Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-06-21
SIMS COMMANDS
IN IRISH WATERS
Allied Naval Operations Placed
in Charge of u. s. Ad-
miral.
FLEETS SENIOR OFFICER.
some Speculation ms TO Identity Of AM
erican Warship Over Which the
Adniraps Flag VIII Float.

London, June 19.--Vice-Admiral William
s. Sims. U. s. NJ, has been appointed to
take general charge of the operations OF
,, the allied naval forces in irish waters.
Admiral Sims will act in this capacity
| while the British naval COMMANDMENTS
chief is absent from his post for a period.
the official announcement of his appoint
ment explains. The American admirais
flag, meanwhile has been hoisted as the
allied senior officer in these waters.
Washington. June ia brief message
from London to-day brought the navy de-
partment its first news of the appoints
ment Of Vice-Admral Sims to command
| the allied naval forces in Irish waters
during the absence of the commander of
that district. The department had no
other information to the new re-
| sponsibiities placed upon the American
officer.
| The Washington government has given
Admiral Sims wide powers to enable him
to meet any situation that may arise. Be-
cause of the distance from Washington to
the scene OF operations, no effort was
made to hamper the officer with require
ments that he report for orders. The adj
mral has full authority to act on his own
initiative in disposing the forces at his
| command so as to secure the greatest CO.
operation with the French and British
navies and also the maximum efficiency in
the battle against German submarines.
Much of his time has been spent in Lon
don and Paris and to-days advices are the
first to indicate that he has been at sea
with his ships. 1t was said at the depart
ment. however. that the officer determined
for himself the best course to pursue and
would spend all his time afloat II he re-
garded that as advisable.
The statement that Admiral Sims
had hoisted his flag senior allied
naval officer in Irish waters led to
much speculation as to what Amer
lean warship he might be using as
flagship. as presumably he would
hoist his flag only aboard an Amer
lean vessel. The only facts disclosed
by the department as to vessels now
in European waters have been that
destroyers have been sent to British
ports and the naval collier Jupiter to
a French port with supplies.
Tremendous responsibilities have
been placed on Admiral Sims shoul-
ders. The tale of torpedoed ships in
Irish waters is an often repeated one
1t has been said that even without
the American vessels. the British have
had thousands of destroyers. subma-
rine chasers of all sizes and kinds
mine sweepers. aircraft and every
other known method of combating
submarines posted in these waters in
the effort to keep open the shipping
lanes
All of these forces are under Admiral
Sims On him also rests probably the
duty Of arranging for the arrival and de-
parture of commercial vessels. both trans
Atlantic and coastwise, that ply Irish
waters. The British admiralty exercises
rigid control over all ship movements and
no vessel leaves port until the naval COM
mander reports the seas free of the
enemy.
In some quarters 1t was pointed out
that the announcement that the Ameri-
can officer had been placed even tenn
porarily in command of British forces
greatly superior to those under the
American flag in those waters might havc
a political effect in Ireland where the
situation is turbulent with the approach
of the Irish convention period. 1t might
tend to show beyond question 1t was
suggested that the British and American
governments were in perfect accord.