Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-21
The Victory at Sea * A8 S;aS:

ships. They were not seeking to de-
stroy American troops and munitions
exclusively; they were seeking to de.
stroy tonnage. They were aiming to
reduce the worlds supply of ships to
such point that the allies would be
compelled to abandon the conflict for
lack of communications. 1t was there
fore necessary that they should sink the
empty ships, which were going out. as
we'll as the crowded and loaded ships
which were coming in. For the same
reason it was necessary that we should
protect them. and we did as far as prac-
tcable without causing undue delays in
forming outward bound conveys. The
Justicia, though most people still think
that she was torpedoed because she was
unescorted, was, in fact. protected by a
destroyer escort of considerable size.
Escortng outward bound ships in
creased considerably the strain on our
destroyer force. The difficulty was
that the inbound convoy arrived in a
body, but that the ships could not be
unloaded and sent back in body
without OBTAINING number of them
an undue length Of time-and time
war that it was necessary to make
the turn around" of each important
transport as quickly as possible. The
consequence was that returning ships
were often dispatched in small con-
voys as fast as they were un.oaded.
The escorts which we We're able to
supply for such groups were thus
much weaker than absolute safety re-
CURED. and sometimes we were even
forced to send vessels across the sub
marine zone with few, if any. escort
ing warships. This explains why GER
tain homeward bound transports We're
torpedocd. This was particularly true
of troop and munition conveys to the
western ports OF France. Only when
we GOULD assemble a large Outgoing
convoy and dispatch it at such a time
that it could meet an incoming one at
the western edge of the submarine
zone could we give these vessels the
same destroyer escort as that which
we always gave for the loaded con-
voys bound for European ports
AS soon as the destroyers made con-
tact with an inward bound convoy the
naught. IL an American. abandoned it
and started back home, sometimes
with a westbound convoy IL one had
been assembled in time. British es-
corts went ahead full speed into
British port. usually escorted by ore
or more destroyers. This abandon
ment sometimes aroused the wrath OF
the passengers on the inbound convoy.
Their protector had dropped them just
as they had entered the submarine
zone. the very moment its services
were really needed! These passengers
did not understand. any mosc than did
the people at home, that the purpose
of the ocean escort was not to protect
them from submarines, but from pos
sible raiders Inside the danger zone
this ocean escort would become part
OF the convoy itself and require pro-
lection from submarines. so that its
rather summary departure really
made the merchantmen more secure
As the convoy approached the dan
ger zone. after being drilled all the
way across the ocean, its very ap-
pearance was more taut and bus iness.
like. The ships were closed up, keep.
ing only such distances apart as were
essential for quick maneuvering and
for more compact formation. Geu-
orally the convoy was formed in a
long parallelogram. the distance across
the front Of which was much longer
than the depth or distance along the
sides. Usually the formation was a
number Of groups of four vessels each,
in column or indian file," at q dis
lance Of about five hundred yards
from ship to ship. and all groups
abreast Of each other and about one
half mile apart Thus q convoy Of
twenty-four vessels, or six groups ct
four, would have a width OF about
five miles and a depth of one.
Most Of the destroyers were sta.
toned on the narrow sides. for 1t was
only on the side, or the beam. that the
submarines could attack with much
chance OF success. 1t was usually nee
essary for a destroyer to be stationed
in the rear Of a convoy, for, though
the speed of nearly all conveys was
faster than that Of a submarine when
submerged the latter while running
on the surface could follow a convoy
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