every man in the ship's company to read it." Not much was heard of our cruisers during the war and yet neither the transports nor the destroyers were more actively engaged. Little attention was paid to those silently moving vessels covered with their confusing coats of camouflage paint, holding to the sea, weather-beaten decks stripped of all unnecessary gear, quietly coming and going, attending to their business of getting on with the war. Generally speaking, the larger and faster cruisers of Squadron One were used to escort troop convoys and the smaller vessels of Squadron Two to escort cargo convoys.^ All the deep sea escort duty for our troop transports was done by the cruisers of Squadron One, except that beginning September 9, 1918, battleships of the Atlantic Fleet were assigned for escort -duty with the troopship and fast merchant convoys. This was to guard against expected raids by enemy battle cruisers. Wben organized in 1917, Squadron Two of the Cruiser Force was placed under the able leadership of Eear Ad- miral Marbury Johnston, During iiie year July, 1917, to July, 1918, the cruisers of Squadron Two were en- gaged in escorting 54 convoys of cargo vessels, totaling approximately 1,073 freight ships. From the beginning of the fiscal year 1918-1919, Squadron Two was engaged in escorting fast merchant 'See Cruiser and Transport Organization Sheet in appendix. 156 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE convoys from tlie Port of New York, and continue^ in the work of escorting medium speed merchant convoys out of New York and Newport News at regular 8-day periods. With the advent of enemy submarines on our coast, the previous exacting duties of the cruisers were ihcreased by the necessity of escorting transports from Newport News to the rendezvous at sea with the New York section of the group. The cruiser was the shepherd, so to speak, of the coDt voy, and the enemy was always watching for one ship to straggle or stray the least bit from the flock, which meant the torpedo and the gun f of- the laggard. Almost invariably, disaster overcame the lone ship. A most striking case in point is that of the Ticondf&roga. (See page 195.) There the cruiser Galveston had a large group / of slow steamers to care for, and in looking out for the many her efforts to save the one were not successful. In addition iff escorting hundreds of thousands of troops and hundreds of cargo vessels, these ciniisers maintained their regular schedules of target practice and drill, preparing for battle and training thousands of men of all ratings for transfer to newly commissioned ships, Not only did the cruisers distinguish themselves by their navigation and seamanship under most difficult con- ditions, special mention should also be made of thei^ noteworthy engineering performances. , ..^ The long voyages nearly across the ocean and retuni;! without a stop were accomplished only by rigid econ- omy in the use of coal and water, and by, keeping boiler)^ engines and machinery in tip-top condition. It was necj' essary to take on board as much coal as could possibly be taken on deck and in the fire rooms in addition to their bunker capacity quantities amounting to about 200 t& 500 tons, varying for different ships, enough to take them 500 to 1,000 miles before starting on their bunker supply. L'. s. s. '"SAX niEr.o," srxK nv okiofax ^nxE SIBMARIXE DIVISIOX EIOITT OPEBATIXO WITH TnAX^SPORT rOnTE IX TBAiEixn cnxvnvs from xeiv vork and xorfoi k V. S. KAVAI. OFFICERS EXAMINING A GERMAN IMINE PICKED VF OFF THE A]\1ERICAN COAST SHELL HITS OX U. S. S. 0-6 IN ONE MINUTE OF FIRING BY THE AMEHICAN STEAMER "mUSKATINE" AT A RANGE OF 4000 YARDS, IN AUGUST, 1918 E-2 MAKING A I'ERISCOPE OBSERVATION AT SLOW SPEED. AVIIITE SPOT IN FRONT OF PERISCOPE IS SEA PLANE RECOGNITION MARK '""^^v;. SEA PLANT. VIEW OF SUBMARINE FIBIXG A TORPEDO MAKING PASSAGE. U. S. SUBMARINE EX ROUTE TO AZORES THE DECK OF A U-BOAT SEA PLAXE VIEM' OF SUBMARINE ON THE SURFACE FORECASTLE OF A U-BOAT THE U-111 AT 17 KNOTS, WITH AN AMERICAN CREW ABOARD. THE TYPE OF GERMAN SUBMARINE WHICH OPERATED ON THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD SUHVn'ORS FROM A TORPEDOEn VFaSEI, AFT.OAT IX AX OPEX BOAT WITJrorT FOOD OR WATER. PTrOTOOHAPITF.n BEFORE RESCT^E FROM A SEA PI, AXE THE E-2 TR All.IXr. THE SCHOOXER "lIEI A'ETI a" IX AX EFFORT TO ^CEET THE EXEMV (a ItEt'OV ship) THE WORK OF THE CRUISERS 157 JBven then, during the turbulent winter months, there ■were many times of great anxiety before the ships got iu. The Seattle had to put into Halifax on one occasion ia a fierce gale with only 150 tons ; but the St. Louis, per- haps, had the dosest caU of all when she arrived at Hampton Roads with only 10 tons in her bunkers. Continuous cruising required that tiie work of over- haul and repair to machinery and boilers be done al- most entirely by the ships' crews. Where all did so well, it is perhaps hardly fair to mention one, but the Htmting- t(m may be cited, as an example. From May 13, 1917, to December 29, 1918, she steamed 71,391 miles; the total number of hours under way was 6,455 ; 44,459 tons of coal were consximed; and during this entire period of war service no work was done to the machinery in the Engineer Department by outside service. That was a most creditable record in upkeep and performance. Our cruisers were also assigned to patrol duty and sent on various special missions. They were always on the alert to answer a call for assistance whether ashore or afloat, and at the time of the Halifax disaster our ships were amongst the first to the rescue. Rochester action against u-boat The cruisers were the ocean escort and as has been pointed out their chief duty was to shepherd their con- voys, guard them against raider attack, and against gun attack by U-boat cruisers on the surface. Their deep draught and size made cruisers a good target for enemy torpedoes and it was a risky business for them to attempt the tactics used by light draught, quick-turning destroy- ers. The absence of the latter, however, sometimes re- quired that the cruisers take the risk in order to guard 8low moving freight ships. As an instance may be dted 158 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE the useful service of the Rochester when her cargo con- voy was attacked during the night of June 25, 1918. In the evening of June 25, 1918, cargo convoy H, H. 58, consisting of 13 ships — speed 8i^ knots, disposed in two lines of six each, with the 13th ship in rear of the center — ^was proceeding Eastward on a zigzag course ia Lat/55° 40' N., Long. 13° 05' W., about 250 miles from Marlin Head, under escort of the IT. S. Cruiser Rochester. (Formerly the old New York of the so-called Flying Squadron of Spanish War days.) The Rochester, Captain A. W. Hinds in command, was in station 1,000 yards ahead of the convoy. The sea was smooth, with a light breeze from SB by E. The moon was practically full. The combination of bright moonlight and twilight made excellent visibility condi- tions for submarine attack and the enemy was further favored by the slow speed of the convoy. The destroyer escort had not yet joined up. At 9.42 P. M. the Atkmtimi the "Van" ship on the right flank, suddenly opened fire, and at the same time a column of water shot up along her starboard side, fol- lowed by the dull report from the exploded torpedo. Captain Hinds at once ordered full right rudder, sounded to torpedo defense quarters, rang up full speed and headed toward the submarine. In that latitude the four-hour night combined with the bright moon and long twilight made it imperative to attack and drive the sub- marine down or ship after ship might have been picked off at the enemy's convenience. The Navigator, Lieutenant Commander Jules James, U. S. K, took his battle station in the forward Crow's Nest to con the ship for ramming and dropping depth bombs. As the Rochester turned, Liser, a seaman look- out in the Crow's Nest, sighted the submarine close to the Atlanti'cm and 30° on the Rochester's starboard bow. Hq THE WORK OF THE CRUISERS 159 promptly pointed it out to James, who at onoe gave order througli the voice tube to the hehnsman, "Full right rud- der, swing 30 degrees!" As the ship was swinging the submarine submerged and fired a torpedo at the Roches- ter, then distant about 500 yards. The wake of the tor- pedo was sighted on the bridge and Captain Hinds re- versed the starboard engine to full speed astern, thus hastening the turning of the ship, with the result that the torpedo missed, passing about 30 yards ahead. In the meanwhile the Atlanticm was slowly sinking and her crew was abandoning ship, although her gun crews continued to fire occasional shots. At 10 :00 she was struck by a second torpedo and sank five minutes later. The Rochester then interposed between the subma- rine and the convoy and steered zig-zag courses at full speed. She also signaled to Atlanticm boats by blinker light that arrangements would be made to rescue sur- vivors. At 1:20 a British destroyer was sighted and having been signaled the position of the Atlcmticm boats, she proceeded to their assistance. Lieutenant Conomander C S. Graves, U. S. N., Execu- tive OflBcer of the Rochester, reported that at 11 :12 P. M. a muffled explosion was heard, and at 11 :17 a fire was observed on one of the ships of the convoy which burned brightly for about ten minutes, when it was extinguished. At this time it was dark and as the convoy was in some confusion Graves could not, make out on which ship this fire occurred. During the time that the submarine was delayed by the action of the Rochester, the convoy was able to get such a lead that it was not until daylight, when the de- stroyer escort was in sight, that the submarine succeeded in again overhauling the convoy. At morning twUight, a torpedo was fired presumably by the same submarine, 160 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE at the War Cypress, the rear ship on the left flank, but it missed. The Rochester, which had resumed statian at the head of the colmnn, again turned toward the en- emy, which was sighted porpoising, or awash, but before the Rochester could clear the convoy to begin firing, the submarine submerged. Zigzag course at full speed was taken up to cover the rear and left flank of the convoy. A few minutes later, 1 :45 A. M., a second English de- stroyer joined as part of the Eastern escort, which was reenforced to six destroyers by 3:00 A. M., when the Rochester parted company with the convoy and set course for Boston, CHAPTER Xn CONTACTS OF TRANSPORTS AND CRUISERS WITH ENEMY. SUBMARINES ENGAGEMENT OP PoCohowtCbS WITH ^ STJBMABINE Pbioe to May, 1918, except for a few isolated cases, en- emy U-boats confined their operations to sea areas east of the Azores. The destroyer escorts, therefore, were in the habit of rendezvousing with troop laden con- voys in the neighborhood of Longitude twenty degrees West; about here they also left the homeward bound transports to make the best of their way unescorted from thence Westward. During the first year of the war, cruising in waters to the Westward of the Azores was comparatively uneventful, although after the demonstra- tion of the TJ-53, attacks had to be looked upon as pos- sible at any time or place in the Atlantic. In the Spring of 1918, however, contacts began to be made further West. Among the first of these was an engagement between the TJ. S. Troop Transport Pocch hontchs and a U-boat cruiser which in all probability was one of the first headed for our Eastern seaboard. In the forenoon of May 2, 1918, the Pocahontas, Cap- tain E. C. Kalbfus, U. S." N., commanding, was proceed- ing Westward unaccompanied. The weather was fair and the sea smooth except for white caps. At 10:20 A. M., when about 1,000 miles west of Brest, a large U-boat cruiser came to the surface astern, evidently hav- ing failed in an attempt to attack submerged with tor- pedoes. At a range of about 7,000 yards she lay to across 161 162 HISTORY OF. TRANSPORT SERVICE the transport's wake and immediately opened fire with two high power guns. The transport returned the fire with her battery, which unfortunately consisted of old type guns com- pletely outranged by those of the enemy. Even at ex- treme elevation, the American gunners saw with chagrin and disgust that their shells fell short, so the Captain ordered full speed ahead and steered zigzag courses. The engine room responded in fine shape, and soon the ship's engines were making 80 revolutions, 16.7 knots, the highest speed she had ever attained under German management even when new. The surface speed of the enemy U-boat was estimated as 15 knots. In the meanwhile enemy shots were falling all about the transport, exploding on contact with the water and showering fragments on board. Captain Kalbfus re- ported that for 15 minutes the ship was under a heavy fire, high explosive shell falling close aboard, ahead and on both sides. That no direct hits were made seemed incredible as the enemy deliberately lay to and fired both of his guns rapidly and accurately so that fragments were plentiful on the bridge and elsewhere. At 10 :40 fire slackened because of the increase in range, at 11 :20 the last shot was fired, falling far short, and soon after that the submarine disappeared astern. All ships were warned by radio. It so happened that one of the recipients of this message was the U. S. Cruiser Seattle, then not far away and engaged in rescuing a disabled freighter, the K. I. Luck&nhadh. THE KEscuE OF THE K. I. Luckenhoch The Seattle (Captain De Witt Blamer) had turned over her convoy of troop transports to the destroyers at the sea rendezvous in the Bay of Biscay and was headed CONTACTS WITH SUBMARINES 163 Westward, when in the morning of April 27, 1918, she received the following SOS from the U. S. Army- Freighter K. I. Lvchenhach: "Engines completely dis- abled. Must be towed to some port for repairs. Give assistance as soon as possible. Position at 8 A M. Lati- tude 46 degrees 26 minntes North and Longitude 23 de- grees and 57 minutes West." The Luckenhach was a little less than 200 miles away and the Seattle immediately went to her rescue. The approach was made with caution, the Luckenbach's iden- tity being tested by various codes to guard against fall- ing into a submarine trap. At about 4 :00 P. M. she was sighted, but on account of a rough sea and southeasterly gale, she could not be taken in tow until the wind and sea moderated. Early in the morning of April 28th, the tow line was passed and -the Seattle proceeded at a speed of 4 knots to the Westward in order to get out of the submarine zone. At 9:30 that night the ten-inch manilla tow line parted. By daylight aU was in readiness to try again and a fresh start made. Progress was slow, however, and six knots was the maximum speed that could be made. In case of U-boat attack the tow would have been at great disadvantage because of its slow speed and in- ability to maneuver. No destroyers were available for escort. On April 30th, because of shortage of coal, the Seattle had only 1,200 tons on board, course was laid for the Azores. On May 2nd, the following radio message was received from the Pocahontas, a Naval Transport of the same convoy the Seattle had just escorted across : "En- gaged enemy submarine on surface 11 A. M. 2 of May. Latitude 46 degrees 25 minutes North, Longitude 28 de- grees 10 minutes West. Gun range ten thousand yards. No damage." 164 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE At noon, two days before, the Seattle with the Lvxikenir- bach in tow had passed only 42 miles to the Eastward of this position and must have missed contact with the U-boat by a narrow margin. Good luck, however, continued to attend these two vessels and on the 3rd of May the Luckenbaeh having been transferred to two tugs from the Azores, was safely taken to port for repairs, while the Seattle proceeded on her way to the United States. THE Renderson eams a submaeinb On August 13, 1918, the Henderson was cruising off our Atlantic coast when, soon after midnight, the ship passed through a large oU slick which aroused some suspicion, but it was not until the next day that it was learned that this oil came from the tanker FramJo W. Kellogg, which had been torpedoed two hours previ- ously by an enemy U-boat. For some reason the Kellogg failed to send out an SOS. Shortly after the Henderson had passed through this oil at about 1 :40 A. M., August 14, 1918, Private Eoy 0. Hicks, Marine Corps, stationed as a lookout in the fore top, sighted a long dark object on the starboard bow about 500 yards distant and coming straight for the ship. This was at once reported to the bridge by Second Lieutenant E. 0. Bergert, U. S. M. C, the officer in charge of the watch in the foretop. At about the same time, Junior Officer-of-the-Deck En- sign R. McKay Rush also sighted the submarine, and Captain Sayles, who was on the bridge, ordered right rudder, sounded general quarters, and headed for the enemy. The submarine was maneuvering to fire a tor- pedo, but the ship's prompt maneuver frustrated the attack and the U-boat submerged. The swinging of the CONTACTS WITH SUBMARINES 165 ship and the immediate diving of the submarine pre- vented the gxm crews from getting in a shot. It was not definitely known at the time whether or not the U-boat succeeded in getting under fast enough to avoid the Henderson's ram, but when the ship was next docked, it was found that her starboard bilge keel had been partly bent and broken. As there is no other explanation, it is believed that this damage was caused by striking the conning tower of the submarine as she was in the act of submerging. The following excerpts from a subsequent report made by Captain Sayles after the Armistice is an interesting sequel to this attack: CAPTAIN SATLES' EEPOBT From a statement made during a casual con- versation recently held with some French officers in Brest, I learned that when the surrendered sub- marine U-139 arrived in Brest there was a former member of her crew on board, a mechanic and an Alsatian by birth, who, at his own request, had been interned with his ship. This Alsatian had told the French officers with whom I was talking that the U-139 had encountered an American transport off our Atlantic coast, which had attempted to ram her, and had succeeded in breaking off both periscopes, so that for the re- mainder of the cruise the submsirine was unable to attack while submerged. This part of the story I verified by personally inspecting the U-139. Not only are the periscopes broken but the thin metal weather screen on the for- ward side of the conning tower was badly bent aa the result of the collision. 166 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The fonowing facts are also known: Tllat the 11-139 made but one cruise, which was to the Atlan- tic Coast in August and September, 1918; that after August 14, 1918, the V-139 did not make any fur- ther underwater attacks, but was strangely occupied in attacking with guns and bombs.barges, fishing and sailing vessels off Cape Cod; that on her return to Kiel she was laid up for repairs which had not been commenced up to the date of the Armifitice; that the U-139 was the largest of German subma- rines and was commanded on her only voyage by Lieutenant Amauld de la Perriere, one of the most successful and enterprising of U-boat Captains, who, upon his return, was given command of another boat in which he had just arrived off the Azores to com- mence a new cruise when hostilities ceased." There seems to be evidence that the disabling of the 11-139 can be credited to the Henderson and perhaps this can be fully established when Perriere can be interro- gated and access had to the German records. COKTAOTS MADE BY SHIPS OF THE CETJISEB AND TBANSPOBX FOECB WITH ENEMY SUBMAKINES Space does not permit a detailed narrative of all en- counters between submarines and TJ. S. cruisers and transports. The official reports now before me supply convincing evidence of twenty-six contacts between en- emy submarines and the ships in the force under my command during the^ war. In addition to these there are reports of many more possible contacts, in which the evidence was of sufficient importance to induce the commanding officers concerned to ^^ubmit official reports. The cjiaracteristics of the CONTACTS WITH SUBMARINES 167 U-boat, the stealthy approach, the underwater attack and escape by hiding made it difficult at the time to get com- plete data. Doubtless there were many attacks in which torpedoes missed, perhaps by a narrow margin, without periscope or torpedo being seen. On the other hand there were also countless false alarms wherein disturb- ances in the water made by fish, tide rips, floating spars, or other cause, were reported as possible periscopes or torpedo wakes. One Captain remarked that on the first voyage made by his ship, judging from the periscopes sighted by the lopkouts, there must have been a picket fence of submarines stretched across the Atlantic. It would be hard to say what percentage of these pos- sible attacks were bona fide. Perhaps when access is had to the enemy files and all data is carefully collated showing where the various enemy submarines were, at the times of the reported attacks, a fairly accurate esti- mate can be made, but even then there will be no way of verifying the attacks made by the submarines which never returned to port. Notwithstanding the incompleteness of the data now available, the following table is of interest as a conserva- tive indication of the effort of Germany to stop the flow of our troops to France. This table includes only those reported contacts of which there is convincing evidence. Date Reporting Ships Remarks 10:15 P.M. De Kalb Attack defeated by gun fire and June 22, 1917 Havana maneuver. Seattle Wilkes Fanning 1 :30 P.M. Cummings Cununings attacked with depth Jime 26, 1917 Birmingham bombs. Debris indicated that Lenape submarine was damaged. Wadsworth 168 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Date Reporting Ships Remarks 10:00 A.M. Kanawha Torpedo narrowly missed Luck- June 29, 1917 Edward Luckenbach enbach. Attack defeated by gun fire and maneuver. 6:48 A.M. Antilles Antilles sunk. Oct. 17, 1917 Henderson WiDehad Gorsair Alcedo 9:25 A.M. Finland Finland sunk. Oct. 28, 1917 Beauford Gity of Savannah Smith Lamson Preston Flusser Gorsair Wa,lriha, Alcedo 11:45 A.M. MaUory April 4, 1918 Mercury Tenadores Attack defeated by gun fire and maneuver. 11:00 A.M. May 2, 1918 Pocahontas 8:57 A.M. President Lincoln May 31, 1918 Susquehanna Antigone Rijndam 7:16 P.M. GMT Leviathan June 1, 1918 Nicholson 11:28 A.M. June 16, 1918 Princess Matoika Attacked by U-boat cruiser on the surface. No damage. President Lincoln sunk. Submarine sighted on Levia- than's starboard quarter distant about 1,000 yards. Leviathan opened fire and Nicholson saw periscope and dropped depth bomb barrage. Periscope sighted 100 yards on port quarter. Attack frustrated by gun fire and maneuver. Gun- nery Officer reported that the second shot probably hit the periscope. CONTACTS WITH SUBMARINES 169 Date 11:40 A.M. June 18, 1918 Reporting Ships Von Steuben 4:10 P.M. June 18, 1918 9:42 P.M. June 25, 1918 9:15 P.M. July 1, 1918 11:25 A.M. July 19, 1918 1:13 P.M. July 20, 1918 532 P.M. Aug. 13, 1918 TenadoTes Rochester Atlantian Convoy HH 58 Covington Geo. Washington DeKalb Dante Alighieri Rijndam Princess Matoika Little Porter Smith Read San Diego . Kroonland Pastores Remarks Enemy U-boat having sunk the Dwinsk an Army cargo vessel used latter's survivors in boats as a decoy. Fired torpedo at the approaching Von Steuben. At- tack was defeated by gun fire and maneuver. Periscope sighted 1,500 yards distant on port quarter. At- tack frustrated by gun fire and maneuver. 9 :42 P.M. Atlantian began firing to starboard and about the same time was struck by torpedo. Torpedo passed 30 yards ahead of Rochester's bow. Same avoided by maneuver. 10:05 P.M. Atlantian hit by second torpedo and sunk. Covington sunk. San Diego sunk by a mine laid by enemy submarine. Periscope sighted on port quar- ter about 800 yards distant bearing two points forward of port beam. Attack frustrated by gun fire and maneuver. First indication of submarine was a splash about 2,500 yards on the starboard quarter fol- 170 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Date Beporting Ships Remarks lowed by the report of a gun. With glasses a large enemy sub- marine could be seen Ijong awash athwart Pastores' course 6 or 7 miles distant, a little on the starboard quarter and engaged with two guns, appar- ently 6 inch. About fifteen shots were fired, none coming closer than 1,500 yards. Pas- tores fired nine rounds but was outranged, the shots falling 2,000 yards short. Submarine (Usappeared and Pastores con- tinued on course. 1:40 A.M. Aug. 14, 1918 8:30 A.M. Aug. 21, 1918 Henderson Orizaba Siboney 6:52 P.M. Ship's Pastores ' Time Wilhelmina 10:52 GMT Hull Aug. 23, 1918 Henderson attempted to ram submarine and probably dam- aged same. Submarine sighted in act of sub- merging. Orizaba attempted to ram. Also dropped depth bomb. Attack probably frustrated by zigzag. Wilhelmina tried to ram; Pastores fired one shot. Hull dropped depth bombs. Between 22 and North Carolina Gim fire of North Carolina and 23 hours GMT BraziUan S. S. S. Sobrol Sobrol and maneuver frustrated Aug. 26, 1918 De Kalb attack. Group No. 58 12 P.M. GMT U. S. S. Zeelandia Aug. 31, 1918 (about dusk in W. Atlantic) 9:00 P.M. Sept. 1, 1918 7:37 A.M. Sept. 5, 1918 Wilhelmina Pastores Moimt Vernon Agamenmon 6 Destroyers Attack frustrated by Submarine broke surface show- ing conning tower at about 200 yds. just forward of port beam. Torpedo narrowly avoided by maneuver of Wilhelmina. Mount Vernon torpedoed but reached port. CONTACTS WITH SUBMARINES 171 Ddle Reporting Ships 425 P.M. GMT U. S. S. Pastores Sept. 16, 1918 Remarks Submarine sighted on surface about 3 miles distant ahead. Submerged before guns could be fired. Attack evaded by mar neuver. CHAPTER XIII ORIZABA DEPTH BOMB EXPLOSION— CfEE4T NOBTEEBN COLLIDES WITH BRITISH FREIGHTER BBINKBUBN— FIRE ON BOARD THE EENDEBSON Orizaba depth bomb explosion The primary mission of transports was to land safely troops in France, but in so far as was consistent with the sr-(',omplishment of this mission the doctrine of the cruiser and transport force was to attack and destroy enemy submarines whenever circumstances permitted. Of course it was forbidden to run any unnecessary risk with troop laden ships nor was it expedient or wise to maneuver a large vessel up to a waiting submarine where the chances of the ship getting torpedoed were compara- tively grjeat and the chances of harming the submarine comparatively .small; but, notwithstanding, there were occasions, especially after the submarines extended their operations all the way across the Atlantic to our shores, when transports and cruisers were able to use gun, depth bomb, and ram to good purpose, and if in most cases no material damage was inflicted, these attacking tactics at least had a wholesome etfect on enemy morale. A large transport is not as handy, however, in ma- neuvering into position to drop a depth bomb as is a quick turning destroyer, and. to overcome this handicap Captain E. Drace White^ commanding the Orizaba, and his executive officer. Lieutenant Commander W. P. Wil- liamson, devised with most commendable zeal and re- 172 SMOKE SCIIEKX TIIROWX BY DESTROYERS AROl'XD "mOXTNT VERKOX" AKTER BEIXti TOKPEnOED. 