Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1919-05-02
2O5 SUBMARINES
SUNK BY ALLIES
Rear Admiral Sims Tells the Tale
At New York
Luncheon. !
NOW AT BOTTOM OF SEA.
German Menace Destroyed by YAM
kee Ingenuity, British Pluck and
Team Work of the AL
lied Fleets.

New York.-How German submarine
warfare was finally stopped was de-
scribed in detail by Rear Admiral Will
liam S. Sims, q. S. N, in an address
at a luncheon given by the Bond Club
here.
According to the computation of the
Feet commander, there are now lying
at the bottom Of the sea 205 German
submarines. II recognize that the re-
ception you have accorded me is not
due to me personally, but to the posi-
tion occupy and tc the resolute activ-
ity of the navy abroad" he said. "a
navy cannot be rapidly improvised.
When a war is declared it is too late
to build more ships or to provide per-
sonnel. You have been through a pc
riod of great danger and you applaud
not the man at the top, but the navy
itself
"When you shoot a submarine you
usually get three or four men who hap
pened to occupy the coming tower,
for they usually shut the lid as the
submarine goes down and bubbles
come to the surface III circle. We
found many submarines stuck on the
bottom, with indications showing that
many of the men caught inside of her
either committed suicide or killed each
other. Altogether l may say that there
are 205 German submarines at the bot
tom Of the sea.
"The band of water across the Eng
Iish channel between Soapstonc and
Boulogne, across which millions Of
tons of supplies and hundreds of thou.
sands of men were carried during tie
war. was so well patrolled by destroy
ers that not one life was lost. 1t was
suicide for German submarine to ap
proach that busy lane. Most of the
destroyers had TO be kept with the
grand fleet for fear that the German
fleet might come out, and this reduced
the number available for transport
duty. We were always short of de
stroyers, which kept those on convoy
duty constantly on the jump. But the
spirit of the destroyer people never
let up, as sometimes feared it would
nor did they ever let up once OIL the
work demanded.
"In April, 1917, the situation was
most serious. In fact, l am free tC
confess that we were frightened. II
was only the absolute cooperation OF
all the naval forces-American, Brit
ish, French and Italian-that saved
the situation. When we crossed the
Atlantic all questions Of national pride
and personal ambition had to lie sup
pressed. When our fleet was com.
bined with the British fleet, SO much
more powerful than ours in all re.
spects, l said to Admiral Rodnlan:
See how quickly you can make on!
ships British ships And This Was
done. All Of our own methods were
put below and stayed there until The
war was over We were successful
in the war only because our submarine
craft were able to turn down the sub.
marine menace and because the Ger
man fleet was compelled to remain in
port And this success was possible
because the grand fleet was there, re-
enforced by the American fleet.
"If, during the early German drive,
the Germans had reached Paris and
Paris had surrendered, the war would
not have been over, for the Germans
would never have had a. ship on the
seas. The naval forces would have
maintained the blockade, and the Hun
would eventually have been forced to
give back all he had won and to sur
render in the end, as he actually did"