Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-12-25
Camouflage and Big Conveys
Used to Make Our Ship
ping Sale.
DETAILS IRE MADE PUBLIC
Official Of United States Shipping
Board Describes Conveys Activity
From Time II Left
New York.


crecy ended by the cessation Of fight
ing ION land. on sea and in the air"
the methods used 90 battle the Hun
submarines have been revealed by Of
ficers of the United States shipping
board. They made public the details
of convoy management and the proper
camouflaging of grouped ships to make
their destruction by undersea craft
| difficult.
One of the officers begins his de-
scription of a conveys activity from
| the time 1t left the port of New York.
| "Once we were out in the stream"
he says, "we headed down the chan
mel for the lightship. beyond which
our convoy and escorts were waiting
for us. All were slowly under way
when we reached them. The ships of
| different columns took their places.
| and after a few minutes confusion.
and lively work on the signal halyards
the other ships of the convoy got into
| place.
Guarded above by diriglbles, hydro
| planes and anchored balloons, and on
the surface by a fleet of patrol boats
as well as our ocean escort, we pro-
/ ceeded. and America soon dropped be-
low the western horizon. At sunset
we were well out to sea.
Back to Primitive Methods.
"As in the army we have turned
back to medieval helmets and armor,
SO on the water we have turned to
medieval naval tactics; but instead of
conveys of Spanish galleons aud fri
gates of the seventeenth century from
the new world TO the old. our conveys
were American transports and de-
stroyers.
Even the old sailmaker aboard our
ship, who had been on the ocean ever
since he shipped as cabin boy on board
down East blue noser 80 years ago,
admitted the convoy game was a new
one on him, and hung over the rail
watching our many war-colored neigh
bors.
at is not hard TO see why the con-
voy system was effective. Take the
case of convoy of - ships az is the
largest number I've heard of In one
| convoy; our mate told me of being
caught in 72-ship convoy In a sail
ing ship In the Bay of Biscay), When
these ships went in convoy instead of
there being % different units scattered
MI over the zone for the U-boats to
find, there was only one. That is, the
Hun had only one chance of meeting
a ship where he had 25 before. And
if he did meet the convoy he found
it usually with naval escort, whose
sole business was sinking submarines.
He found, too, 25 lookouts on watch
for him, IS sets of guns ready for him,
where there were but one each before.
Ii the Hun showed himself to a con-
voy and its escort, the odds were that
he was due for quick trip to the bot
tom.
"The usual convoy formation was in
columns In rough square. This was
the most compact, and the inside ships
were practically immune from attack.
The escorts circied the convoy, II
necessary, and the outside ships con-
centrated their fire on any submarine
that appeared.
Conveys were made up at different
speeds, and even the rustiest old
tramps were provided for in six-knot
class
I'm spite of this. some captains inn
agination always tackled couple of
knots to their ships speed. There
seemed to be a nautical version of
| Home, Sweet Home'-'be II ever so
humble. there's no ship like mine and
vessels making nine knots on Broad
| way make bare seven Off Fire island.
at was remarkable what snappy
| escort commander could do with his
charges. After a day or two together
| he had them maneuvering In position
like a second grand fleet: zigzagging
dark through black night. not ray
of light showing anywhere II they
were in the danger zone or a tin fish
was reported near.
| Color Schemes Are Bizarre.
'1The war brought no stranger spec
tacle than that of convoy of steam
ships blowing along through the mid
die of the ocean streaked and bespot-
ted Unfortunately with every color
of the rainbow In a way more bizarre
than the widest dreams OF a sailors
first night ashore.
"The effect Of good camoufiage was
remarkable. have often looked at a
fellow ship in the convoy on our
quarter on exactly the same courses
we were, but on account of her camou-
fiage she appeared to be making right