The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-11-09
DEVELOPING THE CONVOY IDEA

Having constantly before my eyes
picture of the Grand Fleet immune
from torpedo attack, naturally the
first question I asked when discussing
the situation with Admiral Jellicoe and
others was this: why not apply this
same principle to merchant ships?"
IL the destroyers could keep the
submarines away from battleships.
they could certainly keep them away
from merchantmen. 1t is clear. from
the description already given. precise
fsIy how the battleships had been made
safe from submarines: they had pro-
ceeded. as usual. in a close formation,
or convoy. and their destroyer screen
had proved effective. Thus logic APP
parenfly Indicated that the convoy
system was the answer" to the sub
marine.
Yet the convoy, as used in previous
wars, differed materially from any ap-
plication OF the idea which could pos
sibly be made to the present contest.
n This scheme of sailing vessels In
groups, ana escorting them by war;
fare itself. AS early as the thirteenth
century, the merchants of the Han
seattle league were compelled to sail
their ships In convoy as protection
against the pirates who were then
constantly lurking in the Baltic sea.
The government OF Venice used this
] same device to protect it's enormous
commerce In the fifteenth century the
large trade is wool and wine between
England and the Moorish ports OF
Spain was safeguarded by conveys.
and In the sixteenth century Spain
herself regularly depended upon mass
ing It's ships to defend its commerce
<xvf% TnHf al rai r1x Of a
teal attacks of English and French
adrenturers. The escorts provided for
these ssfIotas" really laid the founda-
ton of the mighty Spanish fleet which
threatened Englands existence for
more than a hundred years. BY the
time OF Queen Elizabeth. the convoy
had thus become the all prevailing
method of safeguarding merchant
shipping, but it was in the Napoleonic
wars that it reached its greatest USE
fulness. The conveys of that period
were managed with some military
precision: there were carefully stipu-
lated methods of collecting the ships.
or meeting the cruiser escorts at the
appointed rendezvous, and of dispers-
ing them when the danger zone was
passed: and naval officers We're sys-
tematically put in charge. The con-
from 200 to 800 ships were not an
unusual gathering. and sometimes 500
or more would get together at certain
important places, such as the entrance
to the Baltic. But these ships. of
course, were very small compared
with those or the present time. 1t was
only necessary TO supply such aggre-
cations OF vessels with enough pro-
tecting cruisers to overwhelm any
raiders which the enemy might send
against them. The merchantmen We're
not required to sail in any particular
formation. nor were they required %
manoeuvre against unseen mysterious
foes. Neither WAS it absolutely es-
sential that they should keep con-
stantly together: they could even
spread themselves somewhat loosely
over the ocean. If an enemy raider ap-
peared on the horizon, the escorting
cruiser or cruisers left the convoy and
began chase: a battle ensued, the con-
voy meanwhile passing on its voyage
unframed. When its protecting ves-
sells had disposed of the attackers
they rejoined the merchantmen. No
unusual seamanship was demanded of
the merchant captains. for the safety
rested with the escorting cruisers.
New Problems.
Beating off an occasional surface
raider, which necessarily flights in the
open, is quite a different procedure
from protecting an aggregation of YES
. sells from enemies that discharge tor
pedoes under the water. As part pro-
lection against such insidious attacks,
both the merchant ships and the es-
corting men-of-war of today had in
this war to keep up a perpetual zig
tagging. This zigzag, indeed, was in
itself an efficacious method OF protec-
zion. AS already said the submarine
had to attain an advantageous posi-
ton before discharging its torpedo, it
had to approach 10 within few hun
dred yards IN order TO hit is victim
in vital spot. This mere fact shows
that zigzagging in itself was one OF
the best methods of avoiding destruc-
ton. Before 1t became the general
practice, the task of torpedoing a ves-
sci was comparatively easy. All the
submarine had to do was to bring the
vessels masts in line. that is, get di-
rectly ahead of her. submerge with the
small periscope showing only occa-
sionaiiy. and fire her torpedo at short
range as the ship passed by. Except
in the case of very slow vessels she
could Of course do this only uhA-. .a>-