5 SEPT. 1018 xo. 2 5" nix ox ■':»rorN'T verxon" ON THE MOFNIX'G OF 5 SEPT. 1918 COMIXO IXTO ACTIO.V war nose of german torpedo found in fire -room of "mount vernon" HOLE IN HULL OF MOUNT VERNON CAUSED BY TORPEDO CREW ON DECK OF "moUXT VI:RXOn" SHORTLY AFTER TORPEDO STRUCK, 5 SEPT. 1918 AnMlBAI. GLEANIS AND HIS FLAG LIEUTENANT LAWSON u. s. s. "von stecben" ADMIRAL GT.EAl'ES AXD STAFF i:. ». S. UI3 ICAl.ll ACCIDENTS ON TROOPSHIPS 173 source a sort of howi^r for firing the bomb at the sub- luarme. A Lyle gun of the type used for throwing a shell with line attached was modified to throw a fifty pound depth charge. Both White and Williamson were Ord- nance experts and they devoted much time and study to the development of this howitzer, which worked satis- factorily on their first test when a 50 pound depth bomb was successfully thrown about 150 feet.. On the next vayage, submarines were reported in their vicinity and preparation was made to use the gun in service, but it was first decided to fire one more test shot, this time with a somewhat more powerful propellant charge. When aU was in readiness for the test Captain White and Williamson stood at the piece as the latter fired the gun. Something went wrong and the bomb was pre- maturely detonated. The explosion at once killed Wil- liamson and three men, S. T. Lambert, oiler, F. T. Mayer, baker 2nd class, and A. K. Baird, seaman, also wounding four other oflBcers and twenty-two men, including Cap- tain White, who fell to the deck with a broken jaw, broken knee and three flesh wounds. In addition to the loss of valuable lives, it seemed particularly hard that a few days after this regrettable accident the Orizaba reported a contact with an enemy submarine under such circumstances that the submarine might have been destroyed had the howitzer been ia ef- fective service. Great Northern coujdes with beitish fkeighteb Brmkburn Throughout the war the necessity of cruising with- out hghts to prevent discovery by enemy vessels intro- 174 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE duced a risk of collision which, caused continual anxiety to those charged with the navigation of our transports, especially when loaded with troops. With these war re- quirements under certain weather conditions the best sea- manship could not always avert collisions. They had to be looked upon as a necessary hazard of war. There were many close shaves but, thanks to skillful ship hajidling, few disasters in the transport force, and even where collisions were inevitable the casualties and damages resulting were not great. In only one case was there loss of life amongst the soldier passengers; this was when the Great Northern collided with the British steamer Brmhhwm. " At midnight October 2 to 3, 1918, the Great Northern, Captaia S. H. E. Doyle, U. S. N., commanding, was east- bound loaded with troops, in company with her sister ship, the Northern Pacific, and the French chartered ves- sel La France, proceeding at 17% knots, nearing the end of her voyage. Rendezvous with the destroyer escort was to be made that morning. The last night on the edge of the war zone, before joining the Eastern escort, was always an anxious one. This particular night was unusually dark, sky overcast and air hazy, conditions handicapping U-boat attack but at the same time increasing navigational anxieties by making junction with the destroyers more difficult and also by increasing the likelihood of collision. In peace time, under conditions of low visibility, ships in formation slow down, also running lights are always burning and searchlights frequently turned on, fog whistles are sounded and caution characterizes naviga- tion. Things are different in war and the Northern Pa- cific was proceeding at high speed without a light show- ing, the eyes of her lookouts straining into the mist and darkness. Suddenly a dark form loomed up ahead and ACCIDENTS ON TROOPSHIPS 175 close aboard. The Offieer-of-ihe-Deck at onoe ordered the rudder hard over but collision was inevitable, and a moment later the two ships crashed together. The ship on the westerly course was later identified as the British treighteT Brinkhmn and it was fortunate that she first struck against a heavy gun foundation on the starboard quarter of the Great Northern. The staunchness of this structure prevented serious damage to the deck and sides. She hit again, however, a few feet furtiier aft and although with much less force, the second blow tore off the side plating for a distance of 25 feet, ripping a great hole in the Great Northern's side. The bow of the Brinlcbwn was crumpled up like paper, and as she backed off she left on board the Great Northern part of her stem, about 20 feet of her port bow plating, 10 feet of her starboard bow plating, one patent anchor, and 25 feet of chain cable. Captain Doyle immediately took charge on the bridge of the Great Northern and all hands went to Collision Quarters. Many thought the ship had been torpedoed. The Army passengers were mustered at their Abandon Ship Stations and the crew proceeded about their duties of saving the ship in an orderly seamanlike manner. The executive officer. Lieutenant Commander B. F. TiUey, U. S. N., took charge at the scene of the damage and xmder his direction the wreckage was cleared away, dead and wounded extricated and temporary repairs ef- fected. This work was done in the dark. The ship's surgeon. Lieutenant Commander A. E, Lee, and his as- sistant. Lieutenant J. S. Callahan, with hospital corps- men and stretcher men cared for the wounded. Bepairs at the waterline were made by the Carpenter's gang under the direction of Construction Officer Lieutenant "W. E. McFarlane and Chief Carpenter's Mate G. S. West. Oil was promptly pumped from starboard to port tank? 176 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE and the ship listed to facilitate ihis work. So well was it accomplished that the Great Northern was able to pro- ceed at 21 knots to her port of destination, which she reached without further incident. It was unfortunate that the damaged compartments were occupied by troops^ seven of whom lost their lives as a result of this collision. Five of these, Charles R. Mason, late private, XJ. S. Army; Osias Davidoviei, late sergeant, U. S. Army; Darral Allman, late sergeant, U. S. Army; Harry E. Weigel, late sergeant, U. S. Army, and Marrion H, Worrel, late sergeant, TJ. S. Army, were killed instantly by the direct and immediate physical effect of the impact, which took place exactly where these men were sleeping; John E. Bansom, late sergeant, U. S. Army, died later of injuries so received; and Clayton W. Searcy, corporal, U. S. Army, was lost over- board, through the hole in the Great Northern's side, made by the collision. On the Brinhhum one man was killed and one man injured. FiEE ON BOABD THE Henderson Danger from fire and internal explosion was an ever- present menace. It speaks weU for ship's guards and also the dose surveillance maintained at the docks that there was, throughout the war, so little evidence of suc- cessful German plotting to destroy our ships. In the rush of transport loading it was no easy task to scruti- nize every piece of cargo and lump of coal passed aboard to see that it contained no hidden explosive or infernal machine with time device to start a fire. On board the Pocahontas six fires occurred within a period of three weeks while she was under repairs, but aU were discovered and extinguished before serious dam- age was done. Other occasional fires were started in ACCIDENTS ON TROOPSHIPS 177 other transports but the efforts of the plotters in this direction were all abortive unless enemy agents had a hand in the Henderson fire, which was the only one of consequence. The transport Henderson, Captain G. W. Steele, Jr., sailed from New York on June 30, 1918, and was pro- ceeding ia a convoy of 15 -troopships escorted by the TT., S. Cruiser Frederick, Captain W. C. Cole, U. S. N., Group Commander, and the destroyers Calhoun, May- rant, and Paul Jones, when S. J. Cosick, EL. 1st class, on board the Henderson, reported a fire in a forward hold of that vessel. The cause of the fire was never discovered. No one had had access to the hold siuce the ship sailed. Lieutenant Commander W. C. Barker, the executive officer, was first at the scene of the fire and under his direction the crew, armed with fire fighting apparatus, did everything they could to control and put out th^ flame. Smoke helmets, respirators, and wet towels, however, were of no avail against the heat and smoke, nor could the flames be checked by the numerous streams brought to bear. The fire spread to store rooms, the electrical shop, carpenter shop and crews' compartments. As the fire approached the forward magazines the sprinkler safety device was turned on and the powder - flooded to guard against explosion. Air port gaskets were burned off. The ship settled about 8 feet by the head, due to the water that had been poured into her and this brought these damaged air ports under water with the result that additional large quantities entered the ship. In the meanwhile the Group Commander, Captain Cole, had directed the transport Von Stetiben and the destroyers Mayrant and Pavd Jones to stand by the fl'ew- derson, and when it became evident that the latter would have to return to port, he directed the destroyers to 178 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE transfer tlie 800 marines and 750 Navy passengers from the Henderson to the Vok Steuben. By working all night this transfer was completed at 6 :00 A. M. without mis- hap. The crowded Von Steuben then proceeded at 20 knots for France, while the Henderson, escorted hy May- rcmt and PaM Jones, headed for Philadelphia. All that night and the following day the fire was fought. As the list of the ship exposed the damaged air ports, men were lowered over the side to batten them down in an attempt to limit the quantity of water en- tering the vessel. Pilmps were kept going at full capacity and finally fuel oil was pumped overboard to relieve a situation which was becoming dangerous. By 9 :00 P. M. the list to starboard had increased to 14 degrees. As the shp was well down by the head, there was danger of capsizing in case the sea roughened, so Captain Steele ordered 150 men of the crew transported to the Mayrcmt, while those remaining on board continued to fight the fire and the excess water. At about 4 :40 A. M. the next morning, July 4th, the wind freshened on the starboard bow and although the Captain tried to head to the wind to prevent a sudden list to the other side, the ship suddenly rose on an even keel and then heeled to port. It was an anxious mo- ment as no one could tell whether she was going to cap- size or not. LuckiljT^ she fetched up at 22° to port and then steadied with a 20° list. The level of the water within the damaged part of the ship, at this time, was nearly even with that outside and the transfer of water from starboard to port, accompanying the shift of list, deadened all fire in the ship. With the fire out, the work of controlling the water was simplified. During July. 4th pumps, handy billies, and bucket lines were kept going at maxunum capadty and the ship began to rise, gradually tending toward an ACCIDENTS ON TROOPSHIPS 179 even keel. By nightfall all danger to the ship had passed. .The following day she arrived at the Navy Yard, Phila- delphia, and went into drydock for repairs. These were speedily effected, and the Henderson was off again with another load of troops. CHAPTEB XIV SIDELIGHTS ON TRANSPORT LIFE EMBAJ&KING TEOOPS In the beginning it was attempted to conduct all troop movements in secrecy; the soldiers were taken from the camps to the docks and aboard ship as quickly and quietly as possible. Once on board ship they were kept in their berthing compartments and not even allowed on deck until after the vessel had cleared port. But as their number multiplied, speed in embarka- tion became a, matter of great moment, secrecy was really out of the question; train load after train load of men from all parts of the country were deposited in Hoboken, the Northern Port, and in Newport News or Hampton Eoads, the Southern Port, froin which the transports sailed, 'No attempt was made at concealment and the 'transports passed out to sea with troops on deck and bands playing. One rule, however, was preserved inviolate. At Ho- boken General Shanks and myself agreed that on troop movement days no one should be allowed on the piers who was not in some way connected with the servic©. Against many protests this rule was maintained. Friends,, relatives and sighteers, all had to be barred; necessity required that the troops should ha^ "^he piers to themselves. This rule did not apply, however, to the workers of the Eed Cross Service. These devoted women were always on hand with hot coffee, sandwiches and ciga- 180 SIDEI.IGHTS ON TRANSPORT LIFE 181 rettes for the "boys," most of whom were leaving home and country for the first time — and some of whom were nbt to return. I often tiiought what the bright, cheerful faces of these devoted women must mean to those home- sick youngsters. Their work was beyond praise, for there never was a morning so dark or a night so cold as to keep them from their self-appointed tasks. I believe the rule was that they were not allowed to talk with the men, but every man knows that a woman's smile at such a time is a benediction. It must havd been indeed with strange and varied feelings that these young men of America stepped over tiie gangway to embark on their great adventure. Thou- sands of them, of course, were from inland and had never even seen blue water before. Proper handling of thousands of strange men on ship- board under the circumstances of submarine warfare re- quired system and organization to the last word. Quick tum-arounds were a feature of our Naval transports, and their record of men carried per month is indeed a marvelous one. A ship being ready to receive troops, all gangways were rigged and at the end of each was stationed a Naval oflScer with cards and tickets on which, in concise form, were printed instructions for each trooper; where he slept, where he ate, his abandon ship station, and the rules he must observe. The soldiers then marched aboatd in steady and continuous lines over all gangways. As they reached the deck they were met by sailors who conducted them to their berthing compartments and showed them their assigned bunks according to their re- spectively numbered tickets. In order to avoid conges- tion while embarking, soldiers immediately climbed into their bunks and remained there until the compartment was filled. 182 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE A compartment having been filled, each, man in Ms bunk, the next step was to stow rifles and haversacks and to learn the prescribed routes with the rules of the road for using them to reach wash rooms, mess halls, and abandon ship stations. In this way thousands of men ootid be embarked in the short space of one hour, and the soldiers at once plunged into ship routine, which had to begin immediately in all its varied phases. In the meanwhile, the executive officer of the ship conferred with the commanding officer of troops and his assistants, explaining to them their administrative duties aboard ship. Details having been made. Naval officers instructed Army officers assigned respectively to guard, lookout, police, and commissary duty. Sentries were at once posted throughout the ship, patrols established, and the policing and messing details put to work. With the submarines operating on this side it was necessary to have abandon ship drill before clearing Am- brose Channel. For the average soldier the first forty- eight hours on board a transport constituted probably the busiest and most unusual period of hisi life. ABANDON SHIP DKHJj , Abandon ship drill, or "drowning drill," as the men called it, was a continuous performance until the sol- diers learned to go quickly and quietly to their stations on deck, both by day or in pitchy darkness, at the sound- ing of the emergency signal. It was the duty of the Naval men to rig out and lower all boats and rafts. Experience had taught that in sav- ing life the main thing was to get all the floating equip- ment in the water and clear of the ship's side. The soldiers, each one wearing a life belt, could then go down the rope ladders, generously distributed along the ship's SIDELIGHTS ON Tl^ANSPORT LlFfe 18^ side, and man their assigned boats or life rafts. All transports carried an excess percentage of rafts so that in case half of the boats, due to list of the ship or other cause, could not be lowered, there would still be enough floating equipment for all hands. Sailors were also de- tailed to lower rafts over the side, and one or two were Assigned to each raft, to tate charge in the water and rig the tow line to be passed from the rafts to the boats. An amusing incident about "drowning drill" was observed on board a certain ship. A colored trooper had been sitting on a big CarUn raft for several hours ; when told to go below, he replied, "No, sah, my Capt''n give me dis heah ticket what reads foah dis raft, and I ain't goin' to leave it," and there he remained, pos- sibly with the momentary expectation of being torpedoed. The Naval crew was also detailed to take charge in any emergency, such as fire or collision, in which case soldiers were to stand fast and give the Naval men gang- way to carry out their duties. On approaching danger zones all' hands were kept on deck as much as possible, day and night. Every man was impressed with the necessity of constituting him- self an individual lookout and to report immediately the sighting of any suspicious object or condition in the seas. In submarine areas reveille was one hour before daybreak, in order to have all hands alert during the twilight period, which was most favorable for submarine attack. Each of the army personnel was served out a life preserver when he embarked, and in the danger zone was required to wear it or keep it constantly at hand day and night. Those detailed to abandon ship on rafts car- ried two navy emergency rations and every man carried a full canteen. The rafts were designed to keep the men dear of 184 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE the water, but in actual practice they served as a buoy or marker to- which people could cling while awaiting the rescue boats. All men were provided with life belts and the rafts were particularly useful in facilitating the work of rescue by gathering the men together in groups. To pick up a large number of scattered swimmers would be a lengthy and almost impos^ble task, especially by night. ' The rafts, in most oases, were shaped like elon- gated doughnuts, were in sets of three or four different sizes so that they nested one within another for stowage about decks. The outside circumference of the rafts was fitted with grab, lines sufficient to permit from thirty to sixty men to hold on if closely gathered together. In- side the raft was stretched a net which prevented ex- hausted men from getting adrift even if they temporarily lost hold of the grab ropes. A sufficient number of boats for aU hands could not possibly be carried by transports, but there were always enough boats to accommodate the feminine war workers, and the sick and wounded. All life boats were provided with the following outfit securely lashed inside the boats: sails and spars; boat bucket for bailing; edible emergency rations; breakers of water; one heaving line with small life preserver on end; one set of oars and two spare oars, row locks with lanyards; one first aid package including toumiqufet; one water-tight package of calcium phosphide; one boat hatchet;, one oil tank and two oil bags; one compass; Coston signals ; safety matches ; oil lantern trimmed and fiUed. In the danger zone life boats were kept lowered, if practicable, to the rail of an open deck at sufficient height to protect them from the sea. For each boat there were detailed a naval officer, or a naval petty officer, and six of the naval crew, and this boat officer commanded in all matters pertaining to low- SIDELIGHTS ON TRANSPORT LIFE 185 ering, taMng on board army passengers, handling and directing the movements of the boat after it was in the water. The Navy personnel was impressed that the Army passengers were in their keeping and that their first duty was to provide for the safety of the men ia khaki. Of course, it was not pleasant for Army men, used to lots of room, to be crowded in what seemed to them stuffy holes and to be continually hounded by irksome submarine precautions, such as carrying life preservers and filled canteens, daily abandon ship drill, no lights, no matches, "You can't stay here, you must go there," but they knew it was only for the few days in transit and they took their temporary inconveniences in excel- lent heart, appreciating that it was all for their good and safety. The soldiers had big things to loob forward to on the other side and Navy men in the transport service regarded them with envy. Transport life was irksome in many ways, with nothing to look forward to except the possibility of receiving a "tin fish" in the ribs, per- haps a glimpse of a periscope, a few shots, some depth bombs dropped (result unknown) ; but never a chance for a real stand-up fight. With the Transport Service it was the same old story. The anchor dropped in an eastern port; troops disem- barked; cargo booms rigged; lighters came alongside; winches and whips began discharging cargo, — night and day the work continued. Then as soon as the ship was emptied and the wounded and other passengers received on board, it was up anchor, out lights, abandon ship drill, etc., etc., over and over again. There was no growling, however, and although there was little chance for glory, there was some satisfaction in the knowledge that the Navy Transport Service was 186 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE taking an indispensable part in rendering our army ef- fective. TEOOP MBSSING The problem of messing a large number of troops was given careful attention because it was essential that they be fed rapidly and also well. The decision was reached that the most practical method was somewhat similar to a continuous cafeteria style. Large ten-gal- lon aluminum containers were installed, and serving tables were especially constructed so that as the lines of troops marched in one door of the mess room and filed by the serving tables, each man's out-held field mess kit was filled. The soldiers then passed on to high, narrow mess tables on which they could set their kit, while standing up. As each man finished eating, he left the mess room by another, entrance, near which washing-troughs with hot water were provided for them to wash their kits. If a man felt that he needed or wanted a "second" he fell in at the end of the line again and got it. The galley arrangements as originally installed for passenger service, were, of course, entirely inadequate for cooking enough food for the large nimaber of troops carried, so batteries of steam jacketed kettles were in- stalled together with large numbers of 80-gallon coffee urns in which large supplies of weU cooked food, coffee, tea or cocoa, could be prepared quickly for the himgry soldiers. On most of the ships enough fresh meat was carried for all hands on the trip East, and for a few days in port; but the ship's company, officers and crew, became all too weU acquainted with the good old standby, '* canned corned beef," on the trip home. To supply, on board the George Washington, for ex- SIDELIGHTS ON TRANSPORT LIFE 187 ample, some seven thoussmd souls their daily bread necessitated the installation of bread-making machinery far in excess of the original plans of thp ship, and the bakery forces "worked in eight-hour shifts, twenty-fonr hours a day, turning out a daily output of from six to seven thousand full loaves of A No. 1 bread. It was good bread, too, so good, in fact, that passengers on the re- turn trip from France, accustomed to French war bread, were under the impression that they were being served cake. To look out for the personal wants of the sweet- tooths of soldiers 'and sailors, four canteens were in- stalled, and the quantities of candy, crackers, cigarettes, etc., bought were astounding. On this ship {George Washington) during one trip, the sales, at prices less than ia any store ashore and as near cost as change could be made, were between $45,000 and $50,000, and upon ar- rival in France the unused candies, etc., were sold to the Y. M. C. A. or Naval Store at cost. By regulations the Commissary is called upon to pro- vide 180 different varieties of food. Handling 180 vari- eties of food in quantities that reach from 800 pounds to 79 tons speaks almost for itself. It is a great sight on board a large transport to watoh the almost unending lines of khaki file by for their meals. In spaces no larger than a private dining room at Sherry's they come by thousands upon thousands, and yet in such perfect order that in less than eighty min- utes seven thousand soldiers have been served to the last man. The khaki line seems limitless, it may seem longer than that to those in the rear, but the coffee in the big pots remains hot, the stew continues to steam, and in less than seven seconds each man has his equip- ment piled with food. Perfect system and vast quan- tities of tilings to eat is the answer. 188 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE V. Ss s. Leviatrhaiit Special interest attaches to the Leviafhcm because she was the largest ship in the world, and for that reason was most useful to us as a transport. Prior to the World War the Leviathcm, theid the Ger- man ship Vaterlcmd, had been operating q3 a trans- atlantic liner between Hamburg, Cherbourg and New York. When war was declared she was interned' at tbe Hamburg docks in Hoboken, and upon our entry into the war was seized and eouYerted into a Naval transport. The Leviathan was the only Grerman vessel whose en- gines and machinery the enemy had not deliberalS damaged, but even so it was found that after her three, years of idleness her great turbine engines were in ba& condition, due to deterioration. In spite of the skiU usu- ally attributed to the German engineers, it was, moreover, found that these huge engines had also suffered from in- eflSciency in operation. In additiqn the piping, boilers, and auxiliary machinery of all kinds were in want of re- pairs. Structurally the diip was in good condition and she required only the alterations to St her for transporting troops, pl\is dry-docking and a thorough cleaning inside. The excellence of the Leviathmb as a transport lay in her great troop capacity and her high speed of 23 knots. Her great size and draft, however, were a disadvani^^ as they prevented her from entering most of the Briti^ and Continental harbors and dry-docks. ' ' On December 15, 1917, she sailed from New York to Liverpool with 7,250 troops on board. While at Lii^ pool the ship was dry-docked, and as a result of delay in docking and undocking the ship, on this first trip, re- mained in Liverpool fifty days. It was necessaxy to do(4 sriiMAiiixi; lOOKOuT tn' \viN"n;« ci.oTinjfc. AND llli: .7ACKKT >[ASCOT OF r. S. S. "in-XTTXGTOX I'. S. 8. "irvXTINOTON'" ■■ft • " j«*r ICE ON FORFCASTI.E OF A CHUISEll I'HOZEN SPRAY DUIITNO SE\T.RE WINTER OF lOlT-llllh. CRtiSER IX HEAVY HEATHER AT SEA TVPES OK GARMENTS SI I'l'I.IED TO MEN WORKING IN EXPOSED posmojfs TORrKDO STRIKlXr. A STE.