Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-26
u. s. HAD MAIN PART IN LAYING
MINE "BARRAGE" IN NORTH SEA
Capt. Belknap, Commander of Fleet Which
Co-Operated With British, Gives
Description of Hazardous Work.
ME- American mining squadron,
which. in conjunction with

HE American mining squadron,
which. in conjunction with
the British navy. blazed q
2so-11ile trail Of mines across
the North sea from the Orkneys to
the coast OF Norway. has returned
homo with the story Of how this
great achievement in the campaign
to throttle the German submarine was
contributed.
Capt. Reginald r. Belknap. COM
mander OF this feet Of ten ships-two
light cruisers and eight converted
merchant craft-has graphically de-
scribed In a statement the work of
laying the 7o.1oo mines which made
up the so-ca1led North sea barrage
and announced that at least seventeen
enemy submersibles were known to
have como to- grief in attempting to
pass through this field.
Laid Sc, $40 Mines.
Tho American ships laid $3.50 of
the total number of these American
Invented and manufactured engines of
destruction. The field averaged TWEEN
ty-flve miles in width. and nowhere
was it less than fifteen miles across,
an hours run for q submarine. If a
safe course were sought underneath,
there equally deep. and IL the subma-
rines went down even deeper. mines
were ready for them there. too. and
one touch was enough.
Before the barrier was half way
across" said Capt Belknap. "the bar
rage began to yield results. Early in
July, 1913. after the second excursion
Of the mine layers and from time to
time reports would come Of subma-
rines damaged or disappearing in that
area. From the nature of the case 1t
may never be known definitely how
many actually did come to grief there.
but the best Information gives prob
able ten before the middle of October,
with final total of seventeen or
more. In addition to this toll the
squadron should be credited with two
submarines lost in the fields of Brit
ish mines laid by the Baltimore off
the Irish coast"
The American squadron arrived at
Inverness last May 26 ready to begin
operations and twelve days later
started on its first ne-pIanting
excursion" On these trips, which
lasted from forty to eighty hours. the
grand feet, and for protection against
submarines and ratding cruisers it
was accompanied by British destroy
ers and battieships or battle cruisers
Tells Of Second Excursion.
"on the second mining excursion"
said Capt. Belknap. "the sixth battle
squadron was the support, consisting
OF four American battleships. com.
manded by Rear Admiral Hugh Rod
man of the United States Navy, in the
with what feelings we saw our own
ships file out of Scapa Flow. form
line and slowly disappear in the haze
as they swept or to the southeast
ward. It will be readily understood
that the way had to be made smooth
placed torpedo or mine. or a few
enemy shells, would certainly finish
ono vessel. and probably destroy all
ten of them. Each mine planter car
ried from "a to 100 tons of high
explosive, total OF nearly 500
E,ore than the amount that devastat-
ed Halifax.
.The operation as a whole was done
In conjunction with British mine
laying squadron Of four vessels, which
worked from base at Grangemouth.
edinburgh. under command Of Rear
Admiral Clfnton-Baker of the royal
navy. The American and British mine
squadrons often went out at the same
time. under the protection of the
same. heavy squadron. but except on
two occasions they always worked
separately, In different parts of the
barrage area.
Altogether the American squadron
made fifteen excursions, tho British
squadron eleven, aud the barrage wis
first excursion the squadron planted
mine field forty-seven miles long,
containing 1900 mines. In three hours
and thirty -stx ua3nutce. Everything