The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-15


very dangerous. the position and the I'M
portance Of the German naval bases on
the Flanders coast has changed.
Blocking the German Navy.
with the Ostend Channel practically
blocked by the old vindictive, and Zee
brugge blocked and sitting up with only
tortuous channel cut through masonry
for an exit. and with four tons, OF explo-
sives per day dropped month by month
upon Bruges and Zeebruggc, the Ger
mans have decided that those ports are
no longer OF any value to them from an
offensive point of view and their craft
has been withdrawn. II looks as if
their armies will shortly withdraw also,
but at any rate In the meantime. from
the point OF view Of naval surface craft
and OF submarines, those ports have
proved to be of no value TO the Ger
mans, and our latest information Is that
they are removing the bases and the
machinery which they had installed
there.
with the Straits OF Dover controlled
and month by month becoming increas-
ingly impossible. with n great minefeld
stretched across the North Sea. between
the Orkney Islands and Norwegian ter
ritorial waters. and with dangerous
mineflelds laid by our submarines and
fast offensive minelayers right into the
mouth Of the Ems behind Heligoland
night after night. we may look with some
satisfaction at the local position in the
Nortah Sea. :.
I'm the AdRiatic on the surface there
are only Austrian craft. and they have
been badly punished and are held in
impotence by the Italian navy, together
with the powerful allied heavy and light
forces operating with them.
I'm the Dardanelles there is a Turkish
feet OF no negligible Importance IN so
far as light craft are concerned also
battleships taken over from the Black
Sea feet, including, what Is more i'm
porfant still, n large number OF highly
efficient Russian destroyers. In addi-
ton there is the Goeben, repaired at
Sebastopol since that place fell into the
hands of the enemy, powerful and
modern battle cruiser.
The forces In the two theatres of
war-by which 1 mean the North Sea
on the one hand and the Adriatic and
the Mediterranean on the other-are
amply sufficient to deal with the enemy
surface craft
Submarine situation Serious.
Now I will turn to the subma rine
situation. because II Is of particular Inn
portance at the present time. Let me
depict the sequence OF change in this
connection.
To-day most men say that the sub
marine menace Is a thing OF the past.
That 1t Is a thing of the past in so far
as II can never win the war for the
enemy, or enable the enemy to prevent
US from winning the war. provided we
do not underrate the danger, but take
adequate steps against It, I affirm now
as the opinion of the British Admiralty.
but II Is a menace which comes and goes
The great effort made by the enemy
eliminated in the third quarter of last
year. 1t failed In the first and second
quarters OF this year the menace was
reduced. And the destruction caused by
that underwater pest Is to-day lower
than It has ever been since early in
1916, but the menace IL not dead. In
deed It Is greater to-day than It ever
war That is to say. the effort Is greater
than It ever was. and while in March,
1917, the sea was the weakest front OF
the alliance. and possibly this March the
western front was the weakest point
think now we are approaching a point
where submarine warfare Is again the
weakest front Of the alliance.
'In the last few days Vice-Admiral
Sir Ludovic Dun and have been privi-
legged to discuss the naval situation In all
its bearings with the Secretary Of the
Navy Department. Mr.. Daniels, and
Admiral Benson. We have arrived at
complete unity OF view upon all the
points which we discussed, but there Is
one point Of view upon which we are
also In unanimity. but which concerns
he Gtatao ~
Britain only indirectly. And that Is the
output OF destroyers by the United
States for hunting the submarine.
1T is with Mr.. Daniels's full concur
renee that ! now make this statement (:
That there is no greater service that
can be rendered by the civilians OF the
United States to-day. charged with that
privilege and duty, than to expedite the
output of destroyers and anti-submarine
craft and appliances of every descrip-
ton
There Is no greater need to-day than
the need for the utmost naval effort
against the great offensive OF the sub
marine which Is now Undertaking., and
which the allied navies will defeat as
they have defeated every other effort of
the enemy. But that defeat can only be
assured II this need is recognized and
piled. as ! am sure the United States
and Great Britain intend they shall be-"
Present at the Dinner.
Those present included Major-Gen.
Daniel Appleton, C. Give Bayley, James
NJ. Beck, Commander Belknap. U. s. N !:
Commander Arthur Temple Blackwood.
r. N; Col. George w. Burleigh. Rear
Admiral Burrage, U. s. N; Nicholas
Murray Butler, +. Cuniiffe-Owen. F. f.
Farrell. w. A. Day, William Curtis DEM
crest. Vice-Admiral Sir A. l.. Dun. r.
N Rear Admiral A. F. Everett. r. ~ !;
Capt G. T. NJ. Fuller. r. N; Henry A
Gildersleeve, Rear Admiral Albert
Gleaves. U. s. N: Bishop David II.
Greer. Charles d. Halsey, Rear Admiral
A. s. Halstead, Major e. b. Harlan. A.
]. Hemphill. Capt Hewlett Cooper, OAR
win p Kingsley. Rear Admiral Little. U.
8. NJ; Paymaster Capt II. W. Manisty,
r. N. Pay Capt. Mayo, Y. S. n
Others were J. =. Morgan. Henry Nor
genthau. former Ambassador to Turkey !:
OK Gov. Benjamin p. Odell, f. II. Outer
bridge. Alton b. Parker. Capt. L. G..
Preston. r. N: Rear Admiral Robert
son. U. s, ". Herbert l.. Satterlee, Com
mander II. r Sawbridge, r. NJ; r. A. c.
Smith, Commander q. A. Steel, II. N. !;
Oscar s. Straus. Rear Admiral Nathan
lei r. Usher. U. s N; Martin Vogel,
Gen. Thomas L. Watson, Brig. Gen. w.
a. White. Col. Walter ]. Wilson, Col. c.
g. Woodwark. Col. Howard Borden,
Major Cutting Lawrence, Col. Arthur +.
Schernerhorn. Ensign Charles Lampson
lehman, Brig. Gen. A. c. Dalton, U. s.
A., Commander Franklin, IT, s. n.