Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-10

were calling upon America 10 send
troops and warships against the ruth
less Germans. feet of tiny submarines
under command of Commander w. T..
Friedell was fighting its way from the
~Axores TO the Irish coast.
A seventy-mile gallo lashed the ocean
and churned the waters into great seas
that tumbled down upon the American
wssps with the fury of a thousand
demons.
But through the terrific seas that did
their best TO sink the undersea craft
went the tiny boats, and when the
cutter lights OF Queenstown harbor came
into view every vessel in the lotllla
was safe
One man had been lost, and that
chap was n Pennsylvania, Royal A.
leese, or Gettysburg. The 500 men
that comprised the personnel OF the
notilla were saddened. for Leese was
a good shipmate and an efficient sea-
man. He was the first man in tie
squadron TO lose his life in the war
against the U-boats, but his memory
is still fresh to these who went through
the trials of the next year.
Tho feet Is now at the Philadelphia
Navy Yard. and only three men are
missing. They are: Leese. washed over
board in the great storm Lieutenant L.
W. +. Childs. OF Lewiston. Pa who was
lost on the British submarine H-5 when
that craft was rammed by a merchant
ship. and Horace Z. Whitaker. of st.
Louis. washed overheard on June when
his ship was making It's way from Ban
try Bay Ireland, to Queenstown.
Influenza Attacks IS; None Dies
At Bantry Bay, the base for the fleet
influenza played havoc with the blue
Jackets, and at one time seventy-flve
men were in the hospital of the mother
ship Bushnell. but not a man died.
such a record; in view of the haz-
ardous service" said Commander Frie-
dell. speaks volumes for the efficiency
Of our surgeons and the common sense
and grit exhibited by the men,"
Commander Friedell, in command OF
the fiotilla during its service overseas,
+ has made his home in this city for three
years, and is warm in his praise toward
Philadelphia.
The seven submarines In this fotila
that are listed in the Navy Register as
L-boats 1, 2, Q, 4, 9, 10 and II, patrolled
the Irish coast and the mouth Of the
English Channel from early in March
until the signing Of the armistice. In
that period they had many narrow es-
capes from the shells of American and
British destroyers and depth bombs re-
leased by the British trawlers, but came
through with flying colors, and not a
boat was lost.
Vigilance Checks U-Boats
The vigilance of the daring and fear
less crews checked the operations Of the
z U-boats. and, according to Admiral
Lewis Bayley, of the British navy made
1t possible for surface ships to sail the
waters with greater degree of safety.
During the war period the navy cen
sorship was rigid and virtually nothing
concerning the exploits of the navy
ships was given to the folks at home
Those who 'kept the home fires burning
knew that the navy was active and ap
preciated that it was adhering to tn,
best traditions of America
Other than that, the public was in
total darkness. and not until recently
has the veil Of censorship been lifted
Now that the curtain Is raised, the pub
lilo Is learning about the operations o.
the brave seamen, and no chapter II
the navys gripping war story 10 NOR,
interesting than that dealing with tn,
submarines in Division No. s, of whcl
Friedell was commander.
That these ships participated in tn,
war and returned to Philadelphia 1,
due to the sterling seamanship of theii
crews, for the storm IN which Roya
Leese lost his life came very nea
ending their careers.
On December 4. 1918, the fleet slipped
out of Newport on it's way TO the Azores
To spare the engines Of the submarines
the Bushnell took two In tow. and tn,
tugs, Genessee, Lykens and Conestogi
trailed along. each with two of tn
undersea boats in tow. Added to tn
fleet was the l., assigned to dut,
around the Azores.
Although the weather was cold, ther
was no indication of a storm, and TIL
sailors started On the first leg of thei
long voyage In high spirits For month
they had been anxious for real servic
and now their wishes had been graft
fed. They were going over TO do thei
bit and help drive the boche U-boat
from the seas.
For the first day all went we'll, bu
late In the afternoon of December
storm clouds gathered. and that nigh
broke with the fury of a gale. Th
next day the wind Increased, the sea
became higher and by late afternoo
the tiny subs had broken away fror
their tows and were fighting their ow
way IN the storm.
So severe was the storm that Con
mander Friedell was unable to signal hi
charges, and when the dawn broke o
the following morning not one could b
seen. The Bushnell, an able ship G
$500 tons displacement, had poked II
bow into the wind and waves and wa
riding out in the gale like buckin
broncho.
On December 8 the weather cleare
somewhat and the Bushnell headed 70
the Azores A few days later the shi
made port, and by December "a the en-
tire feet with the exception of one su
and naval tug. hobbled in. Those boat
managed to make Boston ana Joined til
feet a month later.
Elements aided Kaiser"
After resting at the Azores. the Busl
nell, heading the subs, made on 70
Queenstown, but again the elements wer
against the hotilla. "On January "a
said Commander Friedell, when discuss
{. ing the trials Of the feet, "a great storI
struck us. 1t was Just to the Kaiser
liking, and IL he had directed the ell,
ments he could not nave created create
havoc. Seas almost mountains hig
tossed the subs about. and It was on ths
day that Leese was waNhed overboar,
But never once did fear for the
boats. They had been tested In III
storm that struck us a month earlie
knew they would live through II, an
my confidence was vindicated."
At Queenstown the feet reported I
ADMIRAL Bayley. of the British nav,
and two weeks later proceeded to Bar