The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-31
DAILY ARR FMS It
- ~-- IRI1NlMRRING HR0TTl EM0 -z
Vessels Continually Cruising the
high Seas, Writer Discovers,
While Entire Squadron Goes
Through intricate Drills and
Battle maneu " in Practice
for the Germans veen1 tMIne
Forth on ''the Day."
BY KENNETH w. PAYNE.

ga vast living Org: lljm, Thrilling
through and through with energy, anc
still high on its toes Eager FIR aC'i.,r
after three years of monotOn0us wait
ing-that is the British navy today.
If or when the American fleet joins
forces here with it's elder sister, il
will find the Grand Fleet base scene
of such amazing activity as to belle
at the very first glimpse the German
charge that the British navy has beer
reduced to Imprisonment and stagna
ton. b. - =. l.I.. H. l..G r.
Not only in Germany but even ii
England and more widely in America
than anywhere. else, critics Of late
have been trying to paint the Eritisf
fleet as an accumulation of monstrous
units of useless junk, penned up be
hind mines and nets, rusting at an
chorage, and helpless to affect the fu
ture course of the war; 49,. -, =. y
Yet, as q matter of fact, at this fal
northern spot, there comes to a head
the mighty forces which rule over two
hundred million square miles of the
oceans Of the globe. And the immen
sity of that TASK of policing the
worlds seas is reflected in the cen
trail activity here. b. - -
A flight In a seaplane over the
Grand Fleet anchorage reveals, as no
other experience can, the great stir
and hustle through which the fleet
goes daily as it prepares itself more
strenuously to meet the Germans il
the latter dare.
AS one of the only two American
correspondents who have ever made
such flight, have just had an en-
traordinary opportunity to picture for
The Tribune typical birdseye view
of the Grand Fleet base. ''
A former student of Wisconsin uni
versity, now a star pilot Of the fleet,
took me. aboard his seaplane. 1t stood
on the deck of former transatlantic
liner, whose gilded saloons have been
converted into repairs shops, whose
broad decks harbor fat observation
balloons, and from whose TANKS and
prows as she plows along in the wake
of the Grand Fleet speedy airplanes
can be sent up for observation. like SO
many doves from a modern Noah's
ark '.
AS I clambered aboard this particu.
lar seaplane, its wings were folded
along its side. In moment the wings
had been spread, deity locked in
place, and we had been hoisted easily
into the sea. In another moment the
awkward mother-ship was wallowing
below us and we were soaring high
over the vast body Of water where the
Grand Fleet lay. ~ A.. d, ,... . z.
Halt a mile into the air we climbed,
and still from this vantage point the
further fringes of the fleet In remote
corners OF the anchorage were in
visible, SO vast an extent of water
does the British navy gathered here
occupy. .,,..r ~ g.. r.. -, $ &C.,.
In one spot superdreadnought was
cruising about at target practice, A
squadron. of battleships at anchor
noint were experimenting with some
-.,.jns ID ove! tie level Dive, iloor OF
the anchorage and cut loose with her
guns on a floating target. =, %r~e,
Our mother-ship, towing balloon,
was describing foamy circles over the
water far below us, while her planes
lowered around here. Ugly drifters.
with one sail hoisted astern, were
plodding patiently about among all
the uncounted units Of the fleet. For
this huge floating city Of power, con-
tains the population of q considerable
sized town, and carried on a mass of
traffic over its watery' thoroughfares
that would rival municipal traffic,
Tiny picket boats, travelling at high
speed, share with the driftcrs the task
of distributing officers and men, par.
cells, mails and messages, among the
horde, Of ships. 'E.tlS w ; ~
At one spot vessel was coaling.
Along side another vessel "the frozen
meat ship was tied up The latter dis
tributes supplies during the day, but
at night one of her huge cabins is
filled with an enthusiastic audience of
seamen, and on the stage at one end
amateur theatricals are held. Only
the hot stuff on the stage saves the
audience from frostbite, on that
strange refrigerator ship. e; Az
AS our seaplanes circled about, a
line Of battle cruisers which had only
just sped in from sea, dropped anchor
with beautiful precision. Some de-
stroyers were unobtrusively slipping
out at the same time. Near the spot
which they had left, row of su5mar
ines were being industriously groomed
and painted by tiny black dots swarm
ing over their flanks. @H
1t was growing dusk, and the flash.
ing of the searchlights, which had
been winking signals back and forth
through the fleet all day long, be
came..more brilliant in the dusk. And
then far out to sea a long line of small
black dots, each with its white crest
CT foam, appeared. 1t was a. destroyer
screen for squadron of battleships
which itself was soon revealed beyond
as Larger dots strung out along wakes
of white. r. -...- ..,.--a ii.
What is the British navy doing?'
'Why does it hide in prison be-
hind iron nets?" .; ,F..s ...
why doesn't it ever put to sea ?"
These questions, SO often heard at
home, came to my mind then as saw
these ponderous battleships returning
from a cruise. ., LIZA. 49,
The British navy DOES put to sea.
And 1t is doing lots of things. Only
1t can't tell about them. Perhaps it
can be said, however, that before our
seaplane was hOisted in again aboard
her mother ship that night, these bat
tleships were coaling. and preparing
to put out to sea again.
The ships keep fit at home.
Thare ID M lof.,asa Il, Ahn ,,aox, 49,,