The Twin City star., 1918-11-09

">-"''""1-'-s~'".~S~~~~~
part is impending. We know 1t and
OF Its extent. We face it with that
knowledge. and with the steadfast
courage Of our seamen it will be met.
Praise for Aircraft.
What your ships of all classes are
doing on and under the surface your
aircraft in no less degree are accom-
plishing In their own element, and,
among all the instruments of war
which are combining to make the life
of the undersea pirates intolerable,
there is none which causes them great
er anxiety and discontinue than the
constantly vigilant aircraft.
So far l have given a very brief out
line of what your various units are en-
gagged upon. but in order to gauge the
t:uits Of their labors just bear this
: orse fact in mind: During the last three
months seven American soldiers and
their equipment have arrived in Eu.
rope every minute of the day and
night, and their maintenance on top of
that! That is the formidable fact
which the enemy has to face, and that
is the result of the exercise of sea
power by the alliance, to which the
American naval forces are so ably
contributing.
1t is great tribute to American
shipbuilding and to your enterprise
that you are now able to carry more
than half Of these troops in your own
vessels, built in your own country, and
manned by your own men. Thanks
to the mercantile marine of the al
lies, with their skill, unflinching cOur-
age and pertinacity which we cannot
adequately extol, we have been able
to maintain those sea communications
without which our man power, our
munitions and our food supplies wOuli
have been disintegrated and para
lyzed.
The record of the seaborne traffic of
the alliance is the clearest proof Of
the value of sea power about which
your great naval historian, Rear Ad-
miral Mahan, wrote so emphatically
and prophetically, but this result has
only been attained by the splendid her
oism aud endurance Of the seafaring
men, whether Of the fighting forces or
Of the mercantile marine.
To have had the opportunity of Wis.,
iting your country In the great war is
the very greatest honor and pleasure
to Vice Admiral Duff and myself, as
representing the British board of ad.
miralty, and it is ah added pleasure to
us that we have come at time when
the allied forces are winning all along
the line, and when we are reaping the
fruits Of the sound naval strategy. and
the overwhelming sea power of the al
lied nations.
| cannot close this very brief up
probation Of the magnificent work
which Is being undertaken by the
United States naval forces operating
in European waters without express
ing on behalf Of the board Of admiralty
and the royal navy our affection, in
many cases personal, and our admira-
tion for your officers and men who,
side by side with us and the other al.
lies, ere, keeping open the sea CON-
munications Of the alliance; are re-
ducing the enemy's fleets to impotence,
! and have driven his commerce from
| the seas.
v. s. Navy Plays Big Part.
None Of the navies do much talking,
but among themselves they talk the
same language. They share the same
dangers, they undertake indiscrim-
inately the same responsibilities, &C.
cording to the whole power behind the
controlling chief of staff in each coun-
try. Since the beginning of the war
the British navy has escorted over
seas to and from all theaters of war
some 100000 men belonging to the
armies Of the British empire, and the
loss has been one-thousandth part of a
man per hundred carried from all
causes-marine risks or enemy action
and 1t is our purpose and our pride
to maintain and reduce that percent
age in the great flow Of young man.
hood across, the Atlantic.
venture the opinion that when the
history of this war is written there
will be no more glorious page In that
history than the one which tells much
that today cannot be told of the work
done, the dangers faced, aud the pri-
vations endured by your ravy, in COM
mon with the navies of Your co-bel-
| ligerents, and there will be no great
| er manifestation Of the overwhelming
| Importance of sea power in fight
such as this has been. In that mani
festation the great American navy
the third largest in the wOrld-has
played highly honorable, an increas-
ingly important, part, and 1t has been
to myself and Admiral Duff q great
honor to confer in person with the
| great chiefs Of your navy department.