South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-04-13
BATTLESHIPS To
PATROL COASTS
Plans Made For Cooperation
of American Navy With
the Allied Fleet.

WASHINGTON. April 13.-With
high British and French naval Off
GERS in conference here with Ameri-
can naval officials. definite steps have
been taken toward participation of
the American navy in the war against
Germany. Patrol of the entire At
lantic seaboard reaching southwark
to the American canal zone, and pos
sibly northward 10 include Canada,
Will be tho first duty of American
warships. With that goes the neces-
sitv Of guarding against the probable
extension of the German submarine
campaign TO include approaches TO
major American ports.
British and French ships now on
this patrol duty Will be withdrawn
a soon as the American forces have
their lines established. The Ameri-
can squadrons will operate from Brit
ish and French bases in the south
Atlantic wherever necessary.
Daniels Meets Commanders.
This was learned Thursday in
connection with the announcement
that Vice Admiral NJ. L. Browning
of the British navy and Rear Ad-
miral r. A. Grasset, of the French
navy are in Washington. comforting
with Sec'y Daniels. Admiral Benson,
chief of naval operations, and other
officers Of the American navy. The
conferences nave to do with the part
OF the American feet will play in the
war. either Immediately or later
when its strength in light patrol
craft and trained men has been in
creased.
Commanders Of the British and
French forces Off the American
coasts. it is known, have expected
that Germany would extend her sub
marine operations to these waters.
Arrangements to patrol vigorously
the approaches to the chief Ameri-
can harbors have been made and
Will be carried out by American
ships.
Expect Blockade of Ports.
It has been expected that Ger
many would formally announce a
submarine blockade of Boston, New
York. the mouth of the Delaware,
the mouth Of the Chesapeake, Sa-
vannah and Charleston. These are
the arteries through which flows the
main traffic in foodstuffs and war
supplies for Europe.
Unless "A blockade is declared. in
line with her previous action, Ger
many will be under the necessity Of
giving warning before attacking
merchant craft under neutral flags.
Many navy officers doubt that any
considerable number of German sub
marines can be spared from the task
of blockading the British isles for
work on this side of the Atlantic.
Sporadic operations within such pre-
scribed areas are loked for, however,
and no precautiOn 10 guard against
them will be overlooked by the navy.
Plenty of Traps Ready
The navy department has consid-
cradle supply OF submarine trap nets
already available and more Will be
delivered within a few days. IL Is
assumed that the approaches 70
American harbors will be fully pro-
tected in this way and the fleet Of
submarine chasers now being assem-
bled equipped and manned, distrib-
uted to comb the seas night and day.
The conferences, with the visiting
officers. have death with many sub
jects. It is understood that not only
will the naval bases and other Brit
ism and French ports on this side of
the Atlantic he opened 10 American
naval vessels, but that whenever
need arises ports on the French and
British coasts will be placed at their
disposal.
An American naval port probably
will be esta blished at some future
time on the Irish coast when the
measures Of cooperation have been
| extended.
Accompanying Admiral Browning
are the following British naval off,