Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-10
AMERICAN MINING SHIPS
RETURN FROM NORTH SEA
squadron OF Two Light Cruisers
and Eight Steamers Laid
$500 Mines.
MANY SUBMARINES DAMAGED
Acted With British I'lect-Grcat
Harricr Completed by End of Oc-
tober-Only Five Deaths Among
Personnel of 1000 Men.

ca, WAs III i iG1 Feb. 1.-THE Amcrii:
hiazed a 23o- mile trail OF mines across
In. Inc NORTH Sea from, the orkncys TO
with the story of how this great
achievement in the campaign 20 :hrottle
the German submarines was con-
cartain. Reginald Il. Bc,knap. COM
nander of this fleet OF ten ships--two
merchant craft--graphically described
IN a stntcmcm to-day the work OF lay
the social led North Sea barragc and
announced that at least seventeen
Sn"my snbmersibles we're, known to
paas through this field.
The American ships laid $3.50 of
The total number OF these American
,3estrutt,on The field averaged
'wenty-fivc miles in width. and nowhere
WAS II less than iittnen. miles across.
safe course were sought underneath.
several lines OF mines would be found
there equally deer, and il the sub
were ready for them there. too. and
REPORTS COME ~ or
Bs MEETING MINES
ac,o ost9re ne , narriSr Vas halfway
barrssc began to VITA r nsuinap ar hs
in Ju.y. 1915, ai.cr the second cxcur-
SION OF the mine layers ana from time
TO time reports would come OF sub
marines damaged or disappearing N
mat area from the nature %. the
case case II may never, be known definitely
now many actually did come to erie;
there. but tho best information siyes
4 probable ten before the middle O.
or more. In addition to this toli. the
squadron should be credited with two
submarines lost in the fields OF British
mines laid by the Baltimore on the
Irish coast.
the american SQUADRON arrived at
lmnsrness last May %, ready TO begin
rrnrsion," ON these trips. which lasted
s lrom toriy , to eight hours. me
fleet, and for protection; agains, sub
marines marines ana raidinE cruisers. i, was
l!Acn NINE LAYi4K cHKRii:D
., Suo Tons or Explosives
IN tnc second mining excursion -
Said Captain Belknap. the SIKH
ga. ,,,, slHaIron was the support. con :
commanded by Rear Sdmirai iHipI
Eodnam. OF the United States navy. IN
the hagsh!p New York. one may inn
asine with wha: feelings we saW our
own ships file out OF Scapa Flow. farm
iihc ana slowly disappear in the hazr
as tney swept on to the southc:Istward.
u WIZ ne readily understood that The
WY MAO TO DC made smooth for the
'ninc planters :, single we'll placed
wnn',n VI Nuns or u rev enemy shells.
would certainly finish one vessel. and
probably destroy all ten or them. +, ely
ihiHc PLANTER carried from tw+nty-Iour
10 10 tons OF high explosives a total
OF nearly 500 tons in ihc su,iadr,..,
many times more than the amoun, th,i'
devastated Halifax. N''''
The operation AS a whole w,s az.
IN conjunction with 4 British MIN
,aH ing squadron of four vessels. which
EETIri ,',,rir from base AT Grangemouih
s.- ia under command Of Rear
Numirai Clinton Baker, Of the rov,l
naVy1 me american and British mine
sluadrons often went out at the SAM
Time. under the protection OF the s.,,,s
hcaNy squadron. but cxcept on W.
rat a." "!oH rs my always worked sepa :
AMERICAN SQUADRON
VA DE THREE EXCURSIONS
Atose' hei the American squadron
rladc n..e.n excursions IT.. y -.
s fini.hnH on e!rvcn. ana the barragc VAS
iiaf sNea a. IN end 1e;oev.. On the
mn" neid lorfy-scvcli miles lon. IN
;n .,i"n '',nea IN three hou 5
Wen; .wrnoul a h;sch The new ,, ~ !,
q, 80 "o. I'D perfectly. On this
Sell G 81 ,n III =, , snip emptied her
on, mi:se 2ve"% eleven and onn 80. 80
~ through more than Two n, -.
where, III. ae sn,,.,, ever Planted an )
IL 20 make excursions as fas, rs
ne mines could be furnished, and "av'.S
Not only that. the casualties wa.
500 fM' me man fell overheard al
,omr nth NE Saranac, and there we're
Which might have occtTreu un, Iou men
S?ndition. There was no othnr any any
ne c!ose e0 na Vtnsf injury. and. despite
no ship ever came 10 rrif neIds.
.arsely To Captain BHtltr and 'n Hl,!i
80 ,,S.'uiihihShain. OF the faEsllip San
sEn,E As BAIT TO
In addition TO the va1ue ~ r !
garage itseif. in Keeping INC y. me
MINI . r!mes IN or from their bases RI
as hd ~, vas expected TO serve
,i,e rms ever-prcscnt possib;l;t, =. " :, :,
ne act ihat the working eroinSI i az
sI,i,ma r i;,imcipai thoroushrare of enem =
y. herlScope sightings. sIiima r; $
rro oa,ir dsr. charges. smoke Screens
noatiimss "i i'm and dead German sailors
W,o,Ir,k' which was often hard In, we
the manufacture OF ,hoso
mines, developed by navy nyno special
Invention OF an American ha.n
RI, enc onlted States in December I511
into The par Paris: small and large. going
hn,n .hc makeup of single mine. were
;', 'hs constructed by The tho,sand.
ny numerous contractors. who iai; ~
sphcr mem nat at Norfolk; There the mine
Il INT. and with other parts wnr.
loaded into mine carrier stca m,rs
hlhnaScd by the naval overseas tr.ns
POT. service. ii required twenty-fnn,
.nesc vessels. running constantly
20 keep the ten mine planters sunnl;e,
@ith mines, Tho carriers were SLOW
t ,i sooa prey for subma rines One OF
ilcm the Lakemoor, was SUNK Ia -
Sp pr With loss of forty one men anS
"'Uoo nine anchors and other naris
MI the other mine cargoes were saf.i,
delivered safely
The flagship San Francisco was com.
inahded by Captain H. V. Butler, and
rcr consort, the cruiser Baltimore. h,
Captain y. w. Marshall -Four OF Nc
merchant vessels Used in the neei
Wcrc former Morgan liners, carrying
freight between New York and Gat
weston now named the Roanoke. Cap.
tam e. -. StcarnS; Canonicus C'nptair
+: J.: Johnson; Housa Ionic, Captain i
W. Grccnsiadc. and CanandaiEua. Com
mandcr W. III. Reynolds. Two were ihf
Ola dominion passenger liners Jcffcr-
son and Hamilton. running between
New York and Norfolk. now NAMED
2uinnebaug. Commander u. Pratt
ManniN, and Saranac. Captain Sinclai,
| Cannon. The remaining two we're n,
! faa; Boston and New York passenrel
/ ~