\:NrF.R. PTTOTOr.R APTTKTl VIIOM AN Ai'STniAN srmiAitTXi-: r. s. in:sTRovr,R casstx i\- dry nocK after nmxc. STRUCK RV \ TOni'EDO SIDELIGHTS ON TRANSPORT LIFE 189 and undoek on full moons as the highest tide was re- quired to float the ship over the sill. During this time the troop capacity was increased to 8^50 and upon her return to the United States this was further increased to 8,900 — on March 4, 1918, she sailed on. her second voyage for Liverpool, but due to lack of water, poor berthing and ooaHng facilities in that port, she made her future voyages to Brest, This huge ship has a cruising speed of 20 knots, bums 800 tons of coal a day and carries 8,800 tons of coal. In the early summer of 1918, with the urgency of hastening our troop movement overseas, her troop capacity was in- creased to 10,550. From December, 1917, to November, 1918, this one ship safely transported more than 150,000 troops to France. There is a story about the Leviathan which is worth repeatiug here. On the 23rd of May, 1914, more than two months before war broke out, tjie Vaterland arrived in New York on her first voyage. She had been adver- tised extensively as the biggest ship in the world, and tiie finest. She was commanded by a Commodore, and had four Captains of the German Naval Eeserve as watch officers, eta The occasion was celebrated by an official luncheon given on board and attended by the German Ambassador while the ship was tied up at the piers in Hoboken. At the time I was Commandant of the New York Navy Yard and was one of the luncheon guests. During the limch I asked one of the oflEcials of the Ham- burg-American Line how many troops ttie Vaterland could carry. He replied, "Ten thousand, and we built her to bring them over here." He smiled when he said it I replied, "When they come, we will be here to meet them," and I also smiled. The next time I was on board ihe ship was three years later; she was at the same pier, she had a new name, she 190 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE was flying the Stars and Stripes, and was being fitted out to carry 10,000 American troopsi to Europe to fight Germany. SPANISH IITFIitrENZA BPIDEMIO In fitting out transport medical departments, no ex- pense was spared to make them as near to being real hospitals as possible. Each ship was fitted with a sur- geons' examining room, dispensary, a laboratory, dental oflfioe,* dressing room, operating room, special treatment room, sick bay and isolation ward. In addition to these, several dispensaries and dressing stations were estab- lished throughout the ship fo;r minor cases, which the troop surgeons utilized for tiiose patients not requiring sick bay treatment. The Spanish Influenza Epidemic taxed the resources of the transport medical departments to the utmost. Al- though every effort was made to eliminate sick troops at the gangway, it was inevitable that large numbers of incipient cases were taken on board, and naturally the crowded berthing spaces favored contagion. As an example, during the September, 1918, trip of the George Washington, although 450 cases and suspects, were landed before sailing, on the second day out there were 550 new cases on the sick list. Entire troop spaces were converted, into hospitals. Strict regulations in re- gard to spraying noses and throats twice daily and the continual wearing of gauze coverings over the mouth and nose, except when eating, were rigidly enforced. The soldiers were kept in the open air as much as pos- sible, while boxing' bouts, band concerts and other amuse- ments on deck were conducted to keep up morale. The result was gratifying and the epidemic was soon under control. Admissions to the sick list were on a rapidly decreasing scale and although there were 131 oases of SIDELIGHTS ON TRANSPORT LIFE 191 pnetunonia and 77 deaths before arrival in Brest, still there were only 101 additional cases for the hospital and the remainder of the troops went ashore cheering and in fighting trim. Computation of final tabulations from all ships show that 8.8 per cent of troops transported during the epi- demic became ill, and of those who had either influenza or pneumonia, 5.9 per cent died. This gives an average Army death rate for the individual trips of 5.7 per cent per thousand. Navy morbidity rate was 8.9 per cent, and Navy death rate 1.7 per cent. It is believed that these final statistics are highly favorable to sanitation on cruisers and transports, the morbidity and mortality being lower than in camps and civilian communities. During this scourge in transports and cruisers there was a total of 789 deaths, and necessity required that many of the Khaki and the Blue be buried at sea. The following description of the ceremony of burial at sea was written by the Gunnery Officer of the Seattle, to ^end to the parents of a seaman buried from that ship early in the w^. WAB-PME BUEUL AT SEA FROM THE CETnSEB Seattle The armored Cruiser Seattle was six days out on her third war cruise as ocean escort for troop convoy. News travels quickly in a ship, and before the morning muster at quarters we all had heard that one of the crew, iU of pneumonia, had passed away during the night. The people of a ship are thrown intimately together on an ocean voyage and, in this case, war service added to the community spirit. The loss of our shipmate touched us all. Little was said but much thought was given as we assembled aft in answer to the tolling of the 192 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE bell and the boatswain's pipe of tbe solemn call, "AU hands bury the dead." The service was conducted on the starboard side of the quarterdeck, the oflScial place for ceremonies in a man-of-war. The bier was mounted outboard and draped with flags. Just inboard and forward stood the escort under arms. Space was left for the funeral party to march aft from inside the superstructure. At the appointed hour, the ship's company, number- ing about one thousand, ranged themselves in in- verse order of rank around and abaft the turret guns. At the rail was rigged the gangway over which the body was to make its final passage from ship to sea. The flag was then lowered to half-mast and the ac- companying troopships in the convoy also lowered their ensigns to half-mast, thus joining in the ceremony, ren- dering homage in memorial of the life given just as truly in service for the cause as though it had been lost by the blow of a torpedo or an enemy bullet. When all was jeady the band played the funeral dirge, while the body bearers with the casket, followed by the pall bearers and Chaplain, marched aft at "slow time." The escort came to "present arms" and aU hands stood at "attention" until the casket was placed on the bier and the dirge finished. The Chaplain read the church services. At their com- pletion the band played "Nearer, My God, to Thee." Then all hands "uncovered," the escort again came to "present arms," the Boatswain andTiis mates piped the side, and in reverent quiet — e\rea the ship's engines were stopped— the body enfolded in the Stars and Stripes was committed to the deep. Three volleys of musketry were fired, and the bugler ended the ceremony by sounding taps. The familiar SIDELIGHTS ON TRANSPORT LIFE 193 and now mournful notes echoed in all hearts the call to the final sleep. After a short pause the Captain gave the word "Carry on." The band struck up a march and the divisions went forward at "quick time" to their respec- tive parts of the ship. Gun drills were resumed. Car- penters, shipfitters, blacksmiths', and machinists picked up their tools. The propellers again churned the water) flags were masted, and the ship's work continued. TRAINING OF HOSPITAXi COEPSMEN IN NEW YOBK CITT DTJEINa THE GREAT WAB The special intensive training of Hospital Corpsmen of the Transport Fleet was started in New York in the spring of 1917. This was largely made possible by the ready cooperation and interest of Surgeon WiUiam Sea- man Bainbridge, U. S. N. E. F., of the George Washing^ ton, and Captain Pollock, from whose ship, the U. S. S. George Washington, the first corpsmen were sent for training. The need for such a course was brought out clearly -in May, 1917, when fifty-one new medical officers just en- tering the Navy were sent to New York from the Navy Medical School in "Washington, f oi^ training. Therefore, in anticipation of the necessity of educating hospital corpsmen, a canvas was made at this time of the hos- pitals in and about New York City, to determine which ones could be best utUized for liiis purpose. There were natural expressions of skepticism on the part of the med- ical authorities interviewed, as to" the benefits to be de- rived by the corpsmen, because of their short stay on shore, but they were keenly anxious to be of help during our national crisis. In the beginning ten hospitals agreed to train the men, but before the cessation of hostilities 194 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE tliere were thirty City, State and Charity institutions (some took the initiative and requested of us the privi- lege of receiving some of the men) which opened their; doors and gave instruction in the various branches of work as outlined by the Senior Medical Officers of the ships from which the men were sent. Practically aU of these institutions provided lunclies gratuitously for the men. In al}, the hospital corpsmen received training along the following lines : Dispensary work, including surgical emergency; pharmacy; general nursing work; elemen- tary laboratory work, such as examination of sputum, blood count, etc.; Carrel-Dakin treatment and technique; operating room work; dietetics; first aid dentistry; con- tagion ; anaesthesia ; X-ray work, and embalming. About 1,800 corpsmen profited by this course. It is an interesting note that some of them expressed the in- tention of using it as a basis for a medical career; others passed the New York State examination for licensed em- balmers and are making this their life work. Many .letters were received from the corpsmen in keen appre- ciation for all that was done for thena and for the con- sideration they received on all sides. CHAPTER XV THE LOSS OF THE U. S. S. TICONDEBOGA The Ticonderoga was the former German steamer Cor mUla Rickners, interned at Manila, Philippine Islands, seized by the United States Government upon our entry into the war, and manned by the Navy Department. She was a single screw steel vessel of about 5,500 tons displacement, speed 11 knots, and mounting two guns, a 3-inch forward and a 6-uich aft. The Naval crew num- bered 16 officers and 108 enlisted men, whUe the Army passenger list on her last ill-fated voyage included 2 officers and 114 enlisted men. A grand total of 240 men on board, of which there were only 11 Naval and 14 Army survivors, the ship and cargo being a total loss. The Ticonderoga sailed from New York on Septepi- ber 22, 1918, in a large cargo convoy of 24 ships under the escort of the United States Cruiser Galveston. The voyage was uneventful up to shortly after midnight of September 29th to 30th, when, although the speed of the convoy was only 9% knots, the Ticonderoga began to drop astern, due to her inability to keep up steam because of an inferior quality of coal. The convoy was formed in six columns, about 600 yards apart, and the distance between the ships in each column was about 400 yards. The Galveston was in sta- tion ahead of the middle column. No lights were being shown. The night was dark, the sky cloudy, and it was be- ginning to get misty. A moderate sea was nmning under a gentle easterly breeze. 195 196 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE At about 2 :30 'A. M. the Tieonderoga, still droppu^ astern, lost sight of the convoy. The low speed con- tinued for about two and one-half hours and for a short time was only 3 knots. By 4 :00 A. M., however, she suc- ceeded in picking up to 9^ knots, and effort was being ri?;^de to rejoin the convoy, when, at 5 :45 A. M., just be- fore daybreak, visibility being about 200 yards, there was seen through the mist an enemy submarine bearing about 6 degrees on the port bow. ^e was lying nearly athwart the Ticonderoga's course, apparently with en- gines stopped. Oaptaia Madison, who was on the bridge, immediately rang up emergency speed, and altered course to the left . to ram the XT-boat. At the same time the general alarm for battle stations was sounded and the forward giin was ordered to fire at the submarine. The enemy was on the alert, and withiu 30 seconds after being sighted fired a salvo of shrapnel from her two prx-inch guns. At this poiat blank range the Ger- man aim was deadly accurate. One gun was leveled at the 3-inch crew on the forecastle and the other at the personnel on the bridge. The submarine was so dose that the 3-ineh gun could not be pointed at it because of the interference of the deck, and before the American naval gunners could fire a shot, their crew was swept down by a hail of shrapnel. All of these brave fellows were kiU6d at their stations, and their gun dismounted by the more powerful enemy 6-inch. , , Upon sighting the Tieonderoga bearing down upon her, the submarine at once started ahead, threw her helm over, and quickly swung to the left, thereby escaping being rammed by the narrow margin of ten feet. She then turned again to the right, to cross ahead of tiie Ticondetroga, and although Captain Madison inunedi- LOSS OF U. S. S. TICONDEROGA 197 ately shifted his hehn, hedid not have quite enough speed to reach the enemy, who managed to cross and again avoid the ram, this time hy ahout twenty feet. In the meanwhile, the U-hoat was creating havoc by pouring salvo after salvo of 6-inch shrapnel into the American. The first shot at the bridge set fire to it, and killed all the men on it, except the Captain, Lieu- tenant Commander Madison, and Ensign Stafford, the Navigator. The former was temporarily stunned, how- ever, by wounds in the face and shotilder. The next salvo smashed the bridge and steering gear, and again wounded Captain Madison, this time knocking him off the bridge to the next deck and breaking his left knee joint. It was probably the third salvo which dismounted the forward 3-inch gun and completed the destruction of the entire gun crew. While this was going on, the Ticqnderoga's after 6-inch gun had been manned and was ready to open fire, but deck obstructions prevented it being trained far enough forward to reach the U-boat. The latter was wary, and submerged while on the starboard bow before the after 6-inch could be brought to bear. About ten minutes later the U-boat appeared again, this time two miles off the starboard quarter of the Ti- conderoga, and resumed shelling the Amencan, for the most part with shrapnel. The enemy's marksmanship was good, and the after gun crew was badly cut to pieces. Although half of them were quickly killed or disabled, the survivors kept up a lively return fire, w^ich finally drove the U-boat under the water again at about 6:15 A. M, The Americans were elated and thought a hit had been scored. During the ensuing lull in the battle all hands turned to, putting out the fire and dearing away wreckage. 198 HISTORY OF TRANSPOHT SERVICE An early saJvo liad found the radio room, shattering the apparatus and killing the operator. This prevented- sending out SOS signals. The executive officer, Lieutenant Muller, had been awakened by a shell bursting in his room. As soon as he recovered his faculties, he found everything on fire about him, and only made his escape by dropping eight- een feet to the well deck. He then went forward, and seeing the bridge demol- ished and the 3-inch gun dismounted with its crew strewn about it, he turned aft, and soon found the Captain, propped up on the after part of the midship upper deck, over the engine room, where, in spite of his wounds, he was conning the ship by means of a boat compass, and directing the work of putting out the fire and clearing away the wreckage. Apparently the ship was not taking much water, and was still seaworthy and capable of being steered. Al- though the midship deck-house and bridge had been en- tirely burned away, the fire was now under control. Four boats had been burned, others riddled with shrap- nel, and the entire upper works wrecked. A large num- ber of men had been killed and wounded. Lieutenant Muller sent new details aft to replace the casualties in the 6-inch gun and ammunition crews, who stood by ready to open fire in case the submarine reappeared. This happened about half an hour later, when the U-boat came to the surface off the' starboard quarter, distance about 3 miles. Both sides again opened fire simultaneously. The submarine kept her decks awash, thus presenting a small target. Not long after the renewal of the engagement, a 6-indh. shrapnel exploded near the Ticonderoga's after gun, killing or disabling aU except three of the crew. Lieu- tenant Bingehnan then took station as gun pointer and LOSS OF U. S. S. TICONDEROGA 199 gun eaptaia and the survivors continued to serve the piece. After the Americans had thus fired about ten shots, the enemy scored another costly hit; this time the shell exploded under the gun platform causing the training and elevating gear to jam. After aU efforts to make repairs failed, Lieutenant Eiagelman, who seemed to .bear a charmed life, re- ported to the Captain that his gun was out of action. At this time, the TJ-boat, having reached a favor- able position 1,000 yards off the Ticonderoga's beam, fired a torpedo 'which struck and exploded just abaft the engine room bulkhead. This was the cottp de grace and the ship began to settle rapidly. After the 6-inch gun was silenced the enemy closed the range and kept up her deadly fire. Captain Madi- son, his ship a hopeless wreck, and his guns out of action, finally ordered the engines backed, to take way off the ship, and prepared to lower the boats. Both quarter boats, fiUed with men, were wrecked by the guns of the submarine while in the process of laxmching. After this disaster Lieutenant,Eingelman started for- ward and found Captain Madison lying unconscious on the deck. He picked him up and threw him into a life boat amidships. This boat was lowered into the water without further mishap. At about 7 :45 A. M. the ship sank, stem first, from the effects of enemy gunfire and torpedo. The submarine then cruised around, picking up vege- tables from -the wreckage, and finally went alongside Ihe life boat, and demanded the Captain and Chief Gun- ner. The occupants gave incorrect answers, saying that these officers had been killed. They had previously re- moved their uniforms to avoid capture. Ensign Wood- 200 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE ard and a soldier were summoned on board, and th© German Captain, Franz, by name, -ordered the life boat to tie np astern. A« tbe U-boat started suddenly ahead, the life boat was only saved from capsizing by the part- ing of the tow line. The submarine then went alongside a life raft which was crowded, for the most part with wounded men. En- sign Woodard and the soldier wgre put off on the raft, and Lieutenant Fulcher, the only officer in uniform, was taken on board. Lieutenant Midler had previously been picked up out of the water. With these two officers the U-boat steamed away, leaving the wounded men in the boat and on the raft to get along as best they might. After several hours the life boat and the life raft were brought together and five men were transferred from the raft into the life boat by swimming. AH the men in the boat, except one, were wounded and unable to handle oars. Consequently, the boat and raft again drifted apart. Lieutenant Eingelman made sail and tried, until darkness overtook him, to get back to the raft, but without success. How many men were left on the raft is not known, but aU were wounded. These poor fellows were never heard from. After four days of indescribable hardship, the life boat was picked up by the British steamship Moorish Prince, and two days later, all the survivors able to stand the physical strain were transferred at sea to the British ship Grampicm. Lieutenant Commander J. J. Madison, U. S. N. E. F., and four soldiers remained on bpard the Moorish Prince.' All survivors were finally landed in New York City. Out of the 240 persons on board the Ticonderoga, U Navy and 14 Army were saved. All of the Naval sur- vivors, except one, had been wounded. I do not know LOSS OF U. S. S. TICONDEROGA 201 tiie exact figures for the Army but most of them were probably wounded too. Lieutenant Muller and Lieutenant Fulcher were taken prisoners on board the submaxine, which was identified as the UK-152, commanded by Captain-Lieutenant Franz of the German Navy, Lieutenants Muller and Fulcher were repatriated via England by this same U-boat when she surrendered after the Armistice. CHAPTEE XVI FOREIGN TEANSPOETS IN U. S. CONVOYS— LOSS OF ' BWINSK—ADYENTUR^S OF LIKUTENANT WHITEMAESH FOBEIGN TEANSPOETS IST XT. S. CONVOYS Many foreign vessels were chartered by the United States Govermnent to help carry our soldiers abroad and fifteen of these were assigned to my command, be- coming practically a part of the Cruiser and Transport Force. 'They were issued the same sailing directions, were governed by our orders for Ships in Convoy, and operated at sea under the direction and supervision of the United States Naval Group Commander. These foreign transports were: Ship ' NaMondity Kursk ' British Czar • " Czaritza " Dwinsk " Vauban " Caserta Italian Dante Alighieri " Duca D'Aosta '... " Duca Degli Abruzzi " Re D'ltalia America " Patria French France " Lutetia " SobraJ Brazilian To make for smooth cooperation and to facilitate the communication of orders and instructions to the for- eign Captains, each of these vessels carried a United 202 FOREIGN TRANSPORTS IN CONVOYS 203 States Naval Detachment consistmg of one or two offi- cers, a signalman watch for the bridge and a radio oper- ator watch for the wireless room. The Senior United States Naval Officer on board, was charged with seeing that proper zigzag courses were steered, the ship darkened at night, nothing thrown over- board that might point the trail, gun crews trained and alert, an adequacy of life saving equipment on board, and necessary emergency drills held against torpedo at- tacks, fir6, and collision — ^in short, to see that proper measures were taken to safeguard the soldier passengers and to guarantee that the presence of the foreign ships would not prove a menace to the other ships in the con- voy. The officers called upon to perform this responsible war time duty, were young men of the rank of Ensign or Lieutenant, who, for the most part, had not been more than a year or two out of the Naval Academy. Less ex- perienced in the •wdjs of the sea and ships than the Cap- tains with whom they served, they nevertheless under- stood the particular work in hand. Tactfully, yet firmly, they performed their duties in a thorough and. officer- like manner. The story of Lieutenant "Whitemarsh, Senior Naval Officer on board the chartered British transport Dwinsk, may well serve to illustrate our type of Annapolis grad- uates. The morning "Whitemarsh reported to me for duty I was particularly impressed with his slender build and youthful appearance. I asked him how long he had been graduated from the Naval Academy. He replied, "One year, sir." "Do you think you could suppress a mutiny in a transport?" I inquired, and to this he responded, "Yes, sir; I've downed one and I suppose I could an- other." 204 HISTORY OF fmANSPORT SERVICE. ■ At my request he then modestly reeounted how he once boarded a schooner whose crew refused to get the vessel under way ; how, with a few men, he had restored discipline,' with the result that the Master had no further trouble in getting his orders carried out. I listened with ihterest, and at the conclusion of his narrative gave him his orders to tjie Dwmsk, shook his hand, and wished him a pleasant voyage and a safe return. THE Dwrnsk TOBPEDOED 'A Cndse in am, Open, Boat The Dwimk sailed from New York on May 10, 1918, in company with thirteen other transports carrying iroops, all of whom reached iPranee in safety. On the return voyage the ships separated before reaching this coast, and on the morning of Tuesday, June 18th, the Dwinsh was torpedoed by an enemy submarine in Lat. 38° 36' North, Long. 60° 58' West, some 600 miles distant from her destination, Hampton Roads, Va. The torpedo was sighted at 9 :20 A. M., 300 yards on the port quarter, "porpoisiug^" that is, jumping out of the water at intervals as it raced for the ship. It was too dose aboard to be dodged, and the torpedo struck abreast the after-hold. The Captain ordered the engines stopped, and the ship abandoned. No one was killed or injured by the explosion and no lives were lost in aban- doning ship. Nothing was seen of the submarine until, as the last boats were pulling away, it appeared on the surface some 3,000 yards away, and fired a number of shots at the ship.' Het gunnery was vfery poor, even at this comparatively short range, and apparently little damage was done. The boats clustered together a few hundred yard? I'. S. S. IIEXDERSON f. S. S. "POCOIIOXTAS" LOADED WITir TROOPS OX WAY TO FRAXCE, SEI'TRIIBEII, 1917 u. s. s. "great xorttiern" U S S ORI/ \BA BIRD S-EYE VIEW OF THE HARBOR OF BREST THEIR FIRST VIEW OF FRANCE. SOLDIERS ON THE "leviathan" I ii;iiTi:iiJ,S(. inodi'S vmiorf \t iiiif-)T .M,\HIXK.S DISEM1),XBK1NC AT FRK.VCII I'OJIT niniXT nV GANIiWAY ONTO IHICK FOREIGN TRANSPORTS IN CONVOYS 205 astern of the ship, and the submarine approached, keep- ing her two six-inch guns and four maehine guns trained on them. The U-boat Captain then called aU seven boats about him and questioned the occupants concerning the name of the, ship, her destination, port of departure, tonnage, cargo and the nature of her duties. He made some effort to distinguish the Captain and officers, but they had concealed their identity by removing their hats and coats. The submarine then, VTithout taldng prisoners, steamed off a thousand yards from the Divinsk and again opened fire. At this range most of the shots were effec- tive. One exploded the powder magazine, and the fol- lowing one landed among the smoke boxes provided for making smoke screens. Great volumes • of smoke arose shutting out the greater part of the sky. After the eighteenth shot, the ship listed heavily to port and at il :15 sank, stem first, bow pointing skyward. The seven boats made sail and headed to the west- ward. Lieutenant Whitemarsh, in boat No. 6, discov- ered that it was leaking badly and the sail, which was a lug rig, was found to be rotten and full of holes. There was no tinned meat in the boat, nothing but 24 gallons of stale water and some moldy sea biscuit. His 10 days' experiences are best told in his own words, which are quoted below from his official report. STOBY OF LIEUTENANT WHITEMABSH "Our boat. No. 6, was sailing in the general direc- tion of the^rest of the boats, but losing distance steadily on account of having a rotten sail. "Shortly after noon smoke was reported on the hori- zon to the Eastward. In a short time a ship appeared and developed into a four-stacker of the Von Steuben 206 HISTORYi OE TRANSPORT SERVICE type. She was making full speed towards our boats and our wishes for an early rescue seemed about to be real- ized. But she suddenly stopped, avoiding a torpedo fired from the invisible submarine which was using our boats as a decoy. The ship opened fire on the submarine's periscope and fired five shots, the projectiles ricocheting over our heads. The ship then got under way quickly and soon disappeared. The submarine came to the surface again over a mile astern, and approached our boat. She came alongside on our port hand and the Captain, who was burdened with iron crosses, asked us through his white-clad lieutenant what the name of the four-stacker was, and whether or not she was an auxiliary cruiser. I didn't know. The presence of the submarine at such range gave an opportunity to study her characteristics. She was a dull slate gray in color, and showed marks of continuous running on the surface. The paint was worn off at the water line, where the hull was rusty. There was no lettering or distinctive markings on the submarine- She was about 275 feet long and had a beam of approxi- mately 30 feet. . Her armament consisted of two six-inch guns and four machine guns. The six-inch guns were situated midway between the conning tower and the for- ward and after ends respectively. The machine guns were grouped about the conning tower, two forward and two aft. The submarine was of the double hull type, with about five feet of free board. The tonnage was per- haps 2,500.' The conning tower was directly amidships. J£ anything, the bow was a trifle higher thaii the stern. A life boat^was carried, lashed to the deck, aft of the after gun. Still further aft there was an apparatus which I believe was used for mine sweeping or mine laying. Since it was housed it could not be made out accurately. At one time I counted thirty-seven men, including oflScers. STORY OF J.T. WHITEMARSH 207 The Lieutenant who acted as interpreter spoke broken English and understood with difficulty. The guns were kept trained on us while we were near the boat but they left us unmolested, not even inquiring as to our plans or provisions. It was at this time that our boat started to pass boat No. 3 in a favorable breeze. Cadet Morrison shouted from boat No. 3 that we ought to stay together. Qur sail soon developed greater rends which allowed Morri- son's boat to forge ahead towards the leading boats, leaving us behind. It was a matter of indifference to us, except that a siftgle sail might appear to a possible rescue ship more suspicious than a group of them. We sailed all that night. The wind was ENE. Early next morning a heavy rain feU. The French sailor, MoeUec, had oilskins, and three others had safety suits but the rest of the crew were thoroughly drenched. Two men particularly, who were in pajamas, were merci- lessly exposed, even after those who were more plenti- fully supplied had shared their dothing. We sighted a two-stacked steamer at dawn, close on our starboard hand. Showed a signal of distress, a red flare, but the steamer didn't reply to our signal. Five more times in the next four days we were passed by ships which we were almost certain would pick us up, but the period of jubilation invariably tunled to one of despair when the ships headed away and left us. The Von Steub&ft had sent out a report saying that our boats were being used as a decoy by the German submarine, and this probably accounted for the failure of these ships to rescue us. There was a heavy raia all day Wednesday, June 19th. At evening the rain lessened; the boat, now alone, keeping on the same course. On Thursday nothing happened until evening when 208 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE we sighted a steamer on our port hand, zigzagging. We showed several red flares but without result. At almost the same time we sighted a large bark, steering west- ward at such an unusual rate of speed that it was thought she might have been used as a supply ship for submar rines. She showed no signs of having seen us. On Friday we continued to sail on course WNW with a favorable breeze. Another steamer sighted failed to pick us up and we sailed through the night. Watches were stood by every member iu the boat. Three men were lookouts and stood two-hour watches. Currie (Cadet), Pritchard (First Officer), and I, took three-hour tricks at the hehn in turn, while the remain- der constituted the bailing detail, two men bailing for a period of a half hour. As time went on signs of weakness began to ap- pear; some were compelled to stop work, although they were still willing. The Maltese lad (assistant cook) named Sammut, had been torpedoed once before, when, in abandoning ship, he had been struck by the life boat swinging into the side of the ship. The injuries he had sustained to his hip had never completely healed. Chief Baker Walker was given an additional allow- ance of water on account of the nature of his previous duties. The ration was a pilot biscuit a day and a half pint of water. Walker's mind, however, began to wan- der and he began to talk thickly of the coffee he was making and the pies he would be able to serve at five p 'clock. Si)ooner (fireman) went temporarily insane and in aU my life I have never heard such an original and easy flow of profanity. Early Saturday morning we sighted ship's boat No. 3 and went alongside. The crew had been picked up. MofeUeo (French seaman) entered the boat and did the STORY OF LT. WHITEMARSH 209 greater amount of work in salvaging a new sail, a boat compass, a pair of shoes, can of biscuits and quantities of line, blocks and rigging. From this time the French- man was 'perfectly happy and busy, rigging an old shirt to a pole and running it up to the masthead for a distress signal, maMng capes from the old sail, maMng spray shields, splicing and working on the rigging. He never seemed to worry and was always ready with a smile and cheery word. His activity was unusual, considering that he was forty-five years of age. Since I was the only one who understood French, he used to talk to me for hours about hi^ past life, and the weather. By Saturday noon the wind from the east increased to a moderate gale. It was at this time that Pritchard, the First Officer, whUe having the sail reefed, allowed the boat to get into the trough. "When I told him how to straighten out, he became angry and said he had for- gotten more about sailing than I had ever known. A perfect accord could not be expected and certainly not enforced with the hatchet, our only weapon, so I allowed the matter to drop and took the hehn myself. All afternoon the wind continued to increase and the sea rose very high. The direction of the wind changed a bit to the right and held steady. The spray would occasionally drench us all. The saU, bit by bit, was taken in altogether. Two small triangles of canvas were rigged forward to keep her stem to the wind and weights shifted aft. A line was made fast to the mast to indicate the direc- tion of the wind, and I gave the hehn to Seaman Fallon. He lay on his back in the stem sheets and steered while the boat was making five or six knots through the water. At 5 :00 P. M. the gale was raging furiously with a heavy sea running. At 6:00 P. M., FaUon, drenched repeat- edly, had a cramp and Cadet Ourrie took his place. 