Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-11-05
U.S.N|AVAL STATIONS
IN PARTS OF EUROPE
ASST. SECRETARY OF NAVY, AFT
Err VISIT OVER THEAE, TELLS
OF HIS VISIT.
WONDERFUL WORK BEING DONE
Every Transport That Flies Our Flag
Is Differed, Manned and Run by
Americans-He Tells of How
Marines Saved the Day.

) Franklin ID. Roosevelt, Assistant
Secretary of the Navy, in statement
! since his return from tour of Amer
lean naval bases and stations in Eu-
rope, described the work of the United
States navy in the waters surrounding
England, France, Italy, Greece and the
Azores.
Our operations on the British coast
are fairly well known, but it probably
is not generally realized that on the
Continent we have a large personnel
on shore and have more stations in
France than we have in all England"
Secretary Roosevelt said.
"On the west coast of France we
have a series of bases for the repair
and upkeep of our escorting ships, de-
stroyers, submarine chasers, etc. We
have been using French facilities so
far as possible, but in most cases we
have had to erect complete plants so
that these facilities are now more than
double what they were before we went
there.
"All the way from the Spanish Dor
der to the English channel we have es-
tablished aviation stations so spaced
T. that the entire coast line is covered
5 by seaplanes and dirigibles. Nearly all
r these stations are situated at out-of-
+, the-way points, some on uninhabited
r islands, others in fishing vessels on
r peninsulas. Labor was almost impos-
sible to obtain so these stations were
built almost entirely by our own sail
. ors. At each station there are from
200 to 300 men, This aviation force
and our patrol vessels have been doing
:, such splendid work that Tor the past
!, six months there have been practically
!, no sinkings within 80 miles of the
French coast
AT one point we have an immense
assembly and repair base which en-
ploys more than 5000 men. An in
tsance of the way in which every bit
of material has been utilized is found
in connection with this base where, be-
n fore the erection of the permanent
III quarters the men took packing cases
N in which planes were shipped, and
used them in building barracks which
were very comfortable.
'E I'm northern France, in cooperation
with the British, the United States es
tablished what is known as the North
ern Bombing Group. This was orig
inally organized to bomb the German
submarine bases on the Belgian coast
After the British had blockaded the
.. entrance to those harbors, Germans
were prevented from clearing the chan
mel by the constant activity of these
aviators who daily and nightly drop
ped tons of explosives on the subma
rine bases.
I'VE have considerable naval force
vi at Gibraltar. In conjunction with thu
al British this force not only patrols thu
re Atlantic in that vicinity, but also il
Nv active in the Mediterranean escortini
vessels to and from Italy, Greece ant
49, Egypt In the Adriatic we have estah
:. lished a large group of submarine chas
" ers and other vessels at work. In con
= junction with the Portuguese we hav
established base in the Azores"
The secretary said he visited tn
n. Chateau Thierry and Bots de Belleai
do region where the u. S. Marines di
o. such magnificent fighting last June
The French, he said, regard that aC
an ton as the critical point o fthe wal
no The Second American division, whicl
IN included the Marines, was thrown il
M at the apex of the German advance ant
"A turned the tide. The marine brigad
al held the vital point. These eight thou
NJ sand fighters not only checked tn
Germans, but in the first day drov
% them back at least a mile, and col
20 tinued to repulse them on succeedin
~ days. The Germans had filled Bellea
nm Wood with machine guns. The marine
M went into these woods and after day
as of desperate fighting on June Fl cam
ls out on the opposite side, having moi
-. ped up" the Bots de Belleau. The nun
nj Der of Germans was three times tina
ed of the marine bdigade.
There appeared TO be a misappr'
ot hension in this country as well as i
in France, Assistant Secretary Roosevelt
n said, as to the part taken by the Amel
m lean navy in transporting troops an
nh supplies to French ports. Every trans
he port that flies the United States fla
.nt is differed, manned and run by tn
az American navy he said. Much tn
ol- larger portion of supplies for the arm
in France is taken across in America
n vessels Differed and manned by th
United States navy.
sh. Grand Jury lndicts n. Albers.