The Pensacola journal., 1919-12-28
Transatlantic
Trip in Wartime

r,,,.v,ng ship r the storm, raj
TO. waters, amid the ID
/ - "i'. t.,a easrern Atlantic, was
IN and dreary occupa.ioi
rono'o- or two incidents enl'eHe0
ong -t;o,,1ar voyage. As the rhei'
stS pa Halsey Powell. was Scout
t01i-d I'D at about O'CLOCK III
as 49, her LOOKOUT suddeniy
aaelno0 submarine. bearing down
ssn'eu convoy. Immediately the
up0" -, 1virelessed to every Vessei.
ne"S he message was received
:. -vbole convoy at a slsnsai On
shin turned four points TO tiie -
80 rsarly two hours the desuS 20
.'arcbod this era for the supmersea
's,r,roine but the crafty boat KEEP
SUE '-.,s v.TaIv under waser, and the con-
=, NOW again took up It's
wy About two days salllhs
ssa,,r,++ 5he ships to the point at winch
y. r7,.otacting destroyers could saiey
&C them to return unescorteo "
.-.orica. darkness mad now sea H.
- ,,pde- its cover the merchantmen
-r-nod way from the war ships anu
,,,r+ed westward. Meantime the oe
.,-over. escort had received a messase
.or, the Cumberland, the Britlsh
user which was acting as ocean es-
r,t RI Convoy "HS IA" Convoy is
y hours late" she reported, much
sa the announcer ax a railroad sta
ian who informs the waiting CROWDS
nat the incoming train is that mueh
gerdue. According % the scheoule
sese ships should reach the appoint
n rendezvous at 6 o'clock the next
morning; this message evldently
moved the time of arrival up 10 noon.
The destroyers, slowing down so that
thew would not arrive ahead of time,
started for the designated spot.
Sometimes thick weather made IT
tmpossibIe to fix the position by as
tronomical observations, and the con-
Toy might not be at its appointed rem
devious. For this reason the destroyerS
row deployed on a north and sourh
line about twenty miles long for sew
sral hours Somewhat before the ap-
pointed time one of the deStroyers
sighted a faint cloud or smoke on the
vestern horizon, and soon afterward
ttirty-two merchantmen, sailing IN
defnite outline. At a signal from this
Destroyer, the other destroyers OF the
escort came in at full speed and
ranged themselves on either side or the
eonvoy---a manoeuvre that always eS-
cited ahe admiration of the merchan'
slippers. This mighty collection OF
vessels, occupying about ten or twelve
square miles on the ocean, maintain
ing its formation so sknlfully. was
really a beautiful and inspiring sight
When the destroyers had gained then
designated positions on either side, the
splendid cavalcade sailed boldly into
the area which formed the favorite
bunting ground for the submarine.
In the Danger Zone.
AS soon as the danger zone was
reached the whole aggregation. de-
sroyers and merchants ships, began te
zgzag. The commodore on the <'as
ship hoisted the sigma, "Zigzag a.
and instantaneously the whole thirty
ships began to tflrn twenty-five de-
gFees TO the right These slips. usually
50 cumbersome, made this simulta-
1eous turn with all the deftness, and
eyen with ali the grace OF a school o1
fsh into which one has suddenly cas-
as,one. All the way across the Atlantic
they had been rracticing such an evo-
Ntion; most of them had already sailed
through the danger zone more thar
once, so that the manoeuvre wsS D,
taiS time an old Story. For ten o.
IHleen minutes they proceeded alons
mis- course, when Immediately, like
one vessel, the convoy turned twenN
degrees to the left and started in {
new direction. And so on for hours
zow few minutes 10 the right, nov
few minutes 20 the left, and nov
gain straight ahead, while all the tim
lie destroyers were cutting through
ne water, every eye OF the skilled lool
oats fixed upon the surface for tn,
inst glimpse of a per7scope. This zig
1agging was carried out according t,
etmprehensive plans which enabled tn
envoy to zigZag for hours at a tim,
Without signals, the courses and tn
me on each course being designate.
the particular plan ordered, al
@ips' clocks being set exactly alik,
y lime signal. Probably 1 have mad,
Aciear why these zigzagging evolution
instituted such a positive measure
A. the time the convoy was sailing il
Ne danger zone it was assumed that :
saomarine was present. looking for
nance to torpedo. Even though tn
N-licers might know that there was n
saofnar1ne within three hundred mile.
~4s was never taken ror granted; tn
aSeiphne of the whole convoy systar
-sS'ed upon the theory thas the sub
1aflne was there, waiting only tn
.sForable moment to starc the work o
eSlfQctlon- But submarine, as al
.sady said, could not strike withou
= most thorough Preparation. 1t mus
81 within three or four hundred yard
the torpedo would stand little chanc
:, hitting she mark IN a vital sno,
-. commander almost never sho
andy into the convoy, on the chanc
= hitting some ship. he care .ulh
eceed his vicsam; his calculation ha
include its speed. the speed OF hi