210 HISTORY OF TRANSPOUT SERVICE Currie was the 17-year-old son of a famous English sportsman and banker. He had not been at the hehn five minutes before he saw a heavy cross sea coming down upon us. Unfortunately he released the tiller and obeyed the impulse to throw up his hands to keep the water oS. Tke sea dropped in over the starboard quar- ter and washed him overboard, at the same time filling the boat to the gunwale. I straightened the boat out, and all hands turned to with hats, buckets and shoes to clear the boat of water and to man the oars. The attempt to back the boat to pick up Currie only resulted in getting her into the trough. Currie was swimming'towards us but not a third as fast as we were drifting. To save the lives of those remaining in the boat, we had to abandon the attempt to rescue Currie. A little later another sea dropped down on top of the boat and knocked every one about, swamping the boat again. Pritchard, helmsman at this time, was suddenly stricken, and when the boat was again freed of water, he lay down in the bottom. I took the tiller and stood up in the boat in order to see the waves and feel the wind to better advantage. The men sat down iu the bottom to improve the stability, and three of them appointed them- selves my protectors bj hanging onto my feet and knees. They evidently didn't want a second casualty. The Frenchman stood up in the bow, like a gray ghost, hanging onto the mast. When the boat was poised on a wave, the bow down at an angle of 45 degrees and charging along at express speed, he seemed to be the least perturbed of the crew. It was very dark and the wind, stiU increasing, brought intermittent rain squalls. This was not without advantage, since by opening the mouth water could be obtained. The water had a peculiar taste, ^ if tfcere STORY OF LT. WHITEMARSH 211 were quantities of ashes or dust ia it. At times the rain would fall in torrents until the great waves were com- pletely hidden by the rain splashes. This doubtless ren- dered the sea less perilous, a circumstance which perhaps saved the life boat from being wrecked. It was about 11:00 o'clock that night when the wind began to shift rapidly. The wind would come from one direction and the seas from another. The waves were peir- tiaUy illuminated by a dim light, and this illumination was of great assistance in meeting them squarely. For fifteen minutes at a time I would keep the rudder hard right and then a few minutes hard left. In an hour there was almost a total calm, while the small boat tossed about aimlessly on the confused sea. At first, when I made a remark about the wild beauty of the semi-illuminated sky and sea, the crew seemed to think that I had lost my mind. But after they heard about their unusual fortune in being at the center of a cyclonic storm and began to tiiink about the tales they could teU when they landed, they began to cheer up and the conversation was quite lively. They forgot the inci- dent of a half hour before, when one of the men, after a long and awe-inspired silence, moaned from the bottom of the boat, "Is there any hope, my good fellows?" The calm was of short duration, however, and the wind set in again, bringing a torrential rain. The boat once more resumed its circling in the furious sea; the crew was drenched again and again with spray; the French- man stood at the mast and a detail of two men bailed out water without cessation. After two hours of this, the wind steadied, though stiU blowing a gale. When it grew lighter in the morn- ing, a long dark cloud was seen overhead extending across the sky from west to east, and when we were swept under it a chilly rain fell. 212 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The wind coming from the west was dying down a little. My arms were aching after eleven hours at the helm, and after a sea anchor was rigged by lashing to- gether two oars, the Frenchman relieved me. The wind moderated during the day, but the swell was high. In speaking of the storm that day, Gregory, who hdd followed the sea for forty years, declared he had never seen anything like it. If, by having to endure the storm of that night again, the world would give him every luxury known to men for the rest of his life, he said he w"ould refuse. He preferred the pleasures of a nice farm in Wales where he could spend the rest of his days with his wife and children. Toward night we set sail heading southwest, the wind being northwest. At midnight the wind had dropped to a calm. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday passed with light, variable winds and cahns. These days taxed the courage of the men the greatest. They all knew we were in the Gulf Stream and drifting farther away from land every hour. When some of the crew, who had practically abandoned hope, began to sing familiar hymns, including "Nearer, My God, to Thee," I made them stop and the American seaman, Bichards, and I sang "Homeward Bound," and other cheerful popular hits. * The food ration was cut to two-thirds of a biscuit a day with a quarter of a pint of water. The Second Engi- neer Officer, Pattison, became gual-dian of the hatchet, and whenever this weapon went forward to sharpen pegs or open tins, he would follow unostentatiously after and bring it aft again. He expected a raid on the food and water supply, but his fears were unfounded. The men were eager and prompt to execute every command or adopt every suggestion, particularly^ after the storm on Saturday night, STORY OF LT. WHITEMARSH 213 The spirit in the boat was excellent. Helpfulness and brotherly care were very evident in sharing clothing and sleeping places, and in assisting one another at work. Two of the weakest were excused from work. Those on lookout details had their eyes infected, until they were temporarily blind. Shirts were given as bandages and no efforts spared to make them comfortable. Mother Carey's chickens, which followed the boat con- tinuously, were looked upon as an omen of good luck. Small and varied colored sharks were called "land sharks" and an attempt made to spear them for food. Sea-gulls in flocks were considered a sign of proximity to land. Boxes, spars, and similar driftwood made the men happier. The first man to sight the steamer that would pick us up was to have the biggest dinner money could buy when we landed. But the men were depressed in spite of it all. The sun would bake them mercilessly, and later,, cold rains would dull them to the bone: One man made an attempt to drink salt water, and another thought it would be better to go over the side in the night and end it all. Discipline was insured only by the unchanging severity of command, combined with the proper regard for the welfare of the individuals in the boat. MoeUeo, Rich- ards and Gregory were consistently cheerful. Wednesday afternoon, towards four o'clock, the weather looked threatening and the wind increased. Eain began to fall very heavily. After washing the salt out of the sail, all hands drank their fill of water and caught an additional four gallons. By midnight, the wind from ESE was blowing a gale with high seas and continuous rain. When we took a couple of seas the sail was shortened somewhat, but we made the most of the opportunity to run in. The crew was drenched with spray, but the timp for compromise 214 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE was past. Moelleo and I relieved each other at the hehn until Thursday morning, when the wind moderated and the rain stopped. It was cahn aU day. A pleasing diversion during a watch was our time piece, a dollar watch marked "boyproof." It would run perhaps five or ten minutes at a time before it stopped. Shaking would start it again. The man at the helm stood very long watches unless he gave the "boy- proof" his undivided attention. Friday morning at 9 :30, Collins jumped up and began waving his arms. He had sighted a steamer to the east- ward heading towards us. The sail was left up until the hull and men of our boat could be clearly seen, and then we rowed alongside. It was the U. S. S. Rondo, Commander Grenning, U. S. N. E. F., in command. Most of the men of the life boat were so weak that they had to be lifted up the sea ladder by means of a line, although a few of us managed it without assistance. The American sailor, Richards, who had sacrificed his rations to preserve his companions, was particularly weak. When I left the boat, two sailors from the Rondo were behind cutting holes in the hull and salvaging ma- terial such as oars, sails, water breakers and rigging. This was accomplished quickly and the boat left so that the next storm would knock her to pieces. The survivors were given medical attention, clean clothing and food and shown every kindness human be- ings could bestow upon fellow creatures. The fearless- ness of Captain Grenning in approaching the life boat when imarmed and when warned that the submarine was using our boats as a decoy, is most commendable and I am sure every survivor will remember bim with infinite gratitude. "When picked up the life boat was 340 naileg from STORY OF LT. WHITEMARSH 215 Norfolk, Va. The Rondo reached port the next night, Jnne 29, 1918. About six hours before landing, while standing near the bridge, I was presented with a paper which contained the following testimonial written and signed by all the survivors of the life boat. "We the undersigned, survivors of the torpedoed steamship Dwinsh, wish to show our undying appre- ciation of the conduct of Lieutenant (j.g.) R. P. Whitemarsh, U. S. Navy, who, under the most try- ing and perilous conditions, set an example of cour- age and bravery beyond all praise, and we feel that his conduct and devotion to duty when face to face with destruction in a raging storm in an open boat, when most of us believed that the end had come, carried us through until the storm passed, and later, after many days in this boat, when all hope of rescue seemed small, he was always cheerful and hopeful, and encouraged us to further efforts." (Signed) T. J. EiCHAEDS, Seaman, U. S. N. E. J. Peitchaed, First Officer. J. J. SKiLiiiNG, Chief Steward. E. Gbiffith, Boilermaker. J. J. Maetin, Barkeeper. C. GrKEGOKY, Linen Keeper. John Jones, Greaser. John Wain weight, Donkeyman. M. KjiOTTGH, Fireman. / ' H. Spoonee, Fireman. W. E. SoPEE, Storekeeper. J. Sammxjt, Assistant Cook. Jb. Motjeujec, Seaman. James PattIson, Sec. Eng. Officer. James Downie, Fourth Eng. Officer. DiNSDALE Walkee, Chief Baker. George FaxiLon, Seaman. Haeey Coluns, Fireman. James Weight, Barkeeper. 216 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Von> Stmhem. bncotjntebs stjbmaeihb june 18, 1918 The Von Steuben while returning from France sight- ed a number of life boats on the port bow. Soon after- ward a torpedo was fired, the wake of which was seen by an alert lookout when about 500 yards from the ship. His prompt report and the immediate maneuvering of the Von Steuben by the Captain saved the ship. Several depth bombs were dropped upon the estimated position of the submarine. As no SOS sighal had been re- ceived at the time it was thought that the boats were nothing but decoys. Afterward it was discovered that they had been used as decoys but in addition contained survivors of the Dwmsk, torpedoed the day before. These were picked up by another ship^ CHAPTER XVn ADVENTURES OF LIEUTENANT ISAACS , TAKEN PEISONEE BY A U-BOAT Lieutenant Isaacs was attached to the Naval transport President Lincoln sd the time she was torpedoed early in the forenoon of May 31, 1918. Before the arrival of the destroyers which picked up the survivors during the night, while the U-90 was steaming among the life boats and rafts searching for the transport Captain, the keen eye of the German Commaalder caught the stripes of Isaacs' uniform in the stem sheets of one of the life boats. The U-boat Captain put a megaphone to his mouth and sang out, "Come aboard!" The boat ran alongside and Isaacs stepped to the submarine deck, and as he did so a German sailor re- lieved him of his revolver. (This was later returned to him.) Isaacs Sien made his way to the conning tower where he was given a glass of sherry and the Command- ing Officer informed him that he was Captain Eemy of the U-90, explaining in excellent English that his orders were to take the Senior Naval Officers prisoners when- ever he sank a Naval ship. After a half hour search for the Lincoln's Captain who escaped by disguising himself as a sailor, Isaacs said that he felt sure Captain Foote had gone down with the ship. The search was then abandoned and Eemy ordered his prisoner below, where he was given warm clothing and allowed to lie down in one of the bunks. 217 218 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The U-boat then turned to the northeastward and pro- ceeded at five knots to her cruising ground, which was about 300 miles west of Brest, arriving there on the fol- lowing day, June 1st. The following is a precis made up of excerpts from the oflficial report of Lieutenant Isaacs : "Early in the morning a radio was intercepted stat- ing that the survivors of the President Lincoln had been picked up and that only a few were missing. That after- noon we sighted two American destroyers. They were so far away that Captain Eemy thought that by heading away he could avoid being seen. He did not reckon, how- ever, on the keen eyesight of the American lookouts. The destroyers instantly sighted him and gave chase. We quickly subnierged and a few minutes afterwards we felt depth bombs exploding all about us. Twenty- two bombs were counted in four minutes; five of them were very close, or seemed so to me, for they shook the vessel from stem to stem. To escape them we were making our best speed, zigzagging, and apparently dou- bling back on our course. The Petty Ofl&cer at the micro- phones, listening to the propellers of the destroyers, re- ported continuously whether they were getting closer or farther away to the Captain, who was in the conning tower. Soon they could no longer be heard, but we re- mained submerged at a depth of sixty meters for about one hour longer. Then Captain Eemy brought his boat to the surface and continued cruising up and down at five knots speed. The following morning, June 2nd, another American destroyer was sighted, but so far away that we. were not seen, Eemy then told me he felt that things were getting too warm for him in that vicinity and he intended to re- turn to his base. We headed northwest and continued along the west coast of Ireland all that day and the next ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 219 On June 4th, early in the morning, they called me to go hunting. We had approached a small island called North Bona, west of the Orkneys, where Eemy was in the hahit of stopping on each trip, weather permitting, to shoot wild sheep which were the sole inhahitants of the island. It seems that years before a hermit had come to live there and had began raising sheep, which, after he died, continued to thrive. I counted 150 of them from the deck of the U-boat, for, after getting me up, the Captain changed his mind and decided that I was not to go hunting after all. He sent one of his officers and two men in the small bateau which was carried between the inner and outer hull of the submarine, tb the beach, and a few minutes later we coidd see them mounting the side of the cliff. I watched from the deck of the submarine through my binoculars. They shot nine sheep, one of which fell over the top of the cliff and into the water. Telling me that he knew he was a fool to do such a thing, Eemy backed his submarine to within three feet of the cliff in order to pick up this sheep. One of the sailors pulled it aboard with a grapnel. A few hours later the hunters with the other sheep they had killed returned on board and we proceeded in a northeasterly direction around the Shet- land Islands. On the 6th of June we passed along the coast of Nor- way. The next .day we got in touch with another U-boat which was running short of fuel. Her Captain was on board that night and talked a while with Eemy before returning to his boat lying a few hundred yards away. It was rather rough, so he did not take fuel from us but said he would try to make Kiel with what he had. The following day, June 8th, we passed to the north- ward of Jutland into Skaggerrack, hugging the Danish coast. That moniing we fell in with another U-boat, and 220 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE for three/ hours both submarines maneuvered at high speed over a measured course between a lighthouse and a fixed buoy. (In submarine navigation, especially when maneuvering into position to attack, accurate data as to what speed is being made according to engine revolu- tions, is important, and these submarines were evidently engaged in checking their standardization curves.) About noon time we entered' the Kattegat. I had asked Eemy if he ever rested on the bottom. That after- noon he submerged and rested on the bottom for about three hours. He told me that the submarine which was short of fuel had asked for assistance and Eemy went to her aid, giving the other boat the fuel she needed dur- ing the night. On June 9th we continued on our way and about 11 :00 P. M. I was allowed on deck to smoke. I found we were in a little bay apparently with the lights of Sweden on one side and those of Denmark on the other. Although the sun had l0ng since set, it was still twilight. (At that time of the year there is practically no night in this lati- tude — at least no real darkness.) We were at a subma- rine rendezvous, because I saw a second submarine about a quarter of a mile away and another soon came to the surface, making three in all. Finding that I was not far from a neutral country, I determined to try to make a getaway. I had my life jacket which had never been taken from me and was hoping that it would get dark enough' so that I could not be seen in the water. While I was mov- ing over to the platform abaft the conning tower a Ger- man destroyer was sighted bearing down on us from the east at high speed. She was making the rendezvous in order to escort us through the Sound. Just as I was planning to slip over the side, Eemy, who was never more than two yardsi from me, ordered me below. Before I LHOWDED DKCK IH "PHIXCESS INfATOIKA" DAILY IXSPKCTIOX OX V. S. S. ,MKHt'('KY. t'XP'I'AIX JtlMXSIlH. coMMAXnixr. offtckr of troops (o.-minc iiown i.\rnii;it A LESSOX IN FRENCH. LESSONS WERE GIVEN BY A FRENCH OFFICER EN ROUTE TO FRANCE SONG SERVICE ABOARD A TROOP SHIP. THIS AND THE ABOVE PICTURE WERE TAKEN IN THE, SUBMARINE DANGER ZONE, AS SIIOWX BY ATI. HANDS WEARING MFE-BE1,TS BUXKS TRICED VP FOR I>-SPECTIOX MFSS DECK PR.nmE.. WITH BENCHES AND TABLES FOR TROOP USE TROOPS AT MESS OX SWINGIXG TABT.ES. I'AHT (]|' (lAITEV TQI'iriMKNT ON II. 9. S. OrOHQT WASHINGTON ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 221 passed through the hatch, I took one last look around and saw that the destroyer was placing herself at the head of the column and we were proceeding westward. Early the next morning I was on deck and found that we had passed into the Baltic and were heading in a south- westerly direction. Before reaching Fehmam we passed the battle cruiser Hmdenburg and two other battle cruisers of the same type, also four armored cruisers, holding individual maneuvers. We entered Kiel harbor, which was protected by a net, at 3 :00 P. M., June 10th, and tied up at a landtag near the entrance to the canal. Here I was allowed to go ashore for a few minutes' walk with one of the officers and I noticed probably a dozen destroyers in the harbor and about eight submarines of the same type as the U-90. In addition to these there were two large submarines probably 350 feet'^long, each painted a dark green and mounting a six-inch gun forward. These, Eemy told me, were the new mine layers. At seven o 'clock we shoved off and in coiApany with another submarine proceeded down the canal. "When I came on deck the morning of the 11th, we were in the Heligoland Bight. A Zeppelin was patrol- ling over head; and about nine o'clock we passed a divi- sion of battleships, two of them being the Grosser Kttr- fiirst and Konig II. They were sailing north at high speed, escorted by four large destroyers. After passing through the locks at WiUielmshaven we tied up alongside the mother ship Preussen and I was sent on board of her and put in a room with a barred port, the door locked and an armed sentry placed out- side. We were lying in some back water from which it would be iolpossible for me to escape to the mainland; even had I done so I would have had to pass through 222 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE the "most intensely guarded oity of Germany," as they call it. One of the German officers told me it was prac- tically impossible even for him in uniform to get out of Wilhelmshaven without passing through an enormous amount of red' tape. The V-90 is a submarine built in 1916, approximately 200 feet long, carrying two 10.5 c. m. guns — one forward and one aft of the conning tower. ' Captain Eemy boasted that he oould make 16 knots speed on the surface, and that he had demonstrated the superiority in speed that German submarines have over the American submarines when, some time previously, he had had an encounter with the L-4; that they had maneuvered in trying to get a shot at each other; that both submerged two or three times; and that finally he was able to fire a torpedo at the American submarine after getting into position, 0wing to his superior surface speed; that just as he was firing, the L-4 dove and his torpedo passed a few feet over her. While I was aboard we never submerged to a depth greater than 70 meters, although Captain Eemy told me he could go to 100 meters. That last day, while passing through the Kattegat, when we were submerged for over 10 hours, we traveled most of the time at a depth of 70 meters. He seldom made more than eight knots speed submerged — ^I doubt if he could make much more. He earned a crew of 42 men and four officers. Another of- ficer, Kapitan-Leutnant Kahn, was aboard for purposes of instruction, having had his request granted to com- mand a submarine of his own. While I was at Wilhelms- haven, Kapitan-Leutnan;t Kahn came to see me in prison and told me he had gust received orders to proceed to Kiel and take command of one of the new submarines. Of the crew of 42 men, two were warrant officers- one the navigator, the other the machinist. The Cap- 'ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 223 tain's three assistants were lieutenants corresponding to onr grade of ensign. One was a Naval Academy man who entered the Navy in 1913 — ^he was a deck officer; another was a reserve ensign from the merchant fleet by the name of Wiedermann, who spoke English very well, having been in America and England in peace times on various steamers; the other officer was a regular who had gone to their school for engineers and who was re- sponsible for the efficiency of the machinery; he did not stand deck watch. The watch on deck was stood by the navigator (Warrant Officer) and the two ensigns (Leut- nants). The Captain, Kapitan-Leutnant Remy, took the conn when ships were sighted and in passing through narrow waters. He had entered the Navy in 1905 and had traveled considerably, having been to America in 1911 on a cruiser which put in at Charleston, South Caro- lina, and into New York, in both of which places he had been hospitably entertained. He liked America but could not understand why America had entered the war. He believed, as aU Germans are taught to believe by the governmental propaganda, that our entry into the war must have as its motive the rendering safe of the millions we loaned to France and England earlier in the war. When I was captured the Germans were nearing Paris. On the submarine we received radio reports every day and it did look bad for the Allies, Remy and his officers were absolutely confident that the war would be over in a few months, and would end in a big German victory, for as they said : "France will soon be overrun by our armies and there will be no place for the American troops to land. Be- sides, you are coming oyer so slowly that the war will be ended long before you have a sufficient number of troops in Europe to affect the result." The submarine rolled a little in the Atlantic, though 224 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE we had no very rougli weather. In the North Sea the choppy seas seemed hardly to affect it; and under the Surface there was no sensation of being in motion. The air inside the submarine when we were submerged on the last day for ten hours was becoming disagreeable. Hpwever, several tanks of oxygen were carried whidi Eemy told me he would use in case of necessity. The water-tight doors between the different compartments were kept closed at all times after entering the North Sea. The oflBicers and crew smoked in the conning tower or on deck, but nowhere else. The wardroom was about six feet wide and seven feet long. Here we ate at a small table, and in the lookers along the bulkhead the ward- room food was kept. Here also they installed hammock hooks and swung a hammock for me to sleep in alongside two bunks used by Kahn and one of the other officers. Just forward of this room was a smaller compartment known as the captain's cabin, in which he had his desk and bunk — ^with scarcely room for either. Forward of this cabin was a sleeping compartment for the men, and forward of this was the forward torpedo room. I was never allowed in the torpedo rooms. Abaft the ward- room on the starboard side was a small cabin about four feet wide and six feet long occupied by the two other offi- cers. Across the passage on the port side was the radio room. Abaft these two small compartments was the con- trol room. Here there were always two men on watch. Abaft the control room was the other living compart- ment for the men. Here the food was cooked and the men ate their meals. Abaft this was the engine room and then the after torpedo room. The men slept in hammocks and on the deck. They were very dirty for there was no water to wash with. In the wardroom we had enough to wash our hands and faces every day, but that was all. ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 225 A little wine was carried for the officers, who also had eggs two or three times while I was on hoard. They had sausage at every meal, canned bread and lard, which they called marmalade and used on their bread. Eemy told me, however, that the people on the submarines were the only ones who had an unlimited amount of meat and the like. We had practically four meals every day; at 8:00 A. M., breakfast; at 12:00 o'clock noon, dinner; at 4 :00 P. M., what they called "Kaffee," and at 8 :00 P. M. supper, but practically every meal was the same, at least until we had the fresh mutton shot on North Bona Island. "KafFee" at 4:05 P. M. apparently corresponded to our tea, but the sausage (or, as they call it, "Wurst") was placed on the table every meal. After supper every night we played cards, sometimes bridge and sometimes a new game, with the secrets of which I was soon acquainted. Captain Eemy tried in every way possible to make things pleasant for me, and when I asked an impossible question he invariably told me he did not think he ought to answer, so I have great confidence that what he did tell me was the truth. The U-90 and most of the other German submarines were out usually not more than five or six weeks, and then in port about three weeks. The service was not severe for Eemy got leave as often as he cared to have it, and indeed it was deemed the height of good fortune by regular officers to be assigned to a submarine. The crew seemed happy and well fed. After making, I think, three round trips, they were entitled to the Iron Cross and to leave, which leave covered the duration of the stay of the submarine in port. They receive extra money and they get the best food in Germany j besides which, for every day that they submerge, both officers and men re- ceive extra money. For all of these reasons it is a popu- 226 HISTORY OI' TRANSPORT SERVICE lar service. On. this trip of the TJ-BO she arrived back at Wilhelmshaven the thirty-third day after leaving Kiel. On the trip we received news of German submarines being in American waters from the Radio Press. Eemy was chagrined that he had not been allowed to go to America with the U-90; he told me he had previously requested it. , I was in my prison room on the Preussen two or three days. Twice I saw the Commanding Officer, who brought me a toothbrush and a comb. Eemy came to see me twice before he went on leave and gave me cigarettes.