The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-01-09
camoufIage and Big Conveys
Used to Make Our Ship
ping Safe. 4
DETAILS ARE MADE PUBLIC
Official of United States Shipping
Board Describes Conveys Activity
From Time 1t Left
New York.

Tie LIctliUuS uStu ~ Ddlic fIiic 4iuh
submarines have been revealed by of
ficers of the United States shipping
board They made public the details
Of convoy management and the proper
eamoufiaging of grouped ships to make
their destruction by undersea craft
difficult.
One of the officers begins his De-
scriptiOn of convoy's activity from
the time it left the port of New York.
"Once we We're out in the stream"
he tive headed down the chan-
.nelHfor the lghtship, beyond which
seurseonvoy and escorts were waiting
for u.s.. vAll were slowly under way
when we reached them. The ships OF
different columns took their places.
and after few minutes confusion.
and lively work on the signal halyards
the, other ships of the convoy got into
place.
Guarded above by dirigibles, hydro
FLAMES and anchored balloons. and on
the surface by fleet Of patrol boats
rs well as our ocean escort we pro-
seeeded, and America soon dropped be-
low the western horizon. At sunset
we were well out to sea. -.
Back to Primitive Methods.
s AS in the army have turned
back to medieval helmet.s and armol.,
so on the water we have turned to
medieval naval tactics: hut instead Of
conveys of Spanish GALLONS and fri
gates of the seventeenth century from
the new world. to the old, our conveys
We're American transports and de-
stroyers.
even the old sailmaker aboard our
ship. who had been on the ocean ever
since he shipped as cabin boy on board
a down East blue noser SO years ago,
admitted the convoy game was new
one on him, and hung over. the rail
watching our many war-colored neigh
bOrs. * gg -.
at is not hard to see why the con-
voG system was effective. Take the
ease. of convey of Is ships .(72 is the
largest number I've heard of in one
convoy our mate told me Of being
caught in a 72-ship convoy in a sail
ing ship in the Bay of Biseay). When
these ships went. in convoy instead of
there being 25 different units scattered
aal over the zone for the IT-boats to
lind. there was only one. That is, the
Hun had only lone chance of meeting
as ship where he had %; before. And
il he did meet the convey he found
hos
sole BUSH - was sinking submarines
| He fouEG 100, % slookoats on watch
10: him, :: sets Of guns ready for him.
where there were but one each before
IF the Hun showed himself to Il con
roy: and its escort. the odds were that
ne, was due for q quick trip to the bot.
. tom. e.
'4I'he usual convoy formation was In
/ columns in rough square. This was
! thesmost compact, and the inside ships
were practically immune from attack
j The escorts circled the convoy, If
necessary, and the outside ships con.
centrated their fire on any submarine
! that appeared.
! Conveys were made up at different
: speeds, and even the rustiest ole
I tramps were provided for in a six-knoi
: class -.,..e=.-z@- ssszs zssss zze
! In spite of this, some captains i'm
agination always tackled a couple OF
j. knots to their ships speed. There
+ seemed to be a nautical version .o1
Home, Sweet sHome'-sbe. it ever sc
humble, there's no ship like mine,' and
vessels making nine knots on Broad
way make a bare seven off Fire island
Z s 'Itawas. remarkable what a snappi
escort commander. could do. with his
Z charges. After day or two together
{ he had them maneuvering in position
{ like a second grand fleet: zigzagginf
3i'dark' through a black night, not ray
of light showing anywhere If. they
were in the danger zone or q tin fisl
twas reported near.
Color Schemes Are Bizarre.
''The war brought no stranger, spec
itacle than that of a. convoy of steam
s ships blowing along. through the mid
die of the ocean streaked and bespot
ted Unfortunately with every colol
of the rainbow in a way more bizarre
than the widest dreams of sailor.
! first night ashore. s;rGf.s n
Il 1.-THE effect of good camouflage wa.
remarkable. I have. often looked at {
fellow ship in the convoy on oul
quarter on exactly the same courses
We were, but on account of her canon
fage she appeared to be making RICH
for US on a course at least forty -fiv,
degrees different. from the one she wa
actually steering ssss 4
1.-THE deception was remarkable ever
under such conditions as these, and o
course a U-boat, with its hasty limitet
observation, was much more likely t,
be fooled.
Each nation seemed to have char
acteristie type of camoufiage, and aft
sr aelittle practice you could usual.
issnot ships nationality by her styl
f1af canoufiages long before yeu COIL,
spake out her ensign"