* He also changed into German money a $5 bill which I had found on my clothes. I had him get me some toothpaste and a few other toilet articles. After the two visits from the Commanding Officer of the Pr&ussen, I saw no more of him, and he apparently lefjt my rationing and entertainment to my guards. Some- times they brougbt me food and sometimes they didn't. Practically all the time I had only sour black bread which was almost impossible to eat, and some warm water colored with Ersatz coffee, which we afterwards found out was made of roasted acorns and barley. A PEISONEE IN QEBMANY Finally I was taken to the prison on shore, to what they call the Commandatur. I was escorted through the streets by a warrant officer wearing side arms and a guard of about four men. We landed from a launch and walked rapidly through the streets for about 45 minutes. At the Commandatur I was placed in a room which opened off a corridor. There was a guard in the corridor out- side of my door; the door was kept locked at all times and there was another guard outside my window. The guards w;ere armed with rifles which I noticed they kept ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 227 loaded. Here they searched me and took my identifica- tion tag. They also took my gun and left me my binocu- lars.. Up to this time I had had my gun. On board the submarine I cleaned, oiled and loaded it, keeping it on Eemy's desk. I was in the prison at Wilhelmshaven two days. A naval officer visited me twice and questioned me. My food was the same as it had been on the Pr&wssen. At 5 o'doek the morning of the third day a young naval officer and two men came for me and took me to the sta- tion, -where we boarded a train for Karlsruhe. It was then I realized how fortunate I was to have the $5 bill, for I had nothing to eat on the trip except a sandwich which the officer gave me from his lunch. However, at the station in Hanover he allowed me to buy a meal when he found that I had some money. We came by way of Han- over, Frankfort, Mannheil, to Karlsruhe. Near Wil- hehnshaven there were large herds of Holstein cattle, apparently for the fleet. Those were about the only cat- tle in any numbers that I saw in all Germany. When we arrived at Karlsruhe, I was taken to what prisoners call the "Listening Hotel" and there turned over to the Army authorities. The procedure in this hotel is as follows : An officer is placed in a room silone ; the doors and windows are locked ; he cannot see outside, and he is in communication with no one. After a day of this he is placed with an officer who speaks the same language. In this room there are dictaphones hidden under tables, in chandeliers and in similar places. In this way the Qrermans try to get information of military value. My second day at this hotel I was placed with eight Frenchmen in another room, and on the third day in a room with three British officers. While we were there tixree dictaphones were found by the officers, and little 328 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE time was lost in tearing them out and destroying them. On the fourth day I was sent to the officers' camp in the Zoologioal Gardens at Karlsruhe. Here I found about 20 Italians, 10 Serbs, 100 French and 50 British officers. Among this number were one French Naval' officer by the name of Domiani and a British Warrant officer, who had also been prisoners on board U-boats. From them I got some valuable data which checked up with the information I had picked up on board the V-90. This information I considered of importance to enable the Allies to locate and attack enemy submarines and I determined to escape. I was the only American at Karlsruhe, but the British and French treated me as one of themselves, and when they heard I intended to escape they provided me with maps, a compass, money and food. For two weeks I worked on plans for my escape. Two plans failed; the third (in which I was associated with some British and French officers) failed when a letter written by one of the French officers to a woman in Karlsruhe fell into the hands of the Commandant of the camp. The aviator had been in Karlsruhe before the war and had maay friends there. Through one' of the guards he had com- municated with one of these, a woman, and she had asi- sisted in our plans. "When the Commandant found the letter he suspected a big camp delivery, so Berlin was notified immediately. The following day orders came from Berlin to clear the camp of all officers. In the forenoon all the British left except the aviators; these were followed in the after- noon by all' the aviators and the French officers. There then, remained only a few Italians, some Serbian officers, two British generals and myself. I found the generals real live wires, and with one of them I made plans for a fresh attempt. We could not ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 229 try tiiat night and anyway it looked as if we were to be left there indefinitely and so could wait for a better op- portunity. The following morning at 6 o'clock one of the interpreters woke me and told me to be ready to leave the camp in half an hour. I dressed and hid my compass and maps as best I could ia the short time, and passed through my search without anything being found. Upon entering and leaving a camp each officer is searched thoroughly. If any suspicion is aroused the officer is required to take off all his clothes and each garment is separately inspected, Jmeaded to see if the rustle of paper can be heard, and finally the hems are ripped open, gold stripes and insignia cut off to see if a map or some other contraband is secreted within. Even the soles and heels of the shoes are cut off in their search — as happened in my case. I had no regret in leaving that camp for I felt that I cpnld not be much worse off, and I might possibly find conditions better at the next camp. Besides, we consid- ered a journey the best time for attempting to escape. At Karlsruhe we had no breakfast. At noon we had soup made out of leaves, and a plate of black potatoes or horse carrots, or something similar. At night the same kind of soup again, and that was all, except the 240 grammes of black bread which we received every day. At Karlsruhe I spent about three weeks and in all that time the soup was never changed. It was absolutely tasteless. It was hardly possible to exist on that ration, but the British and French Red Cross Committees had enough food to considerably ameliorate conditions. The French Committee had orders from France to take care of Americans, and while they had very few supplies, I was given what they did have in like manner to their own countrymen. The morning I left Karlsmhe, I noticed that all the 230 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Serbians and about 20 Frenolmien wbo had come in the night before, were also leavicig camp. They were guarded by four sentries. I had two, I was marched through the town to the station and on to the train. The guards then told me we were bound for VUUngen and would get there about 3:00 P. M, I saw a time table and planned to jump from the train at the first opportunity, but preferably as far south as possible in order not to have so far to walk to reach the Swiss frontier. But never once had I the least opportunity of breaking from the guards. They sat on either side of me with their guns (which were loaded) pointed at me at all times. Finally we were only a few mUes from Villingen, the train had already reached and passed the crest of the mountains and was on the down grade making good speed. I knew it had to be now or not at all. So watch- ing my chance I caught one guard half dozing and the other with his head turned in the other direction, and jumping past them I dove for the window. It was very small, probably 18x24 inches. On the outside of the car there was nothing to land on so I simply fell to thjp ground. Just as I disappeared, the guards who had been wondering what it all was about, jumped to their feet with a shout and pulled the bell cord. The train came to a stop about 300 yards farther on. In the meantime I had landed on the second railway track. The ties were of steel and in falling I struck my head on one and was stunned for a few seconds. But the injury that did the damage was to my knees which struck another tie and were cut so badly that I could not bend them. I struggled to my feet and tried to shuffle off towards the hills and forest a few hundred yards away. But by this time the guards were out of the train and firing at me. I kept on going as long as I could, and then turned around and found that the guards were ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 23l only 75 yaxds away, so I held up my hands as a sign that I surrendered. One of the guards had just fired. The shot passed between my hat and shoulder, and had they continued firing they must surely have hit me. When I tamed they were on me in a few seconds. The first guard beat me with the butt of his riffe as I half lay and half sat on the side of the hill. I remember rolling down hill, gaining additional impetus from their boots. They kicked me until I got up, and when I was up they knocked me down again with their guns. I noticed many people workiag in the fields who came over to look on. Finally in knoddng me Hown the seventh or eighth time one of the guards struck me and his gun broke in two at the small of the stock. Villingen was about five miles away. They marched me down the road at as near double time as I could make shuffling along. They were beating and kick- ing me continuously. "We finally arrived at the prison camp and I collapsed on ihe guardhouse porch. I was greeted by the Conunandant, a porkish looking individual and typically Prussian, who bellowed at me in German that if I attempted to escape again I would be shot. An interpreter told me what he said. They sent for the German doctor and he bandaged me from head to foot with the paper bandages they use. Then I was put on a bed in one of the guardhouse cells. For three days I could not move and the vermin that infected the place made it almost unbearable. Later, when I had recuperated enough to move my arms and upper body, I was able to keep most of the vermin away while I was awake. My body was covered with large red eruptions, for the German fleas are as poisonous as Ger- man propaganda. About my sixth day in the cell, I was given a court- martial, or at least I would call it such. There were three officers, and after questioning me they decided that 282 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE I should be given two weeks' solitary confinement in my cell. They never stopped the food and books that the American officers sent in to me, so I was not so badly off as I might have been. When I came out of the cell, how- ever, I weighed only 120 pounds — ^I had lost 30. Thereupon I began to consider fresh plans for escape. Thanks to Eed Cross food, I built up and got myself in good physical trim. Three plans failed due to treach- ery. There must have been some spies among the Eus- sian officers, who gave our plans to the Germans. We were very much handicapped there because all the or- derlies were Russian and the Russian officers themselves included every variety from the regulars captured in 1914 to some Bolsheviki. We could trust no one. Our own officers included more than 25 combatants, about 20 doc- tors and five merchant officers taken by the raider Wolf. At Villingen the food was practically the same as at Karlsruhe, probably a little better. At least we did not notice that it was so bad because we seldom ate it, having instead our regular parcels from the Eed Cross. The Grermans had finally decided to make Villingen an exclusively American camp. On October 7th all the Russian officers were to be shifted to the north of Ger- many. We knew that meant a thorough search for the following day. Once before we had undergone a search but fortunately the Germans were deceived by the ex- emplary conduct of the men in my barracks, and passed us by. I had a complete set of tools, over 100 large screws taken from all the doors in the camp, and four long chains made out of wire, which, a few days previously, had enclosed the tennis court. All these things were neces- sary in almost any plan of escape that we might devise, and I could not afford to lose them. In the other bar- racks they found several compasses, maps and other con- traband. On one aviator they found a map sewed inside ^ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 233 the double seat of his trousers. This cost him six days' solitary coufinement. But we had suffered one disaster ia this search: that was the loss of our material for lad- der building which we had prepared out of bedslats after prolonged efforts. THE ESCAPE On Sunday, October 6th, the day before the Russians were to leave camp, I called a meeting in my barracks of the 12 other ofl&cers whom I knew were interested in getting away. I insisted that we go that night. Our plan was to try and go over or cut through the fences in different parts of the yard simultaneously. 'We di- vided up into four teams. I had the first team, consisting of two aviators and myself; Major Brown the second team, consisting of one of the aviators and two infantry oflBcers; Lieutenant Willis of the Lafayette Escadrille the third team, consisting of three other aviators; the fourth team was composed of two aviators who decided to go at the last minute. The defensive works of the camp consisted first of the barred windows in the barracks, which ran along parallel to the outer fences ; then a ditch filled with barbed wire and surmounted by a four-foot barbed wire fence. This was about eight feet outside the line of barracks. About seven feet outside the ditch was the last artificial defense — a barbed wire fence about eight or ten feet high with top wires curved inward out of the vertical plane of the rest of the fence. This was to prevent any one from climbing up and over, which would have been simple with a fence straight up and down. Outside the outer fence was a line of sentries about one for every 30 yards, and inside the yard there were two sentries who patrolled at their discretion. 234 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE \ The plan of the first team was to out the iron grating of the window in my barracks and launch a bridge through the opening out to the top of the outer barbed wire fence. We were to then crawl along the bridge and drop down outside the wire. The second team had wire cutters and were to out through the outer wire. The third team were to go out of the main gate with the guard off duty when it rushed out in pursuit of the other teams. The fourth team were to buUd a small ladder and climb over the outer fence. At 10 :30 the barracks lights were turned out as usual. Shortly afterwards the signal was given and a team con- sisting of doctors threw the chains and short circuited all the lighting circuits in the camp. I have never been able to find out how the other teams fared, except to knftw that Willis of the third team and one of the fourth team got out of the camp. My team was more successful. The night before one of the ofS- cers and I stole out to the tennis court and brought into my barracks the two long wooden battens used as mark- ers. We hid them under the beds. They were about 2^/^ inches wide, one inch thick and were 18 feet long. I had had my eye on them for a long time because they were the only things in the camp to reach from the window ledge to the outer barbed wire fence. They were very light and of course would not hold any weight, but I had a plan to remedy that. Two Army officers who did not care to go were to launch the bridge through the window to the outer fence, leaving the three-foot overlap on the inboard side. When we crawled over the bridge they would then put their weight on the ends that overlapped and this would neutralize the great bending moment at the middle of the span. I had stolen Bed Cross food boxes and with the boards from these I mad© little flats which when screwed to the ADVENTURES OF LT. ISAACS 235 long battens (nailing would have attracted the guards) would make a very passable bridge. In the afternoon one of my team and I cut and filed the grating in my window. It had to be done when the guards were at the end of their beats outside, but we finally finished by dark. After last muster at 7 :00 P. M. we began on the bridge and finished it by 10 :00 o'clock. I then blackened it with shoe black- ing so it would not appear white in the darkness. As the lights went out the bridge was thrown across and the smallest in the team of three crawled out. I was second and the heaviest man third. When the bridge struck the outer fence, the nearest guards ran to the spot singing out: "Halt! Halt!" As the first man reached the end of the bridge and dropped to the ground outside, I was beside him before he could straighten up and coach- ing him I dashed past the guar 1917 i Carried by U. S. Navy Transports and by Other U. S. Ships No. of U. S. N. Trans- ports and Other U. S. Ships Sailed ' 1 1 ^1 if 1-1 s 1" May 1036 3 1543 6 67 33 June 14011 17 15091 18 59 6.6 July 296 1 5281 8 12776 15 41 57 Aug. e094 2 5419 8 19403 17 22 61 Sept. 13917 15 33588 27 41 59 Oct. 1916 1 25098 14 40027 24 62.5 32.5 Nov. 1830 1 11223 11 23722 19 41.5 46 Dec. 37445 16 48815 26 77 23 . 1918 Jan. 1879 1 25662 16 48065 26 53 42.6 Feb. 3 1 39977 17 49239 22 81.5 18.5 Mar. 1895 4 56279 27 85710 45 66 33 Apr. 1794 5 68290 38 120072 63 66 39.6 2 May 2231 B 99561 55 247714 141 39 53.5 6 June 4538 4 121269 47 280434 128 41.25 60 6 July 11866 5 112466 46 311359 147 35 66.6 3.5 Aug. 14358 9 124896 51 286375 140 41 48 3 Sept. 5506 3 112536 63 269670 129 41 52 8 Oct. 1950 8 76801 60 184063 127 39 H 6 To Nov. 11 1426 12 12124 24 10 88 Grand Total 52066 43 952581 514 2079880 1142 43.76 48.26 3 APPENDIX: TABLE B MS TABLE B [Campleteci] Report by Months op Tbanbpobt amd Esooht Duty Performed bt U. S. and Foreign Nayibs up to Siqnino of the Armisticb -Sod ied by Other 1, French, ian, etc. d by U.S.N, ports and LT. S. Ships 1 m 1 1 1 (A 1 1 ^H-? % Carri Ships Itel: •sa^ PQ € J 5j ' s 1917 O 6S %Can Tra Othe !3 1 1- 1 6? E3 6§ 6? May 67 258 1285 17 83 June 34.5 93.5 15032 59 99 1 July 2 41 10063 2566 247 78.5 20 1.5 Aug. 6 11 28 12259 4129 3015 63 21 16 Sept. 41 17432 12898 3258 51.5 39 9.5 Oct. 5 62.5 36893 3134 92.5 7.5 Nov. 4.5 8 46 13246 10476 56.5 43.5 Dec. 77 42783 6032 87.5 12.5 1918 Jan. 4.5 53 35827 12228 75 25 Feb. 81.5 48795 444 99 1 Mar. 2 65 73095 12615 85 15 Apr. 1 1.5 57 91308 28764 75.5 24.5 May 1.5 1 40.5 220463 26652 599 88.5 11 .5 June i.is 1.5 43.5 244631 30912 4S91 87.5 11 1.5 July 1 4 36 258332 46329 6698 83 15 2 Aug. 3 5 44 237920 22572 25883 83 8 9 Sept. 2 2 43 224298 20681 14691 86 8 6 Oct. 3 1 42 130274 51454 2335 70.5 28.5 1 To Nov. 11 2 12 7461 4673 61.75 38.25 Grand Total e.5 1 2.5 46.25 1720360 297903 61617 82.75 14,125 3.125 244 HISTORY OF. TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE C Eepobt bt Months op Thanbpoht Duty Fbbfobued bt U. S. Navy and All Other Ships, U. S. and Fobeign, in Retubning Troops and Other Passengers to U. S. Prior to Signing or Armistice 1 IS 6?S ^1* 1917 May- June July August September October November December 1918 Januaiy February March April May June July August September October To Nov. 11 Total 41 37 66 274 402 608 BU 368 946 1920 1710 959 11211 1 86 86 46 39 lOi 23 67 5? 306 183 1000 47 37 67 360 488 554 583 469 969 1987 1766 3742 1142 12211 87.3 100 98.6 76 82.3 91.7 93.3 78.4 97.6 96.6 97 91.8 84 91.8 12.7 1.4 24 17.7 8.3 6.7 21.6 2.4 8.4 8 8.2 16 8.2 APPENDIX: TABLE D 245 TABLE D Report by Months of Trai^sport Dutt Performed by -U. S. Navy and All Other Ships, U. S. and Foreictn, rN Retubnino Troops and Other Passengers to TJ. S. Since Signing op Abmisticb (B t. K (U •|pS it \. Cl§ ■s "-"I 3a3 S) I| l^ "S^ ^ ^1 1^ rried by , Ships U. Forei in Carried b dTransp * do ^5 f "1 6 6S§ 1918 FiiomNov.il 7689 508 8197 93.9 6.1 December 47228 22861 70089 67.2 32.8 1919 Januaiy 97039 23097 120136 80.8 19.2 February 96368 44463 140831 68.3 37.7 March 165312 42049 207361 79.7 20.3 April ,243697 30806 274503 88.8 11.2 May 278600 34610 313210 89.0 11.0 Jime 314167 26779 340946 92.0 8.0 Jidy 268049 27162 295211 90.8 9.2 August 112694 2127 114821 98.0 2.0 September 44890 2961 47851 93.8 6.2 Total 1675733 257423 1933156 86.7 13.3 246 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE RECORD OF SHIPS OF THE Complete List of Aix U. S. Naval Tbanspobts and TJ. S. Battle8hip8 and THE Dates of June 14, 1917, and October 1, 1919, Which THE CeDISEB and The following Naval Transports were used in transporting troops to and from Frame employed in transpartimj s us Voyages Made Prior p" § •" 3 to Signing of Armistice eS Is ,2 Name of Ship Date Placed in CommisBion ' fl M J-i % "3|« if K or Attached to Force Type o! Vessel ^1 11 ^1 ^'^ f 1 Aeolus Aug. 4-17, Ex-German 22000 2800 3500 8 24770 400 e Agamenmo4 Aug. 21-17, Ex-German 30000 3400 5800 10 36097 214 3 America Aug. 6-17, Ex-German 41500 4000 7000 9 39768 168 4 Antigone Sept. 5-17, Ex-German 15000 2000 3500 8 16526 101 B Calamares Apr. 9-18, Am-Passenger 10000 1400 2200 5 7657 6 Covington July 28-17, Ex-German 41600 3400 4100 6 21628 7 De Kalb (Aux. Cruiser) May \ii-VJ, Ex-German 14280 800 1600 11 11334 48 8 Finland Apr. 26-18, Am-Passenger 22000 3500 3800 5. 12654 16 9 Geo. Washington Sept. 6-17, Ex-German 39435 5600 6500 9 48373 484 10 Great Northern Nov. 1-17, Am-Passdiger 14000 2800 3300 10 28248 677 11 Hancock Marine Transport 10000 1000 1000 2 1438 12 Harrisburg May 29-18, Am-Passenger 15000 2100 2600 4 9855 13 Henderson May 24-17, Marine Tranjp. 10000 1800 2500 10 16362 112 14 Huron July 25-17, Ex-German 15000 2300 3400 8 20871 67 15 K. der Nederlanden Apr. 4-18, Dutch Chart'r'd 13600 2200 2200 3 6283 16 Eroonland Apr. 25-18, Am-Passenger 22000 3300 3800 5 14125 77 17 Lenape Apr. 24-17, Am-Passenger 7000 1200 1900 6 8976 APPENDIX: TABLE E 24t E CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE Cbuisebs Enqaged nsr Thansporting Troops to and from Praucb between Wer;b Operated under the Comuand of the Commander of Tbansfobt Force during the War and continued in service after the Armistice was signed and zeere' troops back from France Voyages Made from Signing of Armistice to Oct. 1, 1919 "^1 Final Disposition <-s ?| I 1^ ■s|„ swg' "s|» ||| "S^S a Date of Arrival in U. S. on |lj Last Voyage as a Transport Date Placed out of Commission H ^»< -si or TiansiEeried from Force 7 18i8 22080 6018 47432 Shipping Board Sept. 6-19— Sept. 6-19 9 1782 41179 , 4426 78249 Army Transport Service Aug. 18-19— Aug. 27-19 8 42 46823 4668 86801 Army Transport Service Sept. 15-19— Sept. 26-19 8 13 22065 4150 38705 Army Transport Service Sept. 16-19— Sept. 24-10 5 41 10113 21 17821 United Fruit Co. Aug. 17-19— Aug. 19-19 21628 Torpedoed and sunk, July 1, 1918 8 1 8949 3868 20332 Shipping Board Sept. 6-19— Sept. 6-19 8 11 27762 4435 40443 Inter. Mercantile Marine Sept. 4-19— Sept, 4-19 9 351 34142 6085 83350 8 2308 22862 6522 64085 Army Transport Service Aug. 8-19— Aug. 15-19 ^ 1438 June 4-18— Sept. 7-19 ' 6 624 14140 2808 24619 Inter. Mercantile Marine Aug. 28-19— Aug. 11-19 6 822 8606 4284 25892 Aug. 25-19— Sept. 12-19 7 138 20582 1546 41668 Shipping Board Aug. 23-19— Aug. 25-19 6 11339 1296 17622 Dutch Government Aug. 19-19— Aug. 19-19 8 22 23598 2554 37822 Shipping Board Sept. 10-19— Sept. 13-19 8 8976 United Fruit Co. Sept. 3-18— Oct. 29-18 ^48 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD OF SHIPS OP THE ■0 1 S!, Voyages Made Prior Name of Ship Date Placed in Commission or Attached tp Force Type of Vessel 'o, s B to Signing of Armistice / si V f 18 Leviathan July 25-17, Ex-German 69000 9000 12000 10 96804 650 19 Louisville Apr. 27-18, Am-Passenger 14000 2300 2500 4 9247 14 20 Madawaska Aug. 27-17, Ex-German 15000 2000 2800 9 17931 21 21 H. E. Mallory Apr. 17-18, Am-Passenger 11000 1800 2000 6 9756 22 Manchuria ' Apr. 25-18, Am-Passenger 26500 3500 4800 4 14491 16 23 Martha Washington Jan. 2-18, Ex-German 14500 2800 3400 8 22311 185 24 Matsonia ' March 1-18, Am-Passenger 17000 2300 3400 6 13329 10 25 Maui March 6-18. Am-Passenger 17500 3500 3800 . 4 11042 11 26 Mercury Aug. 3-17, Ex-German 16000 2900 3200 7 18542 20 27 Mongolia M?iy 8-18, Am-Passenger 26695 3700 4700 5 19013 24 28 Mount Vernon July 28-17, Ex-German 32130 3100 5800 9 33692 86 29 Northern Pacific Nov. 1-17, Am-Passenger 12500 2400 2800 9 20711 38 SO Orizaba May 27-18, Am-Passenger 13000 3100 4100 6 15712 16 31 Pastores . May 6-18, Am-Passenger 13000 ,1600 2100 6 9928 99 32 Plattsburg May 25-18, Am-Passenger 10000 2300 2600 4 8776 411 33 Pocahontas July 25-17, Ex-German 14500 2400 2900 9 20503 221 34 Powhatan Aug. 16-17, Ex-German 17000 1800 3100' 7 14613 46 35 Pres. Grant Aug. 2-17, Ex-German 33000 4800 5900 8 39974 36 Pres. Lincoln July 25-17, Ex-German 29000 3800 4700 5 26143 J' 37 Princess Matoika May 27-18, Ex-German 17500 3500 3900 6 21216 206 38 Bijndam May 1-18, Dutch ChartVd 22070 3100 3700 6 17913 439 APPENDIX: TABLE E 249 [Continuedl CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE Voyages Made from Signing 7 of Armistice to Oct. I, 1919 11 ^^1 5-s ^1 Final Disposition i-s ^"S "SSs. "o § * ■s-gs Date of Arrival in U. S. on ^1 a 1 = III sua S n O Last Voyage as a Transport Date Placed oat of Commission ll Ip m 2i| or Transferred from Force ■i^ |l If 1^ h' 9 1517 93746 10913 192753 Shipping Board Sept. 8-19— Sept. 9^19 7 166 14823 1538 24250 Inter. Mercantile Marine Aug. 20-19— Aug. 20-19 7 7 16978 2287 34937 Army 'ftansport Service Aug. 23-19— Sept. 2-19 7 2 12143 2371 21901 Malloiy S. S. Co. Aug. 2»-19— Aug. 30-19 9 232 39501 6186 54230 Atlantic Transport Co. Aug. 25-19— Aug. 29-19 8 127 19201 987 41824 July 27-19 8 237 23321 853 36895 Matson Navigation Co. Aug. 20-l»-Aug. 21-19 8 3 25217 8184 36273 Matson Navigation Co. Aug. 17-1&— Aug. 18-19 8 30 20871 510 39463 Army Transport Sovice Sept. 19-19— Sept. 27-19 8 487 34813 2707 54337 Aug. 9-19— Aug. 18-19 8 125 42500 4015 76402 Army Transport Service Sept. 11-19— Sept. 29-19 4 8117 5895 28866 Army IVansport Service Aug. 12-19— Aug. 21-19 9 16 31705 2933 47449 Army Transport Sorviee Aug. 30-l»-Sept. 4-19 8 14000 4597 24027 Shipping Board Aug. 30-19— Aug. 30-19 7 509 14634 2956 24330 Inter. Mercantile Marine Aug. 29-19— Aug. 29-19 9 1715 20693 1382 43141 6 46 15392 1880 30087 Aug. 2S-19— Sept. 2-19 8 130 37025 3301 1 77129 Army Transport Service Sept. 22-19— Oct. 6-19 9 20143 Torpedoed and sunk. May 31. 1918 8 2015 24859 5251 48296 Army IVansport. Service Sept. 10-19— Sept. 16-19 7 5 20972 4465 39329 Dutdi Government Aug. 4-19— Aug. 4-19 250 HISTORY 01' TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD OF SHIPS OF THE - feo§ a s Voya^ Made Prior to Sigung of Annirtioe '^ 3, Name of Ship § "1 '-'3' f!^ It ^ Date Placed in Commisnon' u O 9 o ^ It *S 2 & or Attached to Force Type of Vessel ^ % fp f S9 Siboney Apr. 8-18, Am-Passenger 11250 3100 4000 7 20219 11 !" Sierra July 1-18, Am-Passenger 10000 1500 1700 1 1712 41 Susquehanna - Sept. 6-17, Ex-German 16950 2200 3300 8 18345 u 48 Tenadores i-. 10000 1200 1200 13 15698 » I, ir Apr. 17-18, Am-Passengler 43 Von Steuben June 9-17, Ex-German 22000 1200 2900 9 14347 21 44 Wilhelmina Jan. 26-18, Am-Passenger 13500 1800 2100 6 11053 90 45 Zeelandia Apr. 3-18, Dutch C3iart'r'd 12950 1800 3000 5 8349 8 Total 879860 122100 161100 306 870324 5051 BATTLESHIPS AND CRUISERS us Voyages Made Prior Name of Ship •|| "li to Sigmng of ArmiitlOB J Date Attached to Force or \ u» a o ^1 1%. 1? Readiness for 3 i-t eS ® 3 & "Sag \ Type of Vessel v n •a"! i1 i3 ^ 46 Charleston Jan. 17-17, Cruiser 10839 1700 1700 47 Connecticut Dec. 25-18, Battleship 16000 \iooo 1300 48 Prederick Jan. 2-19, Ciiiiser 13720 1600 1700 "l 49 Georgia Dec. 10-18, Battleship 14948 900 1400 "i 50 Huntington 13720 1700 2000 u Dec. 14-18, Cruiser APPENDIX: TABLE E 251 [Continued] CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE Voiyagea Made from Sgmng of Armistice to Oct. 1. 1919 If ^1 3^ 3| Final DiaposHaoa si "sl ^ g » l"l go™ , Date of Arrival in IT. S. on Hi III Last Voyage as a Transport S Sfr\ l|* l-S ■3Sra 1^ »iB il ^ 10 177 34702 5307 55169 Army Transport Service Sept. 2-19— Sept. 10-19 8 3 10689 2250 12404 Oceanic S. S. Co. Sept. 1-19— Sept. 1-19 7 1029 15S37 2676 34911 Shipping Board Aug. 27-19— Aug. 29-19 I 1664 226 17370 Stranded on rocks at St. Nazaire, Dec. 28. 1918 8 1187 22025 2253 37580 Army Transport Service Sept. 28-19— Oct. 13-19 7 3 11577 2610 22723 Matson Navigation Co. Aug. 6-19— Aug. 6-19 7 3170 15737 3549 27344 Dutch Grtjvemment JiOy 31-19— July 31-19 304 19275 956672 141779 1850435 USED FOR RETURNING TROOPS Voyages Hade bom Signing of Armistice to Oct. 1. 1919 3, ■s-gl &. 5!U S> 5| Final Dispoation Date at Arrival in U. S. on it Z|o Mis 11^ Last Voyage as a Tiansport III •ii« i-s"" i"ii Date Placed ont of CommisdoD a| or Traosfoied from Force -33 if II P 5 7704 34 7704 Returned to Fleet June 29-19-^uly 2-19 4 1 4861 30 4862 Returned to Fleet June 22-19-June 23-19 .6 2 9659 83 9661 Returned to Fleet July 12-19-iIuly 14-19 S 6869 58 6869 Returned to Fleet June 28-19— July 1-18 6 11913 42 11913 Returned to Fleet July 5-19-^uly 8-19 252 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD OF SHIPS OF THE BATTLESHIPS AND CRUISERS •i ."§ Voy toS ages Made Prior Name of Ship 1 gning of Armistice ■M.M A Date Attached to Force or KeedinesB for Transporting Troops 5 ii o -\. 'ii 1 |l S a> ■sas Type of Vessel a IP ■i'l 1^ ¥ f 61 Kansas Dec. 10-18, Battleship 16000 1600 1900 52 Louisiana Dec. 21-18. Battleship 15000 900 1400 63 Michigan Dec. 21-18, Battleship 16000 1000 1000 64 Minnesota jFeb. 26-19, Battleship 16000 1200 1400 BS Missouri Mar. 6-19, Battleship 12240 700 1000 66 Montana Jan. 12-19, Cruiser 14375 1300 1500 67 Nebraska Dec. 28-18, Battleship 16325 1000 1200 68 New Hampshire Dec. 21-18, Battleship 18664 1000 1300 69 New Jersey Dec. 28-18, Battleship 14046 1000 1400 60 North Carolina Dec. 23-18, Cruiser 14372 1200 1500 61 Ohio Feb. 4-19, Battleship 14150 700 700 62 Pueblo Jan. 18-19, Cruiser 13300 1550 1800 63 Rhode Island Dec. 17-18, Battleship 14948 900 1100 64 Rochester Jan. 14-19, Cruiser 8150 300 300 66 Seattle Dec. 21-18, Cruiser 15000 1600 1600 66 South Carolina Feb. 18-19, Battleship 16000 1100 1400 67 South Dakota ,4 Dec. 21-19; Cruiser 14000 1600 1800 68 St. Louis Dec. 18-18, Cruiser 9700 1300 1400 69 Vermont Jan. 7-19, Battleship 16000 1000 1200 70 Virginia Dec. 17-18, Battleship 14980 900 1400 Total 358477 28660 34400 APPENDIX: TABLE E 253 [Continuedl CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE USED FOR RETTJRNING TROOPS Toysgea Made from Signing ■O rt of Annistice to Oct. I, 1919 || it « ' h. ?is ill Final Disposition Date of Arrival in TJ. S. on £■1 ll B «N 1 Last Voyage as a Transport Date Placed out of Commission va a wW aS a ^1 ■3&S or l^ansferred from Force ^■^ *3 o 1^ ^1 P4 5 V486 83 7486 Returned to Fleet June 27-19-^iily 1-19 - i 4714 29 4714 Returned to Fleet June 30-19— June 30-19 2 1052 22 1052 Returned to Fleet Apr. 26-19— July 2-19 3 3955 12 3955 Returned to Fleet July 21-19-^uly 29-19 4 3278 14 3278 Returned to Fleet July 26-19-^uly 28-19 6 1 8800 29 8801 Returned to Fleet June 30-19-July 3-19 4 10 4530 47 4540 Returned to Fleet June 21-19— June 22-19 * i 4900 14 4902 Returned to Fleet June 22-19-June 24-19 4 4675 29 4675 Returned to Fleet June 7-19— June 9-19 6 8962 15 8962 Returned to Fleet July 1-19— July 3-19 1 778 8 778 Returned to Fleet Mar. 13-19— Ma;-. 16-19 6 10136 33 10136 Returned to Fleet July fe-19— July 16-19 S 5303 26 5303 Returned to Fleet July 4-19-^uly 6-19 1 317 317 Returned to Fleet Mar. 4-19— Mar. 4-19 6 1 9397 14 9398 Returned to Fleet July 4-19— July 6-19 4 1 4601 11 4502 Returned to Fleet ^•' July 26-19-^uly 28-19 i 3463 3463 Returned to Fleet ft July 19-19— July 2(M89 ' i- ,6 8437 22 8437 Petumed to Fleet V July 13-19— July 14-19 hi 4795 18 4795 Returned to Fleet V June 20-19— June 22-19 s 5784 18 5784 Returned to Fleet July 6-19— July 7-19 108 18 145249 681 145287 254 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD OF SHIPS OP THE MERCHANT SHIPS CONVERTED INTO TROOP TRANSPORTS ■ So Name of Sbip Date Placed in CommiBsion 1 i 1^ 111 or Attached to Force Type of Vessel ^ it^ ill f 71 Alaskan Dec. 12-18, Am-Cargo 8000 jilOO 2300 72 Amphion Apr. 12-19, Elx-Ger'n C^rgo 15530 2400 2500 p p 78 Ancon ^ax. 28-19, Am-Cargo 20000 3000 3100 74 Arcadia J^. 2prje. Es-Ger'n Cargo 7900 1000 1100 p 75 Anzonian Aug. 14-18, Am-Cargo 18500 2500 2600 p 76 Artemis Apr, 8-19, Ey-Gej'n Cargo 12540 3800 4000 p 77 Black Arrow Jan. 27-19. Ex-Ger'ii Cargo 12200 1500 1600 p 78 Buford Jan. 15-19, Arpiy Trws. 10000 1000 1200 p p 79 Callao Apr. 26-19, E^-Ger'n Cargo 13164 2400 2400 p 80 Canandaigua Mar. 2-19, Am-Cargo 7610 1400 1400 81 Cananocius Mar. 8-19, Am-Cargo 7600 1400 140Q 82 Cape May- Jan. 29-19, Am-Cargo 10350 1800 1900 ,0 83 Comfort Mar. 18t18. U. S. N. Hosp. Slup 10000 300 400 84 Dakotan Jan. 29-19, Ani-Cargo 14375 1500 2000 85 Eddelyn July 18-19, Am-C»rgo 12500 985 985 86 El Sol Aug. 5-18, AmTCargo 10000 1800 1800 87 El Oriente April 11-19, Am-Cargo 11000 2000 2000 88 May 1-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo 6900 1500 1800 89 Eur^ia 15250 1800 1800 Sept. 13-18, Am-Cargo APPENDIX: TABLE E ^5 [C!oniinued\ CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE FOR RETDRNING TROOPS AFTER SIGNING OP ARMISTICE Voyages Made from Sigmng §i of Armistice to October 1. 1919 3.= 3-a 3^ Final Disposition "Si. ^■s ?|a ill Date of Arrival in U. S. on ssl |«l Idst Voyage as a Transport lis Sf^n 5^1 5| §U s Date Placed oat of Commis^on a S m ^l~ 1 1^ ^^ ^* 4 8643 35 8643 Am-Hawaiian Co. July lS-19-nJuly 16-19 8 6417 45 6417 Shipping Board Sept. 8-19— Sept. 4-19 2 6112 40 6112 Panama R. R. Co. July 7-19— July 15-19 B 4700 40 5700 Shipping Board Sept. 11-19— Sept. 13-19 4 7794 28 7794 Am-Hawaiian Co. Sept. 2-19— Sept. 2-19 4 11760 120 11760 Shipping Board Sept. 28-19— Sept. 24-19 3 4759 25 4759 Shipping Board Jidy 21-19— Aug. 1-19 B 4717 24 4717 Army Trans. Service Aug. 22-19-Aug. 26-19 i 8731 52 3731 Shipping Board Sept. 4-l»-Sept. 8-19 4 4828 32 4828 S. Pacific R. R. Co. Aug. 26-19— Aug. 28-19 3 4153 27 4153 S. Parific R. R. Co. July 10-19-July 12-19 3 1 5726 19 5727 Shipping Board July 6-19— July 14-19 3 1192 649 1192 U. S. Navy Mar. 18-19— Mar. 13-19 5 5 8812 37 8817 Am-Hawaiian Co. July 20-19-^uly 20-19 1 985 3 985 Anny Trans. Service Sept. 4-19— Sept. 12-19 e 2710 4 2710 Ward Line Aug. 23-19— Aug. 28-19 2 2981 5 2981 Ward Line Aug. 24-19— Aug. 25-19 2 3296 46 3296 Shipping Board July 31-19— Aug. 5-19 e 1886 1886 NafiaS.S.Co. Sept. 14-l»-SeDt. 27-19 256 HISTORY OF, TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD OP SHIPS OP THE MERCHANT SHIPS CONVERTED INTO TROOP TRANSPORTS I ."1 Voyages Made Priof to Signing of Armistice ■g §o i 1 Name of Ship Bate Placed in Commiasion If ll 3-8 ^1« or Attached to Force - % J'i Type of Vessel ^ f<>H ij It 90 Floridian Jan. 28-19. Am-Cargo 9800 1700 1800 91 Freedom Jan. 24-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo 11175 1600 1700 92 Gen. Goethals Mar. 10-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo 7700 1400 1400 93 Gen. Gorgas Mar. 8-;19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo 5300 1000 1100 94 Housatonic Feb. 27-19. Am-Cargo 7522 1400 1400 95 lowati Dec. 23-17. Am-Cargo 13912 1800 2000 96 Kientuckian Jan. 29-19. Am-Cargo 14405 1900 1900 9T Lancaster June 19-19, Am-Cargo 11500 2000 2000 98 Liberator July 28-18, Am-Cargo 12000 2500 2500 99 E. P. Luckenbach June 11-18, Am-Caigo 20000 2200 2300 100 Edward Luckenbach Dec. 80-19, Am-Cargo 6600 2200 2400 101 F. J. Luckenbach Feb. 2i^l9, Am-Cargo li^OO 2400 2400 102 Julia Luckenbach Jan. 17-19. Am-Cargo 18390 2700 2700 103 Eatrina Luckenbach May 18-18, Am-Cargo 15000 2250 2250 104 £. I. Luckenbach Aug. 9-18, Am-Cargo 16000 2300 2400 105 W. A. Luckenbach Dec. 14-18. Am-Cargo 17170 2400 2600 106 Marica June 9-19, Am-Cargo 17700 2000 2000 107 Mercy Jan. 24-18. U. S. N. Hosp. Ship , 10100 400 400 108 Mexican Dec. 13-18, Am-Cargo 18200 2500 2500 APPENDIX: TABLE E 257 [CoTcHnuedl CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE FOR RETURNING TROOPS AFTER SIGNING OP ARMISTICE Voyages Made from Signing . o{ Armistice to Oc t. 1, 1919 11 . 23 s g. ast Voyage as a Transport IF 1! or Transferred from Force H ^f^. \ 4 7209 19 7209 Am-Hawaiian Co. July 16-19— July 17-19 4 2 4981 5 4983 Shipping Board Sept. 4-19— Sept. 5-19 4 4238 20 4238 20'S2 Panama R. R. Co, July 8-19— Aug. 27-19 8 19 2063 13 Panama R. R. Co. July 3-19— July 16-19 8 4166 6 4166 S. Pacific R. R. Co. July 13-^9— July 15-19 6 9876 32 9876 Am-Hawaiian Co. Aug. 29-19— Aug. 30-19 B 8895 23 8895 Am-Hawaiian Co. Aug. 30-19— Sept. 2-19 4 5624 276 5624 Shipping Board Sept. 4-19— Sept. 5-19 5 9658 9 9658 Shipping Board Sept. 4-19— Sept. 4-19 B 9372 13 9372 8 6812 28 6812 Luckenbach Co. July 3-19-July 28-19 i 4695 12 4695 Luckenbach Co. July 29-19-^uly 31-19 4 10579 39 10579 Luckenbach Co. Aug. 4-19— Aug. 4-19 1 1 1 Luckenbach Co. S 4833 10 4833 Luckenbach Co. Sept. 15-19— ftept. 13-19 B 12525 800 12525 Luckenbach Co. July 11-19— July 17-19 2 S243 8 3243 Army Trans. Service Sept. 2-19— Sept. 12-ld 4 14S 1946 1977 2089 U. S. Navy May 26-l»— May 26-19 B 12386 37 12386 Am-Hawaiian July 23-19-JuIy 23-19 258 HISTORY OE TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD OP SHIPS OP TflE MERCHANT SHIPS CONVERTED INTO TROOP TRANSPORTS 1 Voyages Made Prim Name of Ship Date Placed in Commission 1 ■^1 to Signing of AiUiistice i J^ l|a or Attached to Force TSTpe of Vessel ^ li Kg^ l^tl S| b f 109 Minnesotafl fen. 8-19. Am-Cargo 14375 i 2000 2000 110 Montpelier Msf . 12-19, Es-Ger'n Cargd 16430 2100 2300 111 Nansemond Jan. 20-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargd 27000 4900 fiSOO 112 Ohioan Aug. 7-18, Am-Cstrgo 13345 1600 1900 113 Otsego f eb. 8-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo 8750 1000 lOOO 6 114 Panaman Aug. 12-18, Am-Cargo 14495 2100 2200 •0 lis Paysandu Jan'2».Iff, Ex-Ger'n Cargd 5750 1400 1400 116 Peerless Mai". S1S-1&, Ato-Carg» 4214 2300 2300 117 Philippines May 1-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo* 18650 4000 4000 118 Radnor Mar. 6-19, Am^Cargo 14000 2000 2000 119 Roanoke Mar. 19-19, Am-Cargd 6500 1400 1400 120 Santa Ana feb. 11-19, Am-Cargd 9000 1400 1700 121 Santa Barbata Feb. 21-19, Am^Carga 9400 1600 1600 122 Santa Cecilia May 20-18, Am-Cargo 11000 2000 2000 123 SanU Clara Jan. 18-19, Am-Cargo 13000 1600 1806 124 Santa Elena Apr. acr-ld; Ex-Ger'n &aga 13000 900 900 126 Santa Elisa hme IS-W, Am-Cargo 9345 1400 1400 126 Santa Leonora July f-Wi AfttCasrg* 9945 1406 1460 6 127 Santa Malta 13340 1700 1700 Feb. 19-19, Am-Cargo APPENDIX: TABLE E [ConHHiied[ CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE ^ FOR RETURNING TROOPS AFTER SIGNING OF ARMISTICE 2^9 Voyages Made from Sgmntf of Armistice to Oct. li 1819 si i-a if Si ^t %t Final Dispo^taoa "^l» .|| III Date of irrival in U. S. on Last Voyage as a Transport If ^o< Sz:|£ or Trailsf erred from Force 4 8038 164 8038 Am-Hawaiian Aug. S-19— Ao^, 4-19 4 768? 15 7587 Shipping Board Sept. 10^19-Bepfc 15^19 S ^619 557 23619 Shipping Board Aug. 2^19— Aiig. 25-19 6 8383 42 8383 Am-Hawaiian Co. . Sept. 16-19-fi*pt. Ifr-l9 4 e 344« 79 3452 Shipping Bo^id Aug. 28-19^Atig. 28-19 6 11399 26 11393 Am-Hawaiian Co. Aug; e9-l»^Aag- 29-ld i 2736 4 2736 Shipping Board July l4-l»-July 16-19 S 4659 11 4659 Standard Trans. Co. Aug. 80-l»^-Sept. 2-19 i 4142 6 4142 Shipping Board S^t. 26-l*-Se:pt. 23^1? £876 15 5876 Shipping Board Sept i3-l»-Sqrf. 24-19 6507 19 6507 S. Pacific R. R. Co. Aug. 1-19--Aiig. 1-19 1 5960 89 6961 Grace S. S. Co. Jul^ 7-19— July 14-19 6310 6 6310 Grace S. S. Co. July 23-iaNjiil^ 24-19 6126 67 6126 Nafia S. S. Co. Sept. 7-19-Sept. 26-19 6863 11 6863 Atlantic & Pacific Co; Aug. S-19— Aug. 3-ial e 1707 8 1707 Cunaid S. S. Co. July K-19-Aug. 20-19 2 2312 6 2312 Shipping Board Sept. 19-1»-Sept, 26-19 1 395 26 395 Army Trans. Service Aug. 19-19— Sept. 9-19 3 3756 21 3756 Shipping Board Aug. 30-19— Oct. 14-19 260 HISTORY OF. TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD OF SHIPS OF THE MERCHANT SHIPS CONVERTED INTO TROOP TRANSPORTS , a Wa Voyages Made Prior Name of Ship Bate Placed in Commiasioli Type of Vessel 1 iginal Troop Carrying acity Including Office i al to Si^ng of Armistice i SOS. *° c 1 <5| ^« 33 1 " 128 Santa Olivia Dec. 20-18, Am-Cargo 9400 1900 1900 129 Santa Paula Jan. 29-19. Atn-Cargo 13500 2100 2200 130 Santa Rosa Mar. 10-19, Am-Cargo 10000 2100 2100 131 Santa Teresa Nov. 8-18. Am-Cargo 6900 1800 2000 132 Scranton Feb. S-19, Am-Cargo 14000 1900 1900 133 Shoshone Feb. 19-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo 8749 1400 1400 134 Sol Navis June 25-19, Am-Cargo 11075 2400 2400 135 South Bend May 5-19, Am-Cargo 17716 2300 2300 136 Suwanee Apr. 11-19, Ex-Ger'n Cargo 6000 2000 2000 137 Texan Jan. 18-19, Am-Cargo 19000 2200 2200 138 Tiger Mar. 7-19, Am-Cargo 10000 2600 2600 139 Troy Feb. 27-19> Am-Cargo 37336 ! 5900 5900 140 Virginian Feb. 1-19, Am-Cargo 12600 4000 4300 141 Yale June 15-19, Am-Cargo 10000 Total 884008 140235 146035 APPENDIX: TABLE E [CooHnvedl CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE FOR RETURNING TROOPS AFTER SIGNING OP ARMISTICE 261 Voyages Made from Signing •O oC Armistice to Oct. 1, 1919 Si If 3l 5-s ^1 Fiiul Disposit^oa l| •gT % 1 9 ^ S a M'B 1 Date of Arrival in V. S. on -II |oH Last Voyage as a Transport ^? Ijl i^^ Date Placed oat of Commisdon si ^11 1 1^ 3P or Transferred from Force ^ ^*. 4 7491 14 7491 Atlantic & Pacific Co. July 9-19— July 14-19 4 8 7447 172 7449 Grace S. S. Co. Aug. 4-19— Aug. 4-19 4 6302 29 6302 Grace S. S. Co. Sept. 23-19— Sept. 24-19 8 14264 4518, 14264 Grace S. S. Co. Sept. 4-19— Sept. 8-19 3 5625 15 5625 Shipping Board July 46-19— July 16-19 i 2820 4 2820 Shipping Board July 16-19-nJuly 18-19 » 3264 3 3264 Shipping Board Sept. 26-19— Sept. 29-19 S 4875 110 4875 Annjjr Trans. Service 'Aug. 23-19— Sept. 3-19 3 4801 15 4801 Shipping Board Sppt. S-19— Sept. 3-19 4 3 8668 7 8671 Standard Trans. Co. Aug. 6-19— Aug. 7-19 3 7739 55 7739 Standard Trans. Co. July 29-19— July 29-19 3 4 14039 45 14043 Standard Trans. Co. Aug. 20^19— Aug. 21-19 4 16631 279 16631 Am-Hawaiian Aug. 8-19— Aug. 4-19 1 001 901 U. S. Navy June 20-19-^uly 20-19 246 186 441986 10452 442172 \ 262 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE E RECORD Oi* SHIPS OF THe GERMAN SHIPS USED FOK KETUHNING 1 Voyages Made PfiSi I'i to Signing of ArmisHbe Name of Ship Date Placed in Commission 1 5 i g « or Attached to Force Type of Vessel ^1 1& III S II & 142 Cap Pinsterre Apr. 11-19, German Pass'r 23000 3800 3800 143 Graf Waldersee Mar. 28-19, German Paas'r 13103 4300 4300 144 Imperator Mely 5-19, German Pass'r 60000 8900 9800 145 K. A. Victoria Ap*. i87-19, German Pass'* 30400 5600 5600 146 Mobile • ^• Mar. 26-19, German Pass'!- 27000 4800 6200 147 Patricia Ap*. 26-19, German Pass'r 12500 2900 2900 148 Pretoria Aug. 24-19, German Pass'r 14100 3000 3000 149 P. F. WJIhelm Mar. 30-19, German Pass'r 26050 3600 3600 150 Zeppelin 12450 4300 4300 Mar. 29-19, German Pass'r Total 220699 41100 42400 Geand Total 2341038 332085 383936 306 870324 5051 APPENDIX: TABLE E ^63 CRUISER AISCD TRANSPORT FORCE TROOPS AFTER SIGNING OP ARMISTICE Voyages Made from Signing of Armiatice to Oct. 1, 1919 11 ii 1^ Date of Arrival in V. S. on Last Voyage as a Transport Date Placed out of Commission S14 1121 161 31 12 1083 1 9718 7728 2803P 22674 21073 8572 10364 14161 15800 58 21 147 460 22 11 40 21 28 10839 7728 28191 22705 21085 8572 11447 14162 15800 Shipping Board Aug. 19-19— Sept. 29-19 Shipping Board Aug. 30-19— Sept. 27-19 Shipping Board Aug. 10-19— Sept. 19-19 Shipping Board Aug. 22-19 Shipping Board Sept. 3-19-Sept- 30-19 Shipping Board Aug. 16-19— Sept. 12-19 Shipping Board Aug. 31-19— Sept. 29-19 Shipping Board Aug. 23-19— Sept.- Shipping Board Sept. 6-19— Oct. 1-19 341^ 2409 138120 808 140529 692J^ 21888 1682027 153720 2578423 264 HISTORYOF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE RECORD OP 10 LEADING SHIPS .s'i Voyages Made Prior 0"^ to Signing of Armistice %° li j Name of Ship Date Placed in Commission 1 s oj" 11 J-s ^.1 2 or Attached to Force TsDC of Vessel IT ■g^ 1- 1 Leviathan July 25-17, Ex-German 69000 9000 12000 10 96804 686 2 America Aug; 6-17, Ex-German 41500 4000 7000 9 37768 168 3 George Washington Sept. 6-17, Ex-German 39436 5600 6500 9 48373 484 4 Agamemnon Aug. 21-17, Ex-German 30000 3400 5800 10 36097 214 6 Pres. Grant Aug. 2-17, Ex-German 33000 4800 6900 8 39974 6 Mount Vernon July 28-17, Ex-German 32130 3100 5800 9 33692 88 7 Siboney Apr. 8-18, Am-Passenger 11260 3100 4000 7 20299 11 8 Mongolia Ma,y 8-18, Am-Passenger 26695 3700 4700 5 19013 24 9 Manchuria Apr. 25-18, Am-Passenger 26600 3500 4800 4 14491 16 10 Great Northern Nov. 1-17, Am-Passenger 14000 2800 3300 10 28248 677 Total 323510 43000 69800 81 374679 2366 APPENDIX: TABLE F 265 CRUISER AND TRANSPORT FORCE Voyages Bfade bom Rigniwe of AiinBtioe to Oct. 1, 1919 of Sick ui iroed from P« |1 ll otid Number of All aiaengen Returned from Europe Final Dispoaitioa Date of AiriTal in TT. S. on 1^1 Xiast Voyage as a Transport Date n&ced out of Commission -1 1^ or Transferred from Force ^ S« 9 1517 93746 10913 192753 U. S. Shipping Board Sept. 8-19— Sept. 9-19 8 42 46823 4668 86801 Anny Trans. Service Sept 15-19— Sept. 26-19 9 851 34142 5085 83350 9 1782 41179 4425 78249 Army Trans. Service Aug. 18-19— Aug. 27-19 8 130 37025 3301 77129 Army Trans. Service S^t. 22-19— Oct. 6-19 8 125 42500 4015 76402 Army Trans. Service Sept. 11-19— Sept. 29-19 10 177 34702 5307 55169 Army Trans. Service Sept. 2-19-Sept. 10-19 8 487 34813 2707 54337 Atlantic Trans. Co. Aug. 9-19— Aug. 18-19 9 232 39501 6186 54230 Atlantic Trans. Co. Aug. 25-19— Aug. 29-19 8 2308 22852 5522 64085 Army Trans. Service Aug. 8-19— Aug. 15-19 86 7161 427283 62129 812505 266 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE G , Sick and Wounded Returned by the Cbuibeb and Tbanspobi Foecb Yeaes 1918 and up to Octobeb, 1919 191S 1918 Abmt 151649 Month Mobile Litter G.U. Insane T. B. Contag. Dead January 85 7 3 6 22 7 February 29 18 7 82 1 March 78 2 4 12 19 10 4 April 59 27 16 16 66 42 26 May 148 39 7 66 89 24 7 June 95 69 5 29 50 6 4 July 349 204 23 137 140 39 6 August 605 180 49 213 162 56 12 Se^Jtember 1667 537 40 336 143 14 3 October 2701 1005 23 693 229 333 322 November 6718 877 67 175 224 152 39 December 14786 1335 73 500 261 55 15 Total 26220 4300 310 2091 1487 732 444 , 1918 Navy 439 5 January 16 2 February 4 1 1 3 March 15 1 3 April 7 9 13 3 9 4 May 16 2 5 2 4 2 Jtme 17 15 4 4 2 3 July ' 36 15 16 9 7 9 2 August 59 32 30 15 20 8 8 September 24 14 11 11 3 4 40 October 58 14 21 6 15 27 30 November 140 15 25 3 6 3 4 December 219 6 68 7 13 7 7 Total 611 108 194 58 78 71 102 APPENDIX: TABLE G TABLE G 267 Sick and WomifDED REnmNED by the Cbthsbb and Teianbpobt Fobcb YeABS 1918 AND CP TO OCTOBSB, 1919 1919 1919 Abut 151649 Month Mobile Litter G. U. Insane T.B. Contag. Dead Jannaiy 15520 2054 66 382 303 158 9 February 13019 1020 70 421 292 470 31 March 19203 2331 90 796 533 750 38 April 15163 1902 60 645 754 389 12 May 14961 1019 78 1226 600 231 18 June 10921 910 207 506 221 91 12 July 3361 635 322 383 207 46 11 August 2343 217 108 107 94 65 1 September 364 206 23 46 36 6 2 Total 94855 10294 1024 4512 3040 2206 134 GRAND TOTAL 121075 14594 1334 6603 4527 2938 678 1919 1 '^AVY 439 5 January 773 86 67 9 17 4 Febmaiy 190 40 109 3 6 27 6 March 188 47 82 5 12 24 4 April 138 53 50 4 11 38 4 May 169 37 72 5 4 15 2 June 132 30 37 6 12 4 1 July 76 16 64 3 3 3 1 August 76 26 117 2 3 8 6 September 112 23 98 10 4 Total 1854 358 696 47 72 123 23 GRAITO TOTAL 2465 466 890 105 150 194 125 268 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE TABLE G [Continued] Sick and WotnroED RETuiorED bt the CsinsEB and Tbansfobt Fobce YeABS 1918 AND VF lO OcTOBEB, 1919 1918 1918 Mabines 3626 Total Anny, Navy Month Mobile Litter G.U. Insane T.B. Contag. Dead and Marines January 148 February 2 148 March 3 1 152 April 2 299 May 1 2 414 June 2 1 e SOS July 9 7 1 3 1011 August 48 13 3 1 1414 September 124 69 1 1 3 3045 October 136 59 4 5 3 2 53 5639 November 182 50 9 6 7696 December 337 51 15 6 3 - 9 17763 Total 840 251 20 16 30 2 70 88036 APPENDIX: TABLE G TABLE G [Completedl 269 Sick and Wounded Returned by the Cruiser and Transport Force Yeabs 1918 and up to October, 1919 1919 1919 Marines 3626 III Month MobUe Litter G. U. Lisane T. B. Contag. Dead and Mia,rines January 139 14 3 5 2 19611 February 235 8 2 2 2 15933 March 560 51 3 13 9 8 24748 April 381 42 14 6 1 19646 May 312 18 ir 9 25 18818 June 239 9 3 10 4 13355 July 50 2 3 2 5188 August 142 8 - 16 7 2 4 3350 September 11 4 946 Total 2069 166 26 71 86 38 121634 GRAND TOTAL 2909 407 46 87 66 41 70 159670 MEMORANDUM OF ADMIRAL VON HOLTZENDORFF, CHIEF OP THE GERMAN ADMIRALTY THE CHIEP OF THE GERMAN ADMHtALTY To B 35840 I Berlin, Dee. 22, 1916. (Strictly secret) I have the honor to transmit to Your Excellency in the annex a note on the necessity of a speedy commence- ment of the xmrestricted U-boat war. Based on the detailed explanations of the annex, I may beg Tour Excellency to consider the following ideas, and I hope to gain a complete agreement in our opinions that it is absolutely necessary to intensify to the utmost possibility our measures against England's sea traflfic in order to take advantage of the favorable situation and to secure for us a speedy victory. The war requires a decision before Autumn, 1917, if it is not to end in a general exhaustion of aU parties', which would be fatal for us too. Among our adversaries, the economical conditions of Italy and France have been so seriously shaken that they can only be maintained by the energy and strength of England. If we succeed in overcoming England the war will be decided at once in our favor. But the resource of England is her tonnage, which supplies the islands of Great Britain with the necessities for life and the war industry and at the same time secures her solvency abroad. SAW GBBAT SHOETAGE OP SHIPS The present state of the tonnage question is in short as follows: 271 272 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE The freight for a great number of ipiportant goods has risen enormously, in certain places to tenfold amount and more. We also know for certain from numerous other proofs that the lack of tonnage is universal. The English tonnage at present still existing may be reckoned to be about 20 million gross register tons. At least 8.6 million tons of these are requisitioned for military purposes and one- half million tons is employed in coastal traffic; approximately one million tons is under repair or temporarily out of use; about two million tons are used in tlie interest of the Allies; so that, at the highest, eight million tons of Brit- ish tonnage are at the disposal of England's supplies. A perusal of the statistics of the sea traffic in English harbors would return even a lower figure. Thus in the months of July-September, 1916, there were only 6% million gross register tons of British tonnage available for England. Apart from this, the other tonnage bound for England may be calculated at 900,000 tons of enemy tonnage, none English, and quite three million tons of neutral tonnage. All in all, Eng- land is therefore supplied by only just 10% mil- lion gross register tons. Besides the fact that, based on the achievements hitherto performed in the struggle against the tonnage, it seems to be very promising for us to proceed on the way once taken. The unusually bad result of this year's world harvest in cereals and cattle food has given us a unique opportunity, which cannot be neglected by any one with a sense of responsibility. Already after Febru- ary the United States and Canada wiU probably be im- able to provide England with com, therefore England must procure her supply from over long distances, Ar- gentina, and as Argentina can supply only a little on account of its bad harvest, she will be compelled to im- port from India and chiefly from Australia. VON HOLTZENDORFF MEMORANDUM 273 POECE PEACE WITHIN FIVE MONTHS Under such favorable conditions an energetic power- ful blow against the English tonnage promises to have an absolutely certain success. I do not hesitate to declare that, under the prevailing conditions, weinay force Eng- land into peace within five months through the unre- stricted U-boat war. However, this can only be achieved by the unrestricted U-boat war, not by the TJ-boat cruis- ing as practiced at present, and not even if all armed vessels were free to be sunk. Based on the formerly mentioned monthly rate of destruction of 6CM),000 tons of tonnage by the unrestricted U-boat war, and on the expectation that by it at least two-fifths of the neutral tr^c will be frightened to un- dertake the voyage to England, it may be reckoned that the Ei^glish sea traffic after five months will be reduced by about 39 per cent of the traffic. England would not be able to bear this, neither in view of the conditions after the war nor as regards the possibility of continuing the war. She is now already facLDg a scarcity of food, which forces her to try meas- ures of economy which we, as a blockaded country, had to adopt during the war. The conditions for such an organization are totally different in England and com- paratively much more unfavorable than with ourselves. There are lacking authorities as weU as the sense of the people to submit to such force. Also from another cause the general reduction of the bread ration for the whole x>opulation cannot now be enforced in England. This measure was possible in Ger- many at a time when temporarily other foodstuffs could make good the sudden reduction of the bread ration. TOLD OF LOW BBITISH SUPPLIES This opportunity has been allowed to pass and can- not possibly be brought back. But the maintenance of the war industry, and at the same time that of the food supply, cannot be kept up with about three-fifths of the sea traffic, without universal severe rationing of the con- sumption of cere^. The argument that England might 274 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE have sufficient, grain and raw materials in the country in order to overcome the danger until the next harvest is refuted exhaustively in the annex. In addition, the unrestricted U-boat war with the subsequent cessation of supply by Denmark and Hol- land would mean for Engla!nd at once the scarcity of fat, as one-third of the whole British import of butter origi- nates from Denmark, and the entire supply of margarine comes from Holland. Furthermore, it would mean the severity of the lack of raw materials and wood by en- dangering the supply of these products from Scandinavia and at the same time increasing the attenuation of the Spanish supply of metal. Finally we shall have the long wished for oppor- tunity to deal with the neutral supply of ammunition and thus relieve somewhat the army. (These ammunition supplies came chiefly from America.) In the face of such facts the U-boat war, as practiced hitherto, would even after general permission to sink all armed vessels result in five months' time in the diminu- tion of aU the tonnage bound for England by only 5,400,- 000 tons — ^viz., about 18 per cent, of the present monthly sea traffic, therefore less than one-half what could be obtained by the unrestricted U-boat war. PANIC ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS In addition, the lack of psychological effects of panic and terror is to be considered. I regard these effects, expected only by the' unrestricted U-boat war, as an essential preconception of success. The experiences gained at the beginning of the U-boat war after the Spring of 1915, when the English still believed its bitter seriousness, and even in the short U-boat war of March and April, 1916, proved how weighty these effects are. Moreover, a preliminary condition is that the begin- ning and the declaration of the unrestricted U-boat war must follow so quickly one upon the other that there is no time for negotiations, especially between England and the neutrals. The wholesome terror will exercise in this case upon enemy and neutral alike. The declaration of the unrestricted U-boat war -will VON HOLTZENDORFF MEMORANDUM 275 place before the Government of the United States of North America afresh the question whether or not she will take the consequences of her hitherto adopted atti- tude toward the use of U-boats. I am quite of opinion that the war against Am.erica is so serious an affair that all must be done to avert it. However, the dread of a break must not, in my opinion, go so far as to make us shrink in the decisive moment from the use of the weapon which win bring us victory. At any rate it will be expedient to consider what in- fluence the entrance of America into the war on the side of our adversaries would have upon the trend of the war. As regards tonnage, this influence would be very neg- ligible. It is not to be expected that more than a small fraction of the tonnage of the Central Powers lying in America and many otiier neutral harbors could then be enlisted for the traffic to England. AUEIEADX OSDEBED SHIPS DAMAGED For the far greatest part of this shipping can be dam- aged ia such a way that it cannot sail in the decisive time of the first months. Preparations to this effect have been made. There would also be no crcsws to be found for them. Just as little decisive effect can be ascribed to any considerable extent to American troops, which, in the first place, cannot be brought over, through lack of tonnage. QThere remains only the question, what attitude would America take in the face of a conclusion of peace into which England would be coerced? It is not to be sup- posed that she would then decide to continue the war, as she would have no means at her disposal to take any decisive action against us, while her sea traffic will be liable to be damaged by us. On the contrary, it is to be expected that she will participate in the English con- clusion of peace in order to obtain as quickly as possible again sound economic conditions. I therefore draw the conclusion that an unrestricted U-boat war, which must be recommended as early as possible in order to bring about peace before the world's Jiarvest of Summer, 1917, that is, before August 1st, 276 HISTORY OP TRANSPORT SERVICE should even take the consequences of a break with Amer- ica, because we have no other alternative. A quickly launched, unrestricted U-boat war is therefore the only correct means to end the war victoriously, in spite of the risk of a break with America. It is also the only way to this goal. In order to obtain in due time the necessary effect, the unrestricted U-boat war must commence at the latest on February 1st. I beg Your Excellency to inform me whether the military situation on the Continent, espe- cially in the face of the still remaining neutrals, will permit of this date. I require a period of three weeks in order to make the. necessary preparations. V. HOUTZENDOEFF. has been duly elected a meiiiberoFflie \\'\K vSoClETY or THK ( Rl ISI:K .V\I) 'n Chaplain W. P. Scott, Captain, USN F. V. Weigert, Ensign, USNRF B. E. Durgin, Ensign, USNRF 294 HISTORY of; TRANSPOKT SJiKVlu*. U. S. S. GALVESTON (Cruiser) Francis L. Chadwick, Commanderi USN Clarence McC. McGill, Lieut. Comdr., USN ^ Carl G. Gilliland, Lieutenant, USN Whitley Perkins, Lieutenant, USN Wilber M. Lockhart, Lieut, (jg), USN Owen T. Hurdle, Lieut, (jg) (T) (B), USN Mertin C. Wade, Jr., Ensign, USN Brice H. Mack, Ensign (T) (G), USN Eobert J. Ford, Ensign (T) (B), USN James A. Bass, P. A. Surgeon, USN Arthur L. Myrland, Asst. Paymaster, USN Louis M. Bourne, Jr., Captain, USMC Waiiam W. Scott, Captain, USMC Walter Wilson, Act. Pay Clerk, USN T. W. Allen, Ensign. USNBE William F. Andreas, Ensign, USNBP William L. Hawse, Ensign, USNRF 'Joseph B. Hoyt, Ensign, USNRF Relief Officers in Order qf Reporting ore Board T. F. Coleman. Ensign, USNRF Beverley R. Harrison, Ensign, USNRF R. W. Colley, Ensi^, USNRF Culber Beebee, Ensign, USNRF Joseph ^. Breasnell, Ensign, USNRF Waddie P. Jackson. Asst. Surgeon, USNKF Christopher C. Fewel, Comdr., USN J. B. McDonald. Jr., Ensign. USNRF C. McGauly, Ensign, USN Alfred P. Magnesa, Lieutenant (jg) (MC), USNRF Paul F. Christopher, Ensign (T). USN William C. Eubank, Ensign (T), USN Kenneth Van House. Ensign (T), USN Edwin W. Davis. Captain, USCG Theo. F. Appleby. 2nd Lieut., USMC U. S. S. GEORGE WASHINGTON (Transport) E. T. Pollock, Captain, USN G. D. Johnstone, Lieut. Comdr., USN A. M. Cohen, Lieutenant, USN J. J. Brosnek, Lieutenant, USN W. H. Fleming, Lieutenant, USNRF A. S. Johnston, LieutenantQg), USNRF Morris H. Spriggs, Lieut, ug), USN C. E. Milbury, Lieutenant Qg). USNRF Edward Mansie, Lieut, (jg). USNRF Clyde Keene, Ensign, USN J. R. Burkhart, Ensign, USN Gerald Ollif, Ensign, USN G. T. Wells, Ensign, USNRF John F. Murphy, Surgeon, USN J. G. Enright, P. A. Surgeon, NNV F. S. Evers, Asst. Surgeon, USN H. B. Lambert, Asst. Surgeon. NNV P. G. Pyne, Paymaster. USN P. B. Wood, Asst; Paymaster, USNRF J. L. Giljson, Asst. Paymaster. USNRF R. F. Gates> Asst. Paymaster, USNRF Donald -Hamilton, Asst. Paymaster, USNRF H. D. Green. Machinist, USNRF C. E. Rudolph, Pay Clerk, USN W. D. I. Domer, Asst. Paymaster, USN R. L. Mabon, Asst. Paymaster, USN 5. C. Girardet, Carpenter, USN C. E. Rudolph, Pay Clerk, USN C. A. Wilson, Lieutenant, USNRF H. P. Tabeling, Lieut, (jg), USNRF Robert Spearing, Jr.. Ensign, USNRF W. S. Squires, Ensign, USNRF G. S. Thorp, Pharmacist, USN J. S. Peters, Lieutenant, USNRF G. P. Nightingale, Lieut. O'g). USNRF John R. Roil. Lieutenant (jg), USNRF J. C. Lough, Dental Surgeon, USN 6. M. Wich, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF B. B. Brown, Ensign. USNRF Irving Schwab, Ensign, USNRF Leon Gottlieb, Ensign, USNRF B. J. McCann, Ensign, USNRF C. F. Durgin, Ensign, USNRF J. P. Massey, Lieutenant (jg). USNRF Wm. S. Bainbridge. Surgeon, USNRF Albert Klinger, Lieutenant (jg), USN OFFICER PERSONNEL 295 Rduf Officers in Order A. S. Johnstone, Lieut. Comdr., USNRF F. B. Stanley. Ensign, USNRF H. C. Stone, Ensign, USNRF R. O. Graves, Ensign, USNRF P. B. Dower, Ensign, USNRF W. I. Wonell, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF M. C. Marley, Asst. Surgeon, USN F. A. Hooker, Asst. Paymaster, USNRF G. B. Johnson, Dental Surgeon, USNRF L R. Meyers. Pay Clerk (T), USN L. F. Haton. Pay Clerk, USNRF P. O. Francis, Lieutenant Qg). USNRF Chas. La Point, Lieut. Qg), USISTEIF J. L. Garrity, Ensign, USNRF R. J. McGinn, Ensign, USNRF L Hathaway. Ensign, USNRF C. L. Winn, Ensign, USNRF C. R. Denner. Ensigtf, USNRF C. C. GiU. Lieut. Commander, USN Frank Minnildne, Ensign, USNRF A. C. Adams. Ensign, USNRF D. S. Boscom. Ensign, USNRF W. L. Fuller, Ensign, USNRF A. Barton. Ensign, USNRF H. O. Roesch. Lieutenant, USN H. B. Campbell, Ensign, USNRF J. A. Huston. Ensign. USNRF of Reporting on Board L. A. Webber, Ensign, USNRF F. E. Crawford, Ensign, USNRF J. Power, Ensign, USNRF T. B. Van Nest, Ensign, USNRF W. K. Wortman. Commander, USN Harmon Hun^mel, Ensign, USNRF F. F. Knachel, Ensign, USNRF J. H. Keith, Ensign, USNRF C. L. Smith, Ensign, USNRF R. S. King, Ensign, USNRF S. Garrison, Ensign, USNRF C. S. Couchman, Ensign (T), USN L Chaplowe, Ensign (T), USN L. J. Calender, Ensign (T), USN J. B. Carr, Ensign (T), USN W. Chandler, Ensign (T), USN S. O. Cowles. Ensign (T), USN H. Hodgson, Gunner (E), USN L Gray. Lieutenant Qg). USN (MC) R. P. Dix, Lieut. Qg), USNRF (MC) E. MeCauley. Jr., Captain, USN F. M. Perkins, ConunandeT. USN J. R. Shuman. Ensign (T), USN D. L. Armstrong, Ensign (T), USN J. F. White, Ensign (PC), USNRF S. B. Rose, Gunner (E), USN Alfred Barrett. Machinist. USNRF U. S. S. GREAT NORTHERN (Transport) W. W. Phelps. Captain, USN A. E. Lee. A. P. Surgeon, USN A. Ahman, Lieut. Commander. USNRF E. A. Lof quist, lieutenant, USN D. T. Hunter, Lieutenant, USN B. E. Till^. Lieutenant, USN C. V. McCmty. P. A. Paymaster, USN C. Wall. Lieutenant, USNRF W. E. Russell, Lieutenant, USNRF M. C. PirteUo. Lieut, (jg), USNRF J. L Callanan, Asst. Surgeon, USN C. R. Barr, Lieutenant, USN W. A. Anderson, Lieut, (jg), USNRF G. Grundy. lieutenant (jg), USNRF G. Kleinsmith, Ensign (T), USN C. H. Dougherty, Ensign (T), USN W. R. McFarland. Ensign (T), USN H. C. Anderaon. Ensign, USNRF C. H. Porta, Ensign, USNRF J. B. Wolters, Ensign, USNRF B. KiUman, Ensign, USNRF R. F. Bradley. Ensign, USNRF W. A. Dougan, Ensign, USNRF C. W. Seitz. Pay Qerk (T), USN H. Mewshaw, Machinist (T). USN L. B. Provost, Machinist (T). USN R. P.«Helm. Machinist (T), USN J. Cullinan, Boatswain. USNRF J. A. Owen, Asst. Surgeon, USN O. T. Tucker, Pharmacist (T), USN M. P. Price, Asst. Surgeon, USN E. D. Richards, Ensign, USNRF J. P. Jackson, Ensign, USNRF A. C. Carp, Ensign, USNRF C. E. Goodhue, Lieutenant, USNRF E. A. Qair, Ensign. USNRF W. E. Duncan. Ensign, USNRF K. K. Weimer, Act. Pay Clerk (T), USN D. P. Fitzmaurice, Carpenter (T), USN E. F. Shinn, Act. Pay Clerk (T), USNRF W. S. Aylesworth, Ensign, USNRF C. L. Bergstrom, Ensign, USNRF L. W. Kurtzman, Pharmacist, NNV J. F. Fairgrave, Ensign, USNRF J. J. Rafferty, Ensign, USNRF R. F. H. Crawfor L. Lawlor. Ensign. USNRP W. H, Bennitt, Ensign, USNRP P. W. Culver. Ensign, USNRP W. B. Hinkley. Act. Pay Clerk. USNRF H. Hathaway. Ensign. USNRP J. K. HavUand, Ensign, USN G. J. Hawk. Ensign, USN J. R. Lopez, Ensign, USNRP A. Larch, Ensign, USNRP, U. S. S. MADAWASKA (Traneport) E. H. Watson, Commander, USN C. McCaiiley, Lieutenant, USN W. B. Cothran, Lieutenant, USN J. M. Shoemaker, Lieut. Qg), USNRP A. W. Bird, Ensign. USN P. G. Abeken. Surgeon. USN T. Williamson, Jr.. P. A. Paym., USN P. M. Smith, Asst. Nav. Constr., USN E. L. Jones, Boatswain. USN D. McCallum. Gunner. USN S. H. Sacker. Ensign, USN P. H. Cassi(^, Machinist, USN R. McD. Moser, Lieutenant, USNRP M. A. McPhee, Lieut, (jg), USNRP A. E. Dunham, Ensign, USNRP J. O. Dunham, Ensign, USNRP T. A. Jeffrey. Ensign, USNRP L. W. Shaffer, Asfet. Surgeon, USNRP , R.W. Auerbach, Asst. Surgeon. USNRP S. E. Hall, Ensign, USNRP J. C. Work, Ensign, USNRP P. W. Stoker, Ensign, USNRP Edw. C. Bliss, Lieutenant, USNRP William Gorman, Ensign, USNRF E. P. Blain, Carpenter. USNRP H. D. Meeker, Surgeon, USNRP S. B. Plynn, Asst. Paymaster, USNRF P. S. Sullivan. Pay Clerk. USN I. B. Talton, Asst. Paymaster, USN H. M. Mason. Asst. Paymaster, USN R. P. Huntington, Lieut, (jg), USNRF R. A. Brett. Lieutenant O'g). USNRF M. J. Carton, Carpenter, IJSN L. D. Crandon. Asst. Paym., USNRF W. Armour, Ensi^, USNRP J. K. Carr, Ensign. USNRP A. M. Henshaw, Lieutenant, USNRF R. T. Luce. Lieutenant, USNRP C. M. Schwab. Ensign, USNRP P. T. McCarthy, Ensign, USNRP P. W. Bloscher, Ensign, USNRP A. P. O'Brien, Ensign, USNRP A. J. Gallegher. Ensign. USNRF Wm. S. Thomas, P. A. Surgeon, USNRF J. J. Murphy, Ensign, USNRF D. M. Herbert, Ensign, USNRP OFFICER PERSONNEL 305 /{eKef Officers in Order E. T. Constien, Commander. USN L. Foust. Ensign, USNKF E. A. Stevens, P. A. Surg. Asst., USN T. Nielson. Lieutenant Qg), USNKF I. E. Pitman, Ensign. USNRF W. N. Iliomas, Acting Chaplain. USN W. A. Bailey. Pay Clerk. USN W. S. Brady. Asst. Surgeon, USN L. 6. Szarmanaki. Boatswain, USN Charies McKenna. Pay, Clerk. USNRF A. W. Brunner, Ensign. USNKF C. M. Smith. Ensign. USNKF F. F. Tlacher, EnSgn, USNKF A. B. Hayward, Surgeon, USN E. Lanois, Asst. Surgeon, USN B. M. Hendrickson, Gunner, USN of Reporting on Board H. J. Mullenhagen, Asst. Suig., USN Kobert Henderson, Commander, USN Dwight Tenney, Lieut, (jg). USNKF C. H. McDonald. Gumier (T). USN A. W. Hinckley, Ensign, USNKF R. A. Newman, Ensign (T). USN R. A. Light, Ensign (T). USN A. W. liddle. Ensign (T), USN B. Lewis. Ensign (T). USN A. C. Headley, Ensign (T), USN K. J. Blundon. Ensign (PC), USNKF H. B. Lee, Ensign (T), USN O. Brooks, Lieutenant (MC), USN M. Olcott, Ensign (PC). USIOIF K. F. Luce. Lieut Comdr.. USNKF U. S. S. MALLORY (Transport) H. Williama Commander. USN H. E. Knauss, Lieut. Commander. USN K. E. Keating, Lieutenant, USN K. L. Low, Lieutenant, NNV A. G. Burt. Lieutenant, USNKF W. H. ScoUan. Lieutenant. IBNRF W. W. Vemer. P. A. Surgeon. USNKF H. B. La Favre. P. A. Surgeon, USN D. K. Davidson. Asst. Surgeon, USN M. J. Dierlam. Lieut, (jg), USNKF E. K. Glosten. Lieut, (jg), USNKF A. Burr. Lieut (jg), USNRF W. D. I. Domer, Asst Paymaster, USN W. J. Bork, Ensign, USNKF E. W. Bowne, Ensign. USNKF Relief Officers in Order W. C. Vose. Ensign, USN R. R. Greenwood, Ensign, USNKF G. S. Harrison, Ensign, USNKF P. A. Harrison. Ensign, USNKF A. C. Handy. Ensign. USNKF P. E. Mackett Ensign. USNKF N. D. Godfrey. Ens^ USNKF M. L. Hard, Ensign. USNKF C. E. Rernke, Asst Surgeon, USN F. L. Stiles, Lieutenant (jg). USNRF M. Blaken, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF A. Burr, Lieutenant (jg). USNRF C. A. Crane. Ensign. USNRF J. A. McCarthy. Ensign, USNRF E. Fife. Ensign. USNRF M. J. Peralta. Ensign, USNRF J. A. McBridge, Boatswain, USNRF G. T. Thornton. Gunner, USN A. F. Threm. Gunner. USN L Streger. Machinist USN C. B. Porter. Machinist USNRF L. B. Kaielle. Pay Qerk. USN E. E. Nebon. Carpenter, USN A. E. Chase, Asst. Paymaster. USNRF W. O. Sprout Pharmacist USN E. H. Von Heimbuig, Ensign. USN (^ Reporting on Board R. Haguewood, Pharmacist USN R. L. Holland. Lieutenant Qg). USNRF H. H. Kairden. Ensign (T), USN E. W. Lotz. lieutenant (jg), USNKF E. J. Enkard, lieut (jg) (MC).'^USN J. D. McCrea, Ensign. USNRF H. I. MacKon. Ensign. USNRF A. E. Raynor. Ensign. USNRF G. E. McCaB, Ensign. USNKF B. Lubic Ensign, USNKF J. C. Lott Ensign. USNKF U. S. S. MANCHURIA (Transport) C. S. Freeman. Conmiander. USN W. W. Waddell. Lieut Comdr.. USN A. Zeeder. Lieut Comdr., USNRF J. W. Kakow. Lieutenant USNRF S. H. Hurt Lieutenant Qg). tFSN F. C. Neal. Lieutenant Qg), USNRP W. A. Thorn. Lieutenant 6"g). USNRF E. Standish, Lieutenant G^. USNRF 306 HISTORY OP TRANSPORT SERVICE A. Nobel, Lieutenant (jg), USNRP L. A. Van Matre, Lieut, (jg), USNRF R. Bowles, Lieutenant (jg), USNRP E. S. Clark, Ensign, USNRP V. P. Suttelle, Ensign, USNRP P. J. Baumgartner, Ensign, USNRP C. B. Hannum, Ensign, USNRF B. G. Buschatzky, Ensign, USNRP J. S. Woodward, Medical Insp., USN L. W. Shaffer, Asst. Surgeon, USN E. J. Alexander, Asst. Paymaster, USN 3. P. Van Duren, Asst. Paymaster, USN B. E. Rockett, Machinist (T), USN C. E. Keptner, Gunner (Ord.), USN C. P. Hudson, Gunner (El.), USN W. Bittner, Boatswain (T), USN H. McAlmond, Carpenter, USN G. D. Sipe, Pharmacist, USN W. P. Shaw, Act. Pay Clerk, USN Relief Officers in Order of Rejxyrting on Board 3. V. Ljnn. Asst. Surgeon. USNRP D. P. Condrick, Asst. Paym. USNRP L. B. Cranz, Dental Surgeon, USNEP G. W. Gaffney, Ensign, USNBF E. W. Johnston, Ensign, USNRP B. C. Outten. Pay Clerk, USNRP L. A. Straits, Ensign, USNRP H. C. Reed, Ensign. USNRP R. C. Hay. Ensign, USNRP A. C. Haven, Ensign, USNRP W. C. Heppenheimer, Ensign, USNRF D. M. Hill, Ensign, USNRP A. Hickey, Ensign, USNRP A. J. Mesmer. Ensign, USNRF H. M. Carey, P. A. Surgeon, USNRP P. L. Sample, Carpenter (T), USN P. H. Ogle. Pharmacist (T), USN H. M. Scull, Ensign. USN M. T. Seligman, Ensign, USN C. G. Quillian, Lieutenant, USNRF M. Greenleaf, Lieutenant, USN G. M. Dennis, Ensign, USNRP A. C. Stevens, Ensign. USNRP G. W. Shepard. Surgeon, USN A. G. Ruff. Ensign. USN J. A. Robinson. Ensign, USN E. T. McHeniy. Ensign. USN W. H. Mackay. Ensign. USN B. J. Mackay, Ensign, USN H. B. Mack. Ensign. USN . C. O. Johnson, Machinist, USNRP K. G. Shiels, Machinist, USNRP W. P. Richardson, Machinist, USNRF H. P. Krummes. Asst. Surgeon, USN U. S. S. MARTHA WASHINGTON (Transport) Chauncey Shackford, Comdr^, USN Schamyl Cochran, Lieutenant, USN Charles S. Root, Lieutenant, USCG Francis H. Hardy, Lieutenant, USNRP Benjamin C. Judd, Lieutenant. USNRP Oscar J. Wheeler, Lieutenant, USNRp Amos B. Root, Lieutenant (jg)'. USN Prank G. Fahrion, Lieutenant (jg), USN Robert E. Wilkinson, Asst. NaV. Constr. (T), USN George A. Berry, Lieut, (jg), USNRP Fred W. Davis, Lieut, (jg), USNRF ^muel N. Sinclair, Lieut, (jg), USNRF Leonard Roll, Ensign (T), USN Alexander Stuart, Ensign (T), USN George W. Waldo, Ensign (T), USN Andrew Skinner, Ensign (T), USN Hemy E. Rung, Ensign (T), USN Ten Eyck H. Eced, Ensign, USNRP Hobart P. Swanton, Ensign, N^ Robert B. Bruce, Ensign, USNRF Daniel L. Chamberlain, Ensign, USNRF Wilbur J. Clark, Ensign. USNRF Maurice M. Bennett. Ensign, USNRF Montgomery A. Stuart, P.A. Surg.,USN William P. McAnally, Asst. Surg., USN Harbeck Halsted. Asst. Surg., NNV Andrew Mowat, Asst. Paym., USN John A. Joseph, P. A. Paym.. NNV Donald P. Smith, Asst. Paym., USNRF Hubert G. Webb, Asst. Paym., NNV P. W. Larkworthy. Machinist (T), USN Charles H. Burch. Machinist. USNRF Alexander E. Meigs, Machinist,USNRF Armand Mayville, Carp. (T), USN WUliam N. Landrum, Pharm. (T),USN Chauncey J. Buckley, Act. Pay Clerk (T), USN Howard J. Hoffman, Pay Clerk.USNRF OFFICER PERSONNEL 307 Reli^ Officers m Order Prank Sjnne^ Eijsign (T). TJSN Joseph Han. Boatswam (T), USN Edward T. Comins, Lieut. Qg), USN Uoyd P. Bmg^s. lient. Qg), USNRF Vincent P. O'Connell, Ensign. USNRF Arthur W. Rand, Ensign. USNRF Kenneth M. Rendall. Ensipj. USNRF Arthur H. Patten. Pay Clerk, USNRF badore C. Woodward, Act. ChapL.USN Isador J. F. Dubois. Chief Pay Qerk, USNRF HiiKp E. Wait, Ensign, USNRF Howaid L. Tibbetts, Ensign, USNRF Eugene C. 'HrreU. Ensign. USNRF Charles R. Vinton, En^n, USNRF Prank V. Uhrig, Ensign. USNRF Joseph L. Walsh, Ensign. USNRF C. J. Raid. Midshipman, USN T. G. W. Settle^ MidsBipman, USN EUery R. Ktcb. Lieut. O'g), USNRF of Reporting on Board D. H. Casto. Surgeon. USN James E. Britt, Asst. Paym., USNRF Orlando D. Reed, Boatswain (T). USN Paul W. Georges, Boatswain (T). USN Arthur E. Lawrence, Carp. (T), USN Stephen M. Henagan, Mach. (T). USN Coleman Marshman, Gimner (T), USN T. H. Sharp, Asst. Surgeon, USN Martin P. Kane, Lieut. Qg) (DQ, USNRF K. G. Castleman, Captain, USN ^amud J. Mealy, Ensign (T), USN Charles W. Marlow, Ensign (T), USN Edmund B. Montgomery, P.nsign (T), Whitney W. Miller, Ensign (T). USN L. A. Rice, Ensign (T), USN AHyu W. Maxwell, Ensign (T), USN Henry Sosvielle. Boatswain (T), USN U. S. S. MATSONIA {Transport) 3. M. Lnby. Captam. USN E. H. Williams. IJent. Comdr.. USN R. McD. Moser. Lieut. Comdr.,USNRF £. R. Homing, Lieutenant, USN N. Fogarty. Lieutenant, USNRF C. E. Tabretli lieutenant, USNRF P. E. Knter, Lieut Qg). USN W. E. McCIintock, lieut. (jg), USN W. L. Pawcett, Lieut (jg). USNRF N. T. Short. Lieut Qg). USNRF T. E. Bray, Lieut (jg). USNRF J. B. Cadeabach. iSiSga, USN A. J. Baiter. Enmgn. USNRF E. O. Blomquist, Ens^ USNRF L W. Mnrray, Ensign. USNRF C. E. Stone, Ensign. USNRF G. Oowdle, Enfflgn. USNRF A. P. Westman. Ensign, USNRP R. P. Bentley, Ensign, USNRF R. D. Bickfoid. Ensign, USNRF P. C. Beck, Asst. Paymaster, USN A. P. Tibbetts. P. A. Surgeon, NNV H. W. Harris. Asst Surgeon. USN J. E. Malcolmson, Asst Surgeon, USN P. H. Levey. Asst Paymaster. USNRP F. Anderson. Asst Paymaster, USNRF S. M. Thompson, Gunner (T), USN J. J. Brierly, Gunner, (T) (^) tBN E. G. Williams, Carpenter (T), USN P. Le Van, Machinist (T), USN R. M. Dumphy, Pharmacist. USN Seli^ Officers in Order cf Reporting on Board H. T. Daniels, Lieutenant (E), USNRP W. J. Wheatley. lient (jg). USNRF E. C. Hartnp. Pay Clerk, USN P. D. Armstrong, Ensign, USNRP J. D. Nagel. Ensign, USNRP P. Streeter. Ensign. USNRF J. E. Sharpen Ensign, USNRP J. E. Malcdmson, A^sst Surgeon, USN H. M. Cone, Asst Paymaster, USNRF C. E. Short, Ensign, USN D. J. Sinnott Ensign, USN S. W. Higgins. Enagn. USNRF R. E. Holden, Ensign. USNRP G. E. Hodge, Ensign, USNRP, H. K. Leventon, Lieutenant USN P. Schweitzer, Act. Chaplain, USN M. L. PrizeHei Ensign (Eng.), USNRP C. G. Reeves, Ensign (Eng.), USNRF M. P. Kane, Dental Surgeon, USNRF J. Jelke, Jr., Asst Paymaster, USNRP L. Smith, Boatswain (T), USN J. P. Jackson, Commander, USN A. R. Murray, Ensign, USNRP J. T. Davies, Ensign. USNRP 308 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE R. G. Starck. Ensign, USNRF C. W. Scranton. Ensign, USNRP C. B. Fentori, Ensign, USNRP J. W. Sullivan. Ensign. USNRP C. C. Stoeber. Ensign (Eng.), USNRP J. P. Yoes. Act. Pay Clerk (T). USN W. Rind. Lieut. ComAander, USNRP R. S. Parr, Lieutenant, USN C. P. Moriarty,, Ensign (T), USN W. S. Moore, Ensign (T), USN A. C. Moysey, Ensign (T). USN J. A. Ryan, Lieut, (jg) (Eng.), USNRF J. Silverman. Ensign (T) (Eng.), USN C. A. Schellens, Ensign (T) (Eng.), USN J. A. Regnier, Lieut, (jg) (Dent. Corps). USNRP Jolin Sweetland, Ensign, USNRF A. H.Flickwir, Lieut, (jg) (Med. Corps) USNRF U. S. S. MAUI (Transport) C. A. Abele, Commander, USN E. B. Woodworth, Lieut. Comdr., USN W. P. M. Edwards, Lt. Comr.. USNRP H. P. Councill, Lieutenant.. USN J. P. Rasmussen, Lieutenant, USNRP A. Ryan, Lieutenant. USNRP V. H. Wheeler. Asst. Paymaster, USN R. M. Little, P. A. Surgeon, USNRP P. Keller, Asst. Surgeon, USN R. W. Lewis, Asst. Surgeon, USNRP A. H. Westerberg. Lieut, (jg), USNRP R. W. Dunham, Lieut, (jg), USNRF P. R. Griffin, Asst. Paymaster. USNRF J. L. Kershaw, Ensign, USN A. Squires, Ensign, USNRP J. T. Viegas, Ensign, USNRP S. H. Robinson, Ensign, USNRF E. C. Reed, Ensign, USNRP • D. Weir, Ensign, USNRP J. Marmion, Ensign, USNRP J. W. R. Stewart, Ensign, USNRF E. L. La Dieu, Machim'st, USNRP W. 3. McPatei Ensign, NNV P. D. Boore, Gunner, USN A. McGraw, Gunner, USN G. B. Martinsen, Bosn., USN J. J. Maune, Carpenter, USN P. B. Bork, Pharmacist, USN W. S. Rockwell, Act. Pay Clerk, USN Relief Officers in Order of Reporting on Board C. K C.B. E. R. E.H. T.P. R. E. J. M. V.R. C.E. J.T. E.S. H.S. J.T. . Patterson, Ensign, USNRP Gosnell, Asst. Paymaster, USNRP Carrol. 1st Lieut., USAQMC , Sandelin, Lieutenant, USNRF Wynfcoop, Ensign, USN Jones, Ensign, USNRF Keep, Ensign, USNRF Hood, Ensign, USNRP Howland, Ensign, USNRP Keegan, Ensign, USNRP Huntley, Ensign, USNHF Woodman, Ensign, USN, Low, Asst. Surgeon, USNRF C. S. Freeman, Captain, USN E. J. O'Toole, Ensign (T), USN J. A. Pentz. Ensim (T), USN T. A. O'Connor, Ensign (T), USN W. P. J. Odenwald, Ensign (T), USN E. P. Thrall, Ensign (T), USN P. W. Stirzel. Ensign (T), USN W. J. O'Hara, Ensign (T), USN Leo A. Redmond, Ensigp (T), USN P. C. Hulse, Dental Surgeon, USNRP Walter E. Hennerich, Asst. Surg., USN Handle Clifford; Asst. Surgeon, USN W. S. Rockwell, Act. P. C. (T), USN U. S. S. MERCURY (Formerly BARBAROSSA) (Transport) H. L. Brinser, Commander, USN P. P. Bassett, Lieut. Comdr., USN H. A. Arnold, Lieutenant, USNRP E. A. Mclntyre, Lieutenant, USN T. P. Webb, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF H. P. Kent, Lieutenant (jg), USNRP D. C. Woodward, Ensign, USN D. Duncan, Ensign, USN P. R. Pox, Ensign, USN P. E. Kuter. Ensign, USN E. J. Frieh, Ensign, USN E. M. Shipley, Ensign, USN OFFICEE PERSONNEL 309 G. R. Crapo, Paymaster, USN C. W. O. Bunker, P.A. Surgeon, USN R. J. Bower, Asst. Surgeon, USN R. E. Watkins, Asst. Surgeon. USN K. E. F. Sorenson, Machinist, USN J. Holler, Machinist, USNRP W. A. Nightingale, Carpenter, USN C. P. Hines, Pharmacist, USN E. Dann, Chief Pay Clerk, USN Relief Officers in Order of Reporting on Board D. Heath, Lieutenant Qg), USNRP E. N. Dwight, Ensign. USNRP WiUiam James, Ensign, USN W. Prior. Asst. Paymaster, USN A. H. White. Asst. Paymaster. USN W. Johnson, Machinist (T), USN H. S. Lyons, Lieutenant. USNRP J. C. Warrington. Lieut. Qg). USN B. R. LeRoy. Ensign. USNRP A. D. Freshman, Ensign (G), USN F. S. Jameson. Asst. Surgeon. USNRP E. S. Walker. Lieutenant (jg). USNRP G. E. Atkinson. Ensign (D), USNRF T. J. Tumey. Ensign (E). USNRP H. A. Amolc^ Lieutenant, USNRP E. A. Salisbury. Lieutenant, USNRP H. L. Look, Lieutenant. USNRP L. M. Willson, Lieut. Qg). USNRP R. O. Brackett, Lieut, (jg). USNRP S. P. French, Lieut, (jg). USNRP E. Carroll, Lieut (jg). USNRP J. C. Waage, Jr., Ensign, USNRF G. A. Schaub, Asst. Surgeon, USNRP P. J. Doyle, Asst. Paymaster, USNRP J. S. Spaven, Ensign, USN A. T. Sprague. Ensign, USN S. D. Starbuck. Ensign, USNRP B. S. Wilson. Ensign, USNRF L. B. Wheeler, Ensign. USNRF A. K. Wardwdl, Ensign, USNRF E. P. Woodward, Ensign, USNRP F. M. Bansom, Asst. Paym., USNRP E. A. Salisbury. Lieutenant, USNRP H. C. Berkstresser, Carpenter, USN W. D. Brereton. Lieut. Comdr., USN G. T. Rude. Lieutenant, USNRF T. J. Tumey, Lieut, (jg). USNRF R. C. Midwood, Dental Surg., USNRP O. S. Powell. Asst. Paymaster. USN D. W. Mitchell. Asst. Paymaster, USN W. P.Hobins. Pay Clerk, USNRF D. J. Reilly. Boatswain (T), USN E. R. Murphy, Elec. Gunner (T), USN H. M. Cohn. Cadet R. S. Lloyd. Cadet A. M. Tumey, Cadet M. P. Hersion, Cadet A. E. Chatterton, Cadet James Sterling. Lieut, (jg). USNRP J. A. Sweeney. Ensign, USNRP H. C. Miller. Ensign (PC), USN P. P. Babcock, Machinist (T). USN W. A. Anderson. Lieut, (jg). USNRP P. A. MuUen. Ensign (T). USN H. W. Neely. Ensign (T), USN H. V. Nussey. Ensign (T), USN H. R. Spofford, Ensign, USNRP B. E. Belcher, Lieut. (MC), USN E. J. Lanois, Lieutenant (MC), USN A. W. Hagman. Pay Clerk, USNRF U. S. S. MINNEAPOLIS (Cruiser) H. H. Christy, Captain, USN Gordon W. Haines, Lieut. Comdr., USN €reorge H. Bowdey, Lieutenant, TJSN Harry A. Badt, Lieutenant, USN Cleaveland C. Kimball, Surg., USNRF Roger D. DeWolf. Lieutenant, USNRP Edgar P. Marbourg, Asst. Paym., USN Proctor M. Thornton, Ensign. USN Ralph S. Riggs, Ensign. USN Lisle Henifin, Ensign, USN James Morrison, Ensign, USN James R. Selfridge, Ensign, USNRP Joseph R. Williams. Ensign. USNRP Augustus W. Walker, Ensign, USNRP Albert W. Hinckley. Ensign, USN Charles King, Boatswain, USN Curry Eason, Gunner, USN John Gallagher, Machinist, USN Edwin H. Briggs, Machinist, USN Ernest P. Kiefer, Carpenter, USN Houston S. Stubbs, Pay Clerk, USN CUfton I. DuFilho, Act. Pay Clerk,USN 310 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Relief Officers in Order of Reporting on Board Thomaa Sliine, Lieutenant (jg)> USN Charles P. Manley, Carpenter, USN J. F. Hines, Commander, USN AnerErickson. Act. Pay Clerk(T), USN Marion W. Jones. Act. Carp. (T), USN Walker W. Anderson. Ensign. USNBP Harold S. Johnson. Ensign. USNRF Elwood O. Langill. Ensign. USNRF Joseph B. Lindquist. Ensign, USNRF B. Z. Johnston. Captain. USN L. C. CoveU. 1st Lieutenant. USCG William B. Dortsch, Lieut, (jg), USNRF H. V. Bressler. Lieut. O'g). USNRF P. M. Orton, Ensign, USNRF J. B. Clapp. Ensign. USNRF L. S. Taylor. Ensign. USNRF J. S. Bauman. Ensign. USNRF D. B. Hudson. Ensign. USNRF H. A. Young. Ensign. USNBF A. C. Smith. Ensign. USNBP W. M, Allen. Ensign. USNRF L M. Jacobs, Asst. Surgeon, USN Edward P. Grisbacker. Mach. (T), USN Lloyd T. Chalker. Captain. USCG Robert T. Young, Lieutenant. USN Wm. J. Johnston. Lieut, (jgi USNRF Ralph W. Hungerford. Ensign, USN James J. Hughes. Ensign, USN Albert P. Seals, Ensign. USNRF Kenneth H. Bayliss. Ensign, USNRF Joseph E. Derosier, Ensign, USNRP Byron M. Fleming, Ensign. USNRF William E. Dodge, Ensign. USNRF Luther H. Elliott. Ensign, USNRP Frank Durand, Jr.. Ensign. USNRP James P. Harland. Ensign, USNRP Thomas Fraser. Ensign. USNRF Claude J. Geisel. Ensign. USNRP Albert O. Mang, Machinist (T), USN Floyd J; Sexton. 1st Lieut.. USCG Mattheas A. B<]ggenkamp. Asst. Pay Clerk (T). USN Charles Blanchard. Boatswain. USNRF Lewis H. C. Johnson. Ensign, USNRP Harrison A. Jones. Ensign. USNRF Adolph J.Wollwebber, Gunner (R),USN Hugh M. Kitchen. Ensign, USNRF David W. Jones, Ensign, USNRP N. S. Knight, Ensign. USISTRP P. E. Kennedy. Ensign. USNRF H. W. Kephart. Ensign. USNRF C. E. Chillingwordi. Ensign. USNRP Charles P. Snyder. Captein, USN C. D. HoUand. Lieut, (jg). USN Alexander Steel, Asst. Paym., USNRF Joseph A. Parrell. Act. Pay Clerk. USN John H. Herke (PC), USN Hobert Hankinson. Ensign. USNRP Gilbert L. Duchars, Ensign, USNRF J. E. Robertson, Ensign, USNBF U. S. S. MONGOLIA (Transport) Willis McDowell, Commander, USN H. McL. Walker, Lieut. Comdr., USN Emeiy Bice, Lieut. Comdr., USNRF J. D. Smith, Lieutenant, USN V. J. Green, Lieutenant, USNBF W. Tomroth, Lieutenant. USNRF P. W. Bond, Lieutenant, USNRF B. Christenson, Lieutenant, USNRP J. G. Lutz, Lieutenant O'g). USNRF S. S. Green, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF W. B. Anderson. Ensign. USN P. J. Dooling, Jr., Ensign, USNBP E. W. Higgins, Ensign. USNRP B. M. Treco. Ensign,' USNBF S. N. Danskm, Ensign. USNRP P. D. Oulton. Ensign, USNRP A. A. Lofquist, Ensign, USNRP E. L. Blake, Ensign, USNBP H. T. Bryant, Gunner, USN H. Holcombe, Carpenter, USNBP P. Joseph, Boatswain, USNRF J. A. Materlick, Lieutenant, USNRP J. W. Merget, Lieutenant (jg), USN A. Treux. Lieutenant (jg). USNRF J. P. Hatton, Lieutenant O'g). USNRP W. C. Thierbach. Ensign (E), USNRP E. E. Powers. Ensign (E). USNBP A. J. Iverson. Ensign (E). USNBP J. J. Carroll, Ensign (E). USNBP D. H. Noble. P. A. Surgeon, USN H. P. GrifBn. Asst. Surgeon, USN H. H. Slominski, Asst. Surgeon, USN A. B. Leh, Pharmacist, USN H. A. Daniels, Dentist Surgeon, USN L. H. Huebner, P.A. Paymaster, USN T. B. Mudd, Asst. Paymaster, USNRF H. B. Tififany, Asst. Paymaster, USNBF E. S. GUbert, Pay Clerk, USN E. J. Horn, Pay Clerk, USNBP OFFICER PERSONNEL 311 Relief Officers in Order C. K TOIdman. Ensign. USN F. O. ■WiUenbucher, Ensign, USN D. G. Methany. Asst. Surgeon, USNRF F. B. Goddard, lieut. (jg), USNRF Charles P. Snjrder, Conunander. USN A. W. Ijndstrom. Gunner, USN Gideon J. El% lieut. Qg). USNRF Leslie M. Shorter, Midsh.. USNRF R. L. Smith. Midshipman. USNRF R. L. Van Siclen. Midshipman. USNRF R. F. Wilson, Midshipman, USNRF L. Henefin. tdeutenant, USN of Reporting on Board J. K. Batchelder, Ensign. USNRF F. E. Covalt, Lieutenant (jg). USNRF A.W. YoweU. Ensign (Pay Clk.)USNSF H. B. Porterfield. Ensign. USN C. E. Peterson, Ensign, USN C. W. Proctor. Ensign. USN (T) E. C. Peterson, Ens^ USN (T) R. H. Persons, Ensign. USN (T) W. H. Stueve. Ensign. USN CT) E. C. Steinhart. Lieut. Qg). USNRF Frank Barth. Ensign. USNRF U. S. S. MONTANA (Cruiser) Chester Wells, Commander, USN R. E. Pope. Commander. USN A. W. Sears. laeut. Commander, USN A. J. James. lient. Commander, USN H. F. Glover, Lieutenant, USN S. M. Eraus, Lieutenant, USN H. M. Branham, lieutenant (jg). USN H. H. Bouson, lieutenant Qg). USN M. Case, Lieutenant (jg). USN J. D. Edwards. Ensi^i. USN W. N. McDoweD. P. A. Surgeon, USN E. Stein, Asst. Snrgecm. USN W. S. Zane, P. A. Paymaster. USN H. Sdmiidt, Captain. USMC J. Evans, Boatswain, USN L. Rodd, Chief Gunner, USN C. B. Bradley. Gunner, USN G. Bradley. Gunner, USN L. O. Peterson. Gunner, USN W. H. Langdon. Machinist, USN H. H. Fowler, Machinist. USN J. Chinnis. Machinist, USN W. Collins, Caipenter. USN W. Craig. Chirf Pay Qerk, USN S. B. Deal, Act. Pay aerk. USN J. M. Damrow, Act. Pay Qerk, USN L. A. Puckett, Act. Pay Qerk, USN J. 3. Miffitt, Act. Pay Qerk, USN A. G. Robinson, lieutenant (jg). USN H. R. GeHerstedt. lieut. O'g). USN E. S. McCawley. Lieutenant (jg). USN L. D. Pickering, Lieutenant Qg), USN W. S. Hactor, Ensign. USN F. L. Lowe. Ensign, USN T. L. Nash, Ensign, USN A. R. Earley, Ensign, USN P. W. Yeatman, Ensign, USN R. S. Wyman, lieutenant (jg), USN R. de S. Horn, Ensign. USN K. Preston, Ensign, USN H. G. Eldiedge. Enagn, lUSN F. B. Smith. Ensign. USN T. E. Chandler. Ensign, USN H. V. WUey. Ensign. USN T. G. Peyton, Ensign, USN C. W. Hynn, Ensign, USN A. C. Thomas. Ensign, USN R. M. Fortson, Ensign, USN L. Wood. Ensign, USN S. A. Maher, Ensign, USN J. M. Field, Ensign, USN J. H. Sprague, Ensign, USN H. S. Clark, Ensign, USN A. Landis, Ensign, USN M. O. Carlson, Ensign, USN J. W. Simms, Ensign, USN C. O. Bain, Gunner, USN E. F. Gumm, Gunner, USN Relief Officers in Order cf Reporting on Board W. R. Nichols, Ensign, USN V. B. Murphy, Ensign, USN G. D. Chester, Ensign, USN S. C. Norton, Ensign, USN E. H. Krueger, Ensign, USN H. V. Deely. 2nd Lieutenant; USMC L. L. Babbitt. Lieutenant, USN M. A. Deans. Enagn. USN W. J. Skelton. Ensign, USNRF W. A. StiUwell. Ensign. USNRF E. H. Gibbs, Asst. Surgeon, USNRF S. D. Moyer, Carpenter. USNRF H. B. Cecil, Lieutenant, USNRF P. J. A. Leduc, Acting Chapl., USNRF 312 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE C. R. Brown, Gunner (T), USN B. J. Reynolds, Gunner (T), TJSN J. O. Crom, Machinist (T), USN M. R. Hinkle, Machinist (T), USN A. C. Perring. Carpenter (T), USN J. M. Damrow, Act. Pay Clerk, USN J. L. Fobs, Act. Pay Clerk (T), USN W. Liggett, Jr., Lieut. Comdr. (Ret.), USN. R. J. Miller, Lieutenant Qg). TJSN W. E. Fiudeisen, P. A. Surgeon, USN J. A. Mangiaracina, Asst. Sm'g., USN H. B. Ransdell, P. A. Paymaster, USN D. MoK. Paulson. Ensign, USNRP T. P. Wells, Ensim. USNRP J. L. D. Painter, Ensign. USNRP T. F. Kilkenny, Jr.. Ensign, USNRF G. T. Morrow, Ensign. USNRF W. G. Woodams, Ensign, USNRP A. M. Baldwin, Ensign, NNV G. I. Wright, Lieut, (jg). USNRP L. H. Van Syckle, Ensign, NNV E. F. Cloney, Ensign, NNV C. R. Jacobson, Ensign, NNV A. P. Plagg, Lieutenant (jg). USN F. C. Cobb, Lieutenant Gg). USNRP A. P. Hill, Lieutenant Gg). USNRF C. S. Shields, Ensign. USNRP C. A. Painter, Ensign. USNRP E. J. McKieman. Machinist (T), USN S. C. Norton. Lieutenant Gg), USN D. Ballard, Ensign (T). USN J. F. Hart, P. A. Surgeon, USN K. Hamner, Dental Surgeon, USNRP C. R. Sies, Asst. Paymaster, USN T. L. Zynda. Gunner (T), USN W. F. Rail. Gunner (T), USN H. J. Megin. Pharmacist (T). USN L. Ashcroft, Ensign, USNRF J. B. Clark, Ensign, USNRF E. L. Denton. Ensign, USNRF P. P. Kane, Ensign. USNRP L. W. Fisher, Ensign, USNRP M. E. Miller, Ensim, USNRF I. C. Mix, Ensign, USNRF L. B. Roberts, Ensign, USNRP P. C. Smith, Ensign, USNRF . D. Sparkman, Ensign, USNRP S. B. Sharp. Machinist (T), USN J. J. Graham, Ensign. USN F. H. Gihner, Ensign. USN W. E. Moser, Boatswain (T), USN H. P. A. Baske, Asst. Surgeon, USN R. G. Brown, Ensign, USNRP A. S. Prancis, Ensign, USNRP A. E. Spinner, Gunner (T), USN T. J. Hassett, Gunner (T), USN G. C. Day, Captain. USN H. E. Kays, Commander, USN J. S. Spore^ Lieut. Commander, USN J. T. Lett, Ensign, USNRF J. B. McGovem, Ensign, USNRP E. B. Luckie, Ensign, USNRP H. A. Lincok, Ensign. USNRP R. L. Gray. Ensign. USNRF H. P. Dockstader. Ensign, USNRP H. R. Lake, Ensign, USNRP G. C. Lindberg, Ensign, USNRF H. C. Cooper, Captain, USMC C. A. McGaha. Boatswain (T), USN H. W. Biyan, Boatswain (T), USN R. E. Woods, Gunner (T), USN A. H. Giesler. Carpenter (T). USN A. W. Robbins, Pay Clerk. USNRF L. B. Roberts. Ensign. USNRP C. P. Tinney. Lieutenant (M), USNRF C. M. McAfee, Ensi^. USNRP L. A, Krake, Ensign, USNRF U. S. S. MOUNT VERNON (Transport) A. H. Robertson, Captain, USN R. Morris. Commander, USN J. M. Doyle. Lieutenant. USN P. L. Carroll. Lieutenant Gg). USN , W, W. Peineman. Ensign, USN R. G. Heiner. Surgeon. USN J. P. Kutz. PajTnaster, USN D. H. Sumner. Lieut. Comdr., USNRF F. C. Bailey. IJeutenant. USNRF P. A. Guttormsen, Lieutenant, USNRF T. L. McAvery. Lieutenant, USNRF G. Tyner. Lieutenant. USNRF J. H. Gorman, Lieutenant Gg), USNRF E. Rock, Lieutenant Gg). USNRF S. L. Almon. Ensign. USN '' J. A. Martin, Ensign (T),-USN J. C. Stein. Ensign (T), USN R. G. Baird, Ensign. NNV G. W. MiUiken. Ensign. USNRF R. de B. Clark. P. S. Surgeon. NNV W. M. Anderson, Asst. Surg., USNRP R. W. Harris, Asst. Paymaster, USNRP OFFICER PERSONNEL 313 V. B. Havens. Asst. Paymaster, USNRP H. V. C. Wetmore^ Asst Nav. Constr. (T). USN F. C. A. Plagemann. Bosn., USN R. L. Marshall. Bosn., USNRF BeKef Officers in Order R. W. Emmons, lieutenant, USNUP R. Roberts, Lieutenant, USNRF L. Heyl. Lieutenant Qg), USNBF W. J. Pittuck, lieutenant (jg). USNRP P. C. Taisey. Ensign, NNV H. O. K Hansen, Ensign, NNV y. EL Robinson. Ensign. USNRF A. E. Rowe^ Bosn, USNRF J. T. Ogden. Gunner, USNRP V. P. Le Veme, Enagn (T) (M). USN A. Blake, Ensign. USNRF C. K. Cummings, En^gn, USNRF J. R. Hooper, Jr, Ensign. USNRF G. W. Eastman. Asst. Suigeon. USNRF J. G. Pront, Asst. Paymaster. USN H. M. Shaffer, Asst. Paymaster, USN Lon H. Robb, Bosn. (T), USN J. W. Rabbitt. Gunna (T). USN M. ^Wtte, Gunner CT), CBN A. F. Sortwell. Bosn., USNRF T. A. Clark, Carpenter (T), USN H. A. D. Cameron, lieutenant, USNRF E. C. W. S. Lyders, lieutenant, USNRF W. Comerford. Lieut, (jg). USNRP A. T. Appleyard, Enagn, USNRF R. EL Baker, Ensign. USNRF W. L. Freeborn, Enagn, USNRP K M. WaUman, Ens^. USNRF W. Wilson, Ensign, USNRF 6. A. Smith, Dental Surgeon, USNRF A. Mangin, Warrant Officer (Fr. Navy) D. E. Dismukes, Captain, USN J. P. Friefer, Ensign, USNRF A. N. HanauJEn^ JJSNRF 3. S. Hanna, Ensign, USNRF H. L. Morrison, Enagn, USNRF A. Staton, lieut. C<»imander, USN P. Myers, Lieutenant 0'g)f ^^ C. H. Kohls, Gunner. USN R. J. Youngkin, Pharmacist (T), USN M. J. Dambacher, Pay Clerk, USN H. Noble. Pay Clerk, USNRF <^ Reporting on Board F. J. McCarthy, Act. Surgeon, USN C. E. Brown, Act. Surgeon, USN B. T. Smith, Asst. Paymaster, USNRF W. A. Hopkins. Act. Chaplain. USN R. J. Pose. Caipenter. USN H. H. Hersh, Machinist. USNRF D. C. Moore. Pharmacist, USNRF J. A. Campbell, Ensign, USNRF B. V. McGovem, Ensign. USNRF D. W. Dodd, Asst. Surgeon. USNRP S. Weinstein. Gunner (T). USN J. P. Nelligan, Ensign, USNRP K. M. Kske, Ensign, USNRP H. H. McNeill. Ensign, USNRF W. F. Ives, Ensign, USNRF A. R. Tiemey, Ensign, USNRP P. E. Covalt, Ensign, USNRF , H. H. McGlaughlin, Ensign, USNRF S. D. Barr, Act. Pay Clerk. USN M. H. Stein. Ensign, USN A. R. Staudt, Ensign, USN J. Briggs. Ensign, USN H. D. Kuower, Ensign. USNRF L. D. Crouter. Asst. Paymaster, USNRP W. V. C. Brandt. Ensign, USNRF W. S. Porteous, Jr., Ensign, USNRP L. Placet, Boatswain, USN E. E. CurKs, Surgeon, USN T. W. Anthony, Ensign. USNRF R. B. Zmser, Ensign. USNRF F. P. DreSein, Ensign, USNRF J. J. Ward, Ensign, USNRP D. P. Gang. Ensign. USNRF R. I. Law. Pharmacist, USNRP E. W. Bentley. Ensign USN W. E. Cheadlei Lieutenant (jg). USN J. P. Brown, Ensign, USN M. W. Powera, Ensign, USN R. W. Clark. Ensign. USN W. D. Austin. Ensign. USN C. N. Fiske, Surgeon. USN R B. Lupton, Paymaster (Bet.). USN C. B. Sies, Asst. Paymaster (T). USN E. E. Carr, Asst. Surgeon, USN J. V. McAlpine. Dental Surgeon. USN H. W. Lyon, lieutenant (jg), USNRF R. W. Clark, Lieutenant. NNV G. E. link, lieutenant, NNV J. L. Armstrong, lieutenant, NNV N. Taylor, Lieutenant, NNV J. A. McKeown, lieutenant (jg), NNV C. W. Wright, lieutenant (jg), NNV H. K Koebig. Lieutenant Qg). NNV H. L. KiUer. Ensign, NNV M. J. Hageman, Ensign, NNV H. S. Ryerson, Ensign, NNV H. W. Engel Ensign, NNV S. W. Tay, Ensign, NNV F. C. Wisker, Ensign (T), USN C. Dunne, Ensign (T), USN S. E. Guild. Jr.. Ensign, USNRF G. is. Silsbee, Ensign. USNRF W. F. Olson, Ensign, USNRF J. L. Rothery. Ensign, USNRF L. E. BurweU, Ensign, USNRF H. G. MiUington. Ensigi^ USNRF E. T. Hammond, Boatswain, USN E. L. NeweU, Gunner, USN G. Growney, Chief Machinist, USN E. V. Hand, Machinist, USN R. J. Leahy, Carpenter, USN 326 HISTORY OF TRANSPORT SERVICE Belief Officers in Order of Reporting on Board L. D. Webb, Gunner. USN N. King, Asst. Surgeon, USN L. Mclntyre, Boatswain (T), USN W. T. Meyer, Gunner (T), USN W. Evans, Captain, USN W. W. Edel, Chaplain (Acting), USN J. Q. Adams, Captain, USMC D. R. Pox, 1st Lieutenant, USMC L. F. Busse, Machinist, USN E. P. Nolan. Ensign. USNRF C. E. ffieser. Ensign, USNKP O. P. Shattuck, Ensign, USN F. H. Wight, Ensign, USNRF C. K. Smyth, Act. Pay Clerk, USN L. E. Clifford, Lieutenant (jg). USN E. C. Jackson, Ensign, USN J. P'. Burlingham, Ensign, USN V. C. Bixby, Ehsign, USN V. P. Kaercher, Ensign, USN JiF. Robbins, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF L. Stock, Jr.. Ensign, USNRF A. C. Stevens. Ensign, USNRF D. M. Taylor, Ensign, USNRF L. C. De Veaux, 2nd Lieutenant, USMC C. A. Morton, Pay Clerk, USNRF M. L. Weissberger, Dental Surg., USN C. C. Rounds. Ensign (NE), USN S. E. Guild. Jr., Ensign, USNRF F. A. Dixon, Ensign, USNRF E. D. Kem, Midshipman, USN D. Kiefer, Midshipman, USN Amon Brunson, Captain, USN C. J. Culbert, Ensign, USNRF R. G. Warren. Ensign, USNRF R. L. Williams. Ensign, USNRF F. S. Woodruff, Ensign, USNRF G. S. Lincohi. Captain. USN F. G. Kutz, Lieutenant. USN J. J. Shipley. Ensign. USNRF J. D. RyaU. Ensign, USNRF R. T. Bookmyer, Ensign, USNRF S. A. Puqua. Lieutenant (MC). USN J. A. Poulter. Captain. USMC G. S. Sibbee. Lieutenant (jg), USNRF J. L. Taylor. Ensign. USN T. J. Taylor. Ensign. USN A. J. Storm. Ensign, USN T. H. Snyder. Ensign. USN J. K. Stevenson, Ensign, USN H. E. Small, Ensign, USNRF H. F. Parks, Ensign, USNRF S. L. Oliver, Ensign, USN T. Nelson, Lieut. Commandeiv USNRF J. J. Hyland, Commander, USN ' J. H. Conyne. Lieutenant, USN N. O, Wynkoop. Lieutenant. USN J. C. Walle, Lieutenant (jg). USNRF C. Keenan. Ensign (T), USN - J. J. McCarey. P. A. Surgeon, NNV U. S. S. ST. PAUL (TranJSport) B. R. Lyon, Asst. Surgeon, USN A. F. Jeffrey, Boatswain (T), USN J. Bona, Gunner (T). USN J. C. Stephenson, Gunner (T), USN W. G. Mclntyre, Carpenter (T), USN A. L. Crowder. Pharmacist (T). USN U. ?. S. SAN DIEGO (Cruiser) H. H. Christy, Captain. USN C. B. Price. Commander, USN R. C. McFall. Lieut. Commander, USN J. S. McCain, Lieutenant, USN R. R. Zivnuska, P. A. Paymaster, USN R. J. Carstarphen, Lieutenant, USN C. E. Hoard, Lieutenant (jg), USN F. G. Kutz, Ensign, USN F. S. Irby, Ensign. USN A. G. Reaves, Ensign. USN P. F. Shortridge, Emiiga USN W. R. Buchuer, Ensign, USN J. C. Collins, Ensign, USN W. Henderson, Ensign, USNRF D. M. Stewart, Lieut. Copidr., NNV A. B. Adams, Lieutenant. NNV C. T. Wallace, P. A. Surgeon, NNV I. W. Parson, Asst. Surgeon, NNV H. W. Lewis, Lieutenant, USNRF T. A. Stetson, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF W. H. Melseme, Lieut, (jg). USNR* C. M. Johnston, Boatswain, USNRF J. C. Short. Chaplain, USNRF C. H. Uznay, Ensign, USNRF K. E. Hintze, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF C. E. Kuter, Ensign, USNRF OFFIGER PERSONNEL 327 H. H. Searles. Asst. Surgeon, USISTRF D. W. Loomis, Ensign. USNUP J, p. Mnrray, Ensign, USNBP. R. D. Joldersma, Asst. Surg., tJSNEF G. A. Browne. Lieutenant, NNy A. C. Kidd. "Eiisign, tJSN G. A. Beall, Lieutenant, USN R. C. Jones, Lieutenant, DSNRP Relief Officerajn Order G. S. Gillispie. lieutenant (jg). USN S. M. Akeistrom, Dental Suigeon. USN L. it Holm, Ensign. NNV D. Easdale, Carpenter. USN A. Henderson, Boatsw^ (T), USN J. B. Cadenbachi Boatswain (T). USN J. P.Hildman. Gunner (T), USN J. B. Dofflenieyer. Gunner (T). USNRF D. J. Burke^ Gunnei>Douthit; Ensign,; USN„ ' Jack S. Phillips, Ensign, USN W.^. Phillips (on leave). Ensign, USN Edw. H. LeToumeau, Ensign, NNV Henry R. Wakeman (EDO), Ensign, NNV Russell A. Mackey, Ensign, NNV Wm. R. McAdam. Ensign, NNV Ernest C. May, Ensign, USNRF Relief Officers in Order Archibald Young, "Captain, USMC Milton W. Vedder, 2nd Lieut., USMC Geo. F. Kelly, Asst. Surgeon, USNRF Clarence B. Archer, Act. Pay Clk., USN Guy E. Thornton, Gunner (T), USN Charles H. Gillilan, Pay Clk. (T), USN Donald Butter, Lieutenant (jg), USN W. T. Dabney, Lieutenant (jfe), USNRF C. D. Gibbs. Lieutenant (jg). USNRF R. E. Kinkead, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF T. Marceau, Ensign (T), USN F. M; Smith. Ensign (T). USN C. E. Miller, Ensign (T). USN Roy Childs, Gunner (T), USN Grover Williams, Gunner (T), USN Herbert C. Conner, Machinist (T), USN William T. Evans, Machinist (T), USN Francis W. Orpin (EDO), Ensign, USNRF G. H. Frederick, Ensign (T), USN A. M. O. Wood, Asst. Surgeon, USNRF George Crdfton. Lieut, (jg) (T), USN L. C. Harris, Acting Chaplain, USN William Condon, Gunner (T), USN William H. Glasper. Gunner (T), USN Harry V. Kelly. Boatswain (T), USN John J. Solosky, Pay Clerk (T), USN Roy Childs, Ensign (T), USN D. W. Hand, Ensign, USN Frederick T, Montgomery, Act. Ensign, USN , : , .... Adolph Peterson, Ensirfi, USN Osealr'BensoBr-EixsigD, USN Stephen A. Loftus, Ensign, USN Robert J. i^jngsmilj. ^nsign, USN ■ George R. Blauvelt- Ensiiia."USN ' Carletoa I.: Wood; Asst.tSurgCon, USN Ben L. Norden, Assfe .Surgeon. NNV> Ralph W.' Swearirigen, Asst. Pay.',' USN Samuel H. Ejnowles, Asst. Paymaster .tiT). USN ;.,.,.,.> Geo. G. Schweizer, Asst. Pay. (T), USN Thomas P. Kane. Boatswain (T). USN t. Coenraad JU(£t6^ahl, Boatswain (T), USN . . Loar Mansbach,~jGunner (E) (T), USN Louis M. Pahner. Gunner (T). USN Arthur P. Armstrong, Gunner (T), USN G. H. Toepfer, Carpenter (T). USN R. Anderson. Gunner (T) (R). USN O. L. de Vasconcelles (SecundeTenente^ Brazilian Navy) of Reporting on Board E. E. Herrmann, Ensign. USN H. P. Kirby. Midshipman, USN L. C. Lawbaugh, Midshipman, USN W. I. Leahy, Midshipman, USN C. V. Lee. Midshipman, USN E. Lewis, Midshipman, USN J. A. Lusk, Midshipman, USN H. D. Lyttle. Midshipman, USN E. D. McEathron. Midshipman, USN D. A. Hughes. Midshipman, USN Harold W. Gamble^ Dental Surgeon, USNRF ■ John F. Donelson, Lieutenant, USN Leland S. Swindler, 2nd Lieut., USMC John M. Luby, Captain, USN Turner P. Caldwell. Commander. USN George B. Keester. lieut. Comdr.. USN ElUott F. Pettigrew. Enagn (T), USN Linn D. Shipman. Ensign (T), USN Albert P. Rumsey, Ensign (T). USN Omar T. Pfeiffer, Captain. USMC George E. Henniug, Boatswain (T), USN John L. Matthews, Ensign (T), USN Ralph S. Maughan, Ensign (T), USN Walter B. Holder. Ensign (T), USN Edward D. Magill, Ensign (T), USN John A. Meyfer, Ensign (T), USN Mackey C. Saylor, Gunner (T), USN OFFICER PERSONNEL 331 , V- §.' S. SUSQUEEdNNA (Transport) Z. H. MadisonjConiaiand^, USN A. B. Reed, Lieut. Commander, USN R. S^/;]^ew, Jr.. P.A. P^yrm^ster, USN M. Hudson, Lieutenant (ig)' USN L. B. ■Scott; Ehsigri. ffi^' C. H. Hosung. Ensign, USN E. H. Paro, Ensign. USNRP ■O. T. Purcell, Ensign, USN W. M. SneU, Ensi^. tJSNRP L. W. Gumz, Boatswain, USN R. S. Savin, Gunner, USN G. O. Famsworth, Gunner, USN H. R. Newby.'Calpenter, USN H. W. Niels. Ensign. USNRP W. T. Oppenheimer, Asst. Surg., USN L. A. Putfkett, Apt. Pay Clerk, USN J. E. Malcolmsoh, Asst. Surgeon, USN R. E. Morton, Asst. Paymaster, USN Relief Officers in Order cf Reporting on Board B. D. Schmidt. Asst. Paymaster, USN W. E. Davis, Asst. Paymaster, USN G. G. Holliday, P. A. Surg.. USNRP R. G. Avery. lieutenant (jg). USNRP C. M J: G. Hutchinson, Lieut, (jg), USNRF F. J. Rogers, Lieut, (jg), USNRF E. P. Herney, Ensign, USNTRF J. O. Crom. Machinist, USN H. L. Brown, Surgeon, USN C. D. Shannon, Asst. Surgeon," USN C. M. McKee, Asst. Surgeon, USNRF Relief Offieera in-Orier John Grady, Commander, USN E. F. Manning, Ensign, USN P. J. Scheufele, Ensign, USNRF L. W. Smith, Ensign, .USNRF A. A. Sayres, Ensign, ,USNRF F. C. Seymour, Ensign, USNRF P. S. Sampsoa, Ensign, USNRF G. B. Ruggles. Ensign, USNRF A. H. Schow, Ensign, USNRF, T. W. Salmon, Ensi^ USNRP C. Foose, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF R. J. Boutledgie, Lieut, (jg), USNRF Hi L. Sweetser, Ensign,, USNRF D. W. Ladd, Ensign, USNRF , J. F, LaSalle, Pharmacist, USN A. B. Schofield, P. A. Paymaster, USN C. D. Everingham, Asst. Paym., USNRF P.. CWelchs'Asst. Paymaster, USNRP W. F. Brown, Pay Clerk, USN D. J. Lewis, Pay Clerk, USNRF H. P. Gleason, Boatswain, USN G. B. Dahlman, Gunner, USN J. P. Shea, Gunner, USN W. Stou^t, Carpenter. USN " " of Reporting on Board 3. A. Lunn, Ensign, USNRP N. P.- Patterson, Ensign, USNRP J. C. Paden, Lieufimant (MC), USN J. P. Worsham, Pay Clerk, USNRF G. W. Clark, Lieutenant, USN ' '' R. J. Crocker, Lieutenant (jg), ifgNftP I. Jacobson, Lieutenapt (jg), USNRF .- H. P. Reid. Ensign (T). USN J. R. Witbeck, Ensigij (T), USN . W. J. Wolf, Ensign (T), USN P. R. Uhlig, Ensign (T), USN W. M. Toomey, Ensign (T), USN A. S. Whitehead, Lieutenant, USNRP D. M. Yoder, Ensign (T), USN U. S. S. YORKTOWN {pTuiser) William H. Alien, Commander, USN David C. Guest, Lieut. Comdr., USNRF Frank L. Lowe, Lieutenant, USN Walker P. Rodman, Lieut. (T) (jg),USN Clyde Morrison, Lieut. (T) (jg), USN Walter E. Torrey, Lieut. Qg). USNRF Raymond M. Bright, Lieut. (PC), USN Thomas P. Long, Lieut. (MC), USN Daniel F. Black, Ensign, USNRF Linton H. Smith, Ensign, USNRF Henry L. Bray, Ensign, USNRF LeRoy L. Carver, Ensign, USNRF Paul C. Noble, Ensign, USNRP Chauncey G. OUinger, Pay Clerk, Act., USN Charles P. Clark, Boatswain (T), USN Carl Herrick, Pay Clerk (T), USN U. S. S. ZEELANDI4 (Transport) Robert Henderson, Commander, USN J. J. McCracken, Lieut. Comdr., USN W. J. Blake. Lieutenant, USNRP C. W. Weitzel, Lieutenant, USN J. W. Kirschner, Lieutenant, USNRP Elliot Ranney, Asst. Paymaster. Lieut., USNRP R. A. McDonnell, Supply Off. Lt. (jg), USNRF WiUiam T.White, Lt.(jg) (D), USNRP Victor J. Noel, Lieut, (jg) (D), USNRP Harry D. Chemnitz, Lieut, (jg) (D), vsmF E. V, Ferrandini, Lt. (jg) (D), USNRF Ausey H. Robnett, Surgeon, USN Ed. A- Mullen, Asst. Surgeon. USN Jno. A. B. Sinclair, Act. Asst. Surg., USN B. E. Munroe, Ensign (D), USNRF S. P. Houston. Ensign (D), USJ^RP B. E. Lindorff. Ensign (D), USNRF G.W. E.Mikkelson, Ensign (E), USNBP George P. Hynes. Ensign (E), USNRP E. P. Alward, Ensign (D), USNRP Leslie B. Bristow, Ensign (D), USNRP Dwight C. Ely, Ensign (D), USNRP Henry T. Mitghell, Lieut, (jg) (E),USN OFFICER PERSONNEL 33S F. W. Atherton. Boatswain. USN C. R. Brown. Gunner (E). USN W. H. Buchanan. Carpenter, USN F. Carter. Machinist. USN Edward P. Lrfpp. Pay aerk. USN Relief Officers in Order F. H. Babcock, Asst. Paymaster. En- sign. USNEF John A. Salb. Asst. Surgeon, USNRF James F. McGrath. Dental Surg.,. USN P, M. WoodweU. Ensign (T) (D), USN John Walter Young. Ensign (D), USNRF Maurice A. MalandaiTi, lieut. (jg) (E), UMOIF Oliver H. Clark. Enagn (E), USNRF David Lyons, •Commander, USN W. C. Morhoff. LieuteHtot, USNRF Chas. A. Wilson, Ensign, USNRF Frank H. Smith, Ensign, USNRF R. B. Scharman. Ensign, USNRF Harry C. Evans. Ensign. USNRF W. L. Radcliff. Ensign, USNRF Louis Undenmayer, Pay Clerk. USN Charles Fy Whitmore. Pharmacist, USN Thomas M. Diegnan, Gunner (E), USN R. N. Rindemecht, Ensign (D),USNilP of Reporting on Board 3. S. Sutton. Ensign, USNRF H. E. Clark, Boatswain, USN E. A. Lichtenstein, Lieut. Comdr., USN G. G. Meade, Lieutenant, USNRF R. A. Fox, Ensign, USNRF E. Daskam^ Ensign, USNRF R. F. Tiflman, Ensign (T), USN P. H. Weinberg, Ensign (T). USN R. McK. Stover, Ensign (T), USN P. A. Thompson, Ensign (T), USN C. C. Reynolds, Ensign (T), USN P. R. Strayer, Ensign (T), USN M. R. Thompson, Ensign (T), USN J. W. Young, Ensign, USNRF R. A. McDonnell, Iaeut.O'g) (PC). USNRF D. C. Moore, Pharmacist, USN OFFICERS SERVING IN ARMY TRANSPORTS UNDER VICE ADMIRAL GtEAVES, U. S. N. CONVOY OPERATIONS B. B. Bierer, Commander USN P. N. Ohnsted, Commander, USN S. V. Graham, Conmiander, USN W. fi. Sexton, Commander, USN J. B. Defrees, Commander, USN C. Shackf ord. Commander, USN W. N. Jeffers, Commander, USN H. W. Osterhaus, Lt. Commander, USN L. Oae, Lieut. Commander, USN D. T. Ghent, lieut. Commander, USN G. P. Chase, Lieut. Comanander.USN A. C. Kckens, Lieut. Conunander.USN P. E. Dampman, Lt. Commander, USN S. L. H. Hazard, Lt. Commander, USN O. Hill, Lieut. Commander, USN C. F. Parker, Lt. Commander, USNRF W. L. Beck, Lieutenant, USN B. R. Ware, Jr., lieutenant, USN J. L. B^aufiman, Lieutenant, USN S. Cochran, Lieutenant, USN R. £ing, lieutenant, USN R. M. Comfort, Lieutenant, USN C. M. Smith, Lieutenant, NNV F." A. Braisted, Lieutenant, USN W. J. Gessner, Lieutenant, USNRF W. B. Kimball. Lieutenant. USNRF O. C. Greene. lieutenant (jg), USN J. B. Oldendorf, Lieutenant (jg), USN A. Y. Lanphier, Lieutenant (Jg), USN R. C. Smitfi, Jr., lieutenant (jg), USN J. D. Smith, Lieutenant (jg), USN C. J. Bright, Lieutenant Qg), USN J. J. Druiy, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF R. E. Dennett, Lieutenant Qg), USN R. S. Parr, Lieutenant Qg). USN F. C. Lane, Lieutenant (jg), USNRF R. D. Tisdale, Ensign, USN P. MarshaU, Ensign, USN L. F. Safford, Ensign. USN R. A. Awtrey, Ensign, USN C. A. Krez, Ensign. USN H. M. Home, Ensign, USN A. B. Root, Ensign, USN T. D. Warner, Ensign, USN W. E. Miller, Ensign. USN W. J. Forrestel, Ensign, USN W. S. Carrington, Ensign, USN H. J. Redfield, Ensign, USN H. J. Grassie, Ensign, USN K. McGinnjs, Ensign, USN 336 HISTORY. OF TRANSPORT SERVICE OFFICERS SERVING IN ARMY TRANSPORTS UNDER VrCE ADMIRAL CLEAVES ANTILLES Daniel T. Ghent, Commander, USN CALAMOBES A. Staton, Lieut. Commander, USN B. Wainwrifeht, Lt. Commander, USN 3. C. Tyler, Lieut. Qg), USN C. L. Jacobsen, Lieut, (jg), USN EDWARD LUCKENBACH A. C. Pickens, Commander, USN B. C. Smith, Jr., Lieut. Commander, USN A. W. Sears, Lieut. Commander, USN B. E. Dennett, Lieutenant, USN W. W. Bowes, Jr., Lieutenant, USNEP N. B. Bhoades, P. A. Paymaster, USN EL OCCIDENTE H. W. Osterhaui3, Captain, USN FINLAND S. V. Graham, Commander, USN W. J. Giles, Lieut. Commander, USN W. J. Porrestel, Lieutenant (jg),USN B. P. Skylstead, Lieutenant Cig). USN LENAPE P. E. Dampman, Commander, USN Chauncey Shackford, Commander, US N LOUISVILLE 3. P. Jackson, Commander, USN MALLORY G. P. Chase, Lieut. Commander, USN E. L. 'Love, Lieutenant, NNV B. E. Keating, Lieutenant (jg), USN A. G. Burt, Lieutenant (jg), USNBP M. J. Dierlam, Lieutenant O'g), USNRP MONTANAN P. N. Olmsted, Captain, USN MOMUS W. N. Jeffers. Captain, USN pastOres O. Hill, Lieut. Commander, USN B. S. Parr, Lieutenant, USN B. A. Awtiey, Lieutenant, USN M. Comstodk, Lieutenant (jg), USN INDEX INDEX Abandon Ship Drill, 37, 182 Agamemnon, S. S., 143 Alcedo, U. S. S., 103, 108 AUman, Daxral, Sergeant, U. S. A., 176 Almon, Lieut., 146 Amble, Ben, mate, 51 Anderson, G. A., seaman, 115 Anderson, seaman, 121 Antigone, S. S., 11, 130 Antilles, S. S., sinking of, 103 Army personnel, at sea, 179 Atlantian, S. S , 158 Ausburne, C. L., electrician, 104 Aviators, naval, 66 Bainbridge, Surgeon W. L., 193 Baird, A. K., seaman, 173 Baker, Lieut. Edward, 114 Baker, Newton D., letter to Admiral Gleaves, 61 Barker, Lieut. Comdr. W. C, 177 Baumann, Coxswain, 129 Beresford, Admiral Lord, 22 Bergert, Second Lieut. B. 0., 164 Blamer, Captain DeW., 40 Bloomersdyk, B. B., 136 Boissum, B. 8., 141 Bradford, Lieut. Comdr. Gerard, 139 Breslau, German Cruiser, 21 Briggs, E. B., seaman, 143 Bright, Lieut. C. J., 140 Brinklum, British S. S., 173 British naval activity, 25 Grand Fleet, 25 Bristle, Lieut. Comdr. A. L., 52 Buford. 8. S., 108 Bumey Gear, 85 Calhoun, U. S. S., 177 Callahan, Lieut. J. S., 17S Camilla Riekners, see Tioonderoga, 195 Camouflage,- 82 Carey, Lieut. J. C, 46 CaroUna, S. S., 134 Carver, Lieut. Clifford N., 102 Central Powers, military advantages of, in 1917, 19 i Chaddick, seaman; 121 Chevalier, Lieut., 67 Cluristian Knudson, S. S., 136 Christy, Capt. H. H., 138 Cincinnati, S. S., 124 City of Bamomnah, S. S., 108 Clopton, Lieut. Col. W. H., Jr., 117 Cole, Capt. W. C, 177 Collins, Lieut. C. J., 125, 138 Harry, fireman, 216 Comdr. Marshall, 125 Comitterce, condition of neutral, in 1917, 20 Convoy, 33 Instructions, 37 Procedure for, 88 Corsair, U. S. S., 41, 103, 108 , Cosick, S. J., electrician 1st class, 177 Covington, U. S. S., loss of, 124, 131 Crisis of the War, 17 Cruiser and Transport Force, scope of, 27 339 340 INDEX Squadron One, Squadron Two, 155 Size in November, 1918, 30 Material of, 100 Organization, 240 Record of ships, 246 Demobilized and disbanded, 101 Cummmgs, U. S. S., 46 Curtis, Lieut. Comdr. E. E., 148 Gushing, U. S. S., 44 Cyclops, U. S. S., 51 Danger zones, submarine, 183 Daniels, Josepbus, letter to Admiral Cleaves, 60 Dante AligJUeri, S. S., 125 Darkening ship, 84 Davidovioi, Sergeant, Osias, U. S. A., 176' De Kalh, U. S. S., 42, 125 Depth bombs, 82 Deutschland, U-boat, 135 Dismukes, Capt. D. E., 143 Downie, James, Foiirth Eng. Officer, '■ 215 Doyle, Capt. S. H. E., 174 Lieut. Comdr., 145 "Drowning Drill," 183 Dufly, Gunners Mate, 144 Dunn, Joseph, seaman, 51 Duipetit-Thomars, torpedoed, 86 DuHnsk, S. S., torpedoed, 204 Easdale, David, carpenter, 139 Edwards, Lieut. B. C, 125 Emergency Fleet Corporation, 26 Escort, 33 Fales, Lieut. DeC., 102 Fallon, George, seaman, 216 Fanning, V. S. S., 41 Finlamd, S. S., torpedoed, 108 First Expedition, The, speed, 32, 42 Make-up, 33 Orders for sailing, 38 First group attacked, 42 Sights Belle Isle, 45 Second group attacked, 46 Return voyage, 54 First voyage, lessons learned from, 62 Fitzgerald, Patrick F., firenu^n, 153 Fhbsser, U. S. S., 108 Poch, General, 53 Follis, fireman, 151 Poote, Capt. P. W., 113 Foreign transports in U. S. con- voys, 202 Fourth of July, Paris, 1917, 52 France, political disintegration in 1917, 20 Franklin, P. A. S., 27 Framh W. Kellog, Tanker, 164 ,Pranz, Capt.-Lieut., 201 Frederick, U. S. S., 177 Fremont, Lieut. Comdr. J. C, 44 Pulcher, Lieut., 200 Fulton, WilUam H., 127 Gagan, Pay Clerk, 141 Galveston. U. S. S., 156, 195 Cfeorge Washington, S. S., 125,' 131, 186 George Whittimore, "Q" ship, 135 German Policy, achievement in 1917, 18 Admiralty, the boast of, 47 Drive, March, 1918, 88 Military Plans, 17 Vessds allocated for transports, 94 German Ships, typical German de-, struction, 73 Alteratives and refitting, 72 List of, 68 , Repairs by electric welding, 71 Repairs, on main engines, 71 Repairing the, 68 Sabotage on, 70 Ghent, Lieut. Comdr. D. T., 103 Gherardi, Captain, 43 INDEX 341 GiU, Lieut. Comdr. C. C, 78 Cleaves, Admiral, Commandatory letter to the personnel of the Cruiser and Transport Force, 89 Assigned to command, 32 Goehen, German cruiser, 21 Graf Waidersee, S. S., 101 Graham, C5mdr. S. V., 108 Grampian, British S. S., 200 Graves, Lieut. Comdr. C. S., 159 Great Northern, S. S., 18, 188 Collision of, 173 Gregory, C, linen- keeper, 215 Greening, Comdr., 214 Griffith, E., boilermaker, 215 Grout, Rear Admiral, 86 Guttormsen, Lieut. Comdr. P. A., 146, 151 Hadington, Schooner, 134 Halifax disaster, 157 Hampton Koads, embarkation port, 180 Harris, Maj. Clififord L., U. S. A., 135 Hasbrouck, Capt. R. D., 125 Henderson, Comdr. Kobert, 102 Henderson, U. S. Naval Transport, 103 Rams a submarine, 164 Fire on board S. S., 176 Herbert L. Pratt, S. S., 134 Hicks, Roy O., Private, U. S. A., 164 High Seas Fleet, German, 25 Hillman, Ensign J. P., 139 Hinds, Capt. A. W., 158 Hines, A. W. G., Chief Quarter- master, 143 Hoboken, embarkation port, 180 Hospital Corpsmen, training of, 193 Hudson, chief machinist mate, 151 Huntington, U. S. S., 68, 157 Hutchinson, Maj. Gen. Grote^ 64 Imperator, S. S., 94 Influenza epidemic, 190 Isaacs, Lieut., 115, 122 Escapes, 233 Adventures of, 217 Prisoner in Germany, 226 Jamea, Lieut. Comdr. Jules, 1S8 Jessop, Comdr., 70 Joffre, Marshal, 53 Opinion on troop transport, 28 Missions to America, 21 Johnson, Asst. Paymaster, 114 Rear Adm. Marbury, 155 Jones, Rear Adm. H. P., 65, 87 John, Greaser, 215 Kahn, Kapitan-Lieut., 222 Kaiserin Augiiste Victoria, S. S., 94 Kalbfus, Capt. E. C, 161 Kammoha, S. S., 46, 103 Kenyon, Lieut. Comdr. George W., 116 Keough, M., fireman, 215 j K. L. Luchenbaeh, S. S., rescue of, 162 Elinch, water tender, 149 Kite balloons, 68 Kline, Lieut. Comdr., 116 Kohls, Lieut. C. A., 146 La France, French S. S., 174 Lacaze, Rear Admiral, 53 Lafayette, Grave of, 53 Lanier, Ensign R. B., 102 Lambert, S. T., oiler, 173 Lamson, U. S. S., 108 Lavender,' Lieut., 67 Le Bon, Vice Admiral, 53 Lee, Lieut Comdr. A. E., 175 Lejeune, Maj. Gen., 84 Lenape, U. S. S., 125 Leviathan, S. S., 88, 188 Lind, Lieut. Comdr. W. L., 114, 116 Liser, seaman, 158 842 INDEX Luckenbach, 8. 8., attacked^ 45 LudendorS, General, 29 liutomski, gtumers mate, 144 Lyons, chief boatswain mate, ^47 Madison, Lieut. Comdr., 197 Maiden, S. S., 141 Martin, Lieut. Westley G., 113 J. J., barkeeper, 215 Mason, Charles B., Private, U. S. A., 176 Uamnee, tanker, 36 Mayer, P. T., seaman, 173 Mayrwnt, U. S. S., 177 McCallum, Leonard, chief yeoman, ,119 - McFarlane, Lieut. W. K., 175 Meyers, George J., chief yeoman, 141 Milliken, Lieut. George W.', 144 Moorish Prince, British S. S., 200 Morgan, Rear Adin. C. B., 101 Mouellec, Je., French seaman, 215 Movmt Vernon, S. S., torpedoed, 143 Mowat, asst. ^paymaster, 114,119 Muller, Lieut., 198 Nayal Transports, British ships added, 89 Overseas Transportation Service organized, 26 Navy, work of, 24 , Personnel transport duty, 185 Neil, Comdr., 47 Newport News, embarkation port, 180 Nielsen, gunners mate, 144 North Cwrolma, U. S. S., 67 Northern Pacific, 8. 8., 88, 101, 174 O'Brien, V. 8. S., 44 O'Connor, Charles L., water tender, 149 Oiling at sea, 36, 65 Orisaha, 8. 8., depth bomb esplosioo on, 172 Palmer, Maj. Frederick, 50 Papue, Captaine de Fregate, 86 Paris, Fourth of July celebrationj^SZ Pattison, James, second eng. officer, 215 Paul Jones, V. 8. 8., 177 Peltier, (Jeneral, 50 Perkins, Lieut. Comdr., 65 Perriere, Lieut, Amauld de la, 166 Pershing, General, 50, 53 Perth Amboy, tug, 134 Pickens, Comdr. A. C, 46 Picpus, Cemetery of, '53 ' ' Placet, 'Louis, Chief Boatswain, 147 Pocahontas, S; S., engagement with submarine, 161 Poincard, President, 52 Pollock, Captain E. T., 125, 193 Ports of debarkation, 87 President lAncoVn, 8. 8., 130, 217 loss of. Ill Preston, U. S. S., 108 Princess Matoika, 8. 8., 125 Pritehard, B. J., First Officer, 215 "Q" ship, 135 Qua! d' Orsay, 53 Radio, 83 Randall, Lieut. Comdr. A. B., 115 Ransom, John E., Sergeant, U. S. A, 176 Read, U. S. S^, 125 Read, Lieut. Comdr. A. C, 67 Red Cross Service, 180 Remy, Capt., Ill, 217 Return voyage, the, 50 Returning the army, 86, 92 Ribot, M., 53 Rijndam, 8. 8., Ill, 126, 130 Ringelman, Lieut., 198 Richards, U. J., seaman, 214 INDEX 343 Rochester, V. S. 8., action against U-boat, 157 Rondo, U. S. S., 214 Bush, Ensign K. McKay, 164 Bt. Louis, U. S. S., 157 St. IsTazaire, 47 Samut, J., assistant cook, 215 Sam Diego, U. S. S., 137 Sunk by a mine, 133 Saylea, Comdr. W. E., 47, 52 Capt., 164 Searcy, Clayton W., Corporal, U. >S. A., 176 Seattle, U. S. S., 32, 42, 67, 157^ See A.dler, German raider, 55 Seltzer, Louis, seaman, 79 Shanks, Maj. Gen. D. C, U. S. A., 27, 64, 180 Sharp, Ambassador, 53 Ship Control Committee, 27 Sibert, General W. L., U. S. A., 50, 59 SkilUng, J. J., Chief Steward, 215 Smith, U. S. S., 108, 116, 127 Smith, H. S., fireman, 150 Smoke Screens, 82 Soper, W. E., storekeeper, 215 South DaJcota, U. S. S., 100 Spanish influenza epidemic, 190 8. P. Jones, S. S., 141 Spooner, H., Foreman, 215 Stafford, Ensign, 197 Stanton, Col., TJ. S. A., 53 Staton, Comdr. Adolphus, 146 Steele, Capt. L. W., Jr., 107 Steelt, Capt. G. W., Jr., 177 Btephomo, British S. S., 136" Stirling, Capt. Yates, Jr., 79 Strathdene, S. S., 136 Submarine Areas, 183 Defense, 78 Defense, Bumey Gear, 85 camouflage, 82 darkening ship, 84 depth bombs, 82 the fookout, 78 radio, 83 smoke screens, 82 speed, 80 tactics to destroy, 81 water-tight integrity, 84 ' zigzag tactics, 80 Susquehammp,, S. S., Ill, 130 Symington, Lieut. T. A., 52 Target practice at sea, 55 Periscope type of, 55 Tenadores, S. S., 101 Texel, S. S., 134 Tieonderoga, S. S., loss of, 195 Tilley, Lieut. Comdr. B. F., 175 Tisdale, Lieut. R. D., 105 Torpedo, Characteristics of, 75 Train, 33 Transports, overhaul or repair periods, 100 ' First steps in preparation for troops, 25 Transport fleet demobilized, 101 Force development, 86 Life, sidelights on, 180 Operations, summary, 28 Troops, return movement of, 31 Carrying capacity of, increased, 88 Embarking, 180 First to land, 49 In Prance, July, 1918, '89 In France, July to Nov., 1918, 90 Missing, 186 Monthly arrivals of returned, 99 Troop ships carrying capacity in- creased, 92 Safeguarding the, 75 U-boat, typical attack, 76 Blockade breaking, 25 Contact with, 166 In American^waters, 133 Progress of 1917 campaign, 20 344 INDEX U-151, 134 U-53, 135 U-90, 111, 217 U-139, 165 UK-152, 201 Van Metre, Lieut. T. E., 43 Viviani, M., 53 Von Steuben, S. S., 177 torpedo attacks on, 79, 216 Taterland, see Leviatham, 188 Wainwright, John, donk^man, 215 WaJciva, V. S. S., 108 Walker; Dinsdale, Chief Baker, Sis Warrington, U. S. S., 116, 123 War Crisis in 1917, 17 War Cypress, S. S., 160 War Society of the Cruiser and Transport Force, 102 War time burial at sea, 191 Water-tight integrity, 84 Weigel, Harry B., Sergeant, U. S. A., 176 West, W. S., chief carpenter's mate, 175 West Point, S. S., 136 Western Front offensive, 18 White, Capt. K. Di:aee, 172 Whitemarsh, Lieut., 203 Whiteside, Surgeon, 114 Whiting, Lieut., 66, 67 Whitlock, Brand, 53 Wilhelmina, U. S. S., 125 Wilkes, U. S. S., 43 Willehad, Army Cargo Transport, 103 Williamson, Lieut. Comdr. W. P., 172 Woodard, Ensign, 199 Worrel, Marrion H., Sergeant, U. S., A., 176 Wright,^ James, Barkeeper, 216 Zigzag Tactics, 80 't^J'^.^!^'^:i^ifm^i^m