Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-26
Squadron That Placed 56,570
Death-d ealing Explosive
ContrivanceS in Way of u
boat Is Back Home.
WORK IS DONE ALONG
WITH BRITISH FLEET
At Least Seventeen of Ger
manys Pirate Craft Are
Believed to Have Been De-
stroyed by Ocean Barrier,
rsv sosn,sc JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED w,ssI

lsN MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED WlRel
Washington, Jan. 25.-The Ameri-
can mining squadron, which, in con-
junction with the British navy,
blaZed 230-mile trail. of mines
across the North Sea from the DIRK
neys to the coast of Norway has re-
turned home with the story of how
this great achievement in the cam
paign to throttle the German subma-
rines was contributed.
Captain Reginald r. Ralknap, COM
mander Of this fleet of ten ships -
two light cruisers and eight converted
merchant craft--graphically des-
cribed in statement today the work
of laying the 7O.100 mines which
made up the so-called North Sea bar
rage and announced that at least
seventeen enemy submersibles were
known to have come to grief in at
tempting to pass through this field
The American ships laid So, $40 of
the total number of these American
invented and manufactured engines
of destruction The field averaged ~
miles in width and nowhere was il
less than ) miles across, an hours
run for submarine. IT safe course
We're sought underneath. several lines
of mines would be found there equal
~ deep, and If the submarines Went
down even deepe r,mines were ready
for them there, too, and one touch
was enough.
Barracc Yield Results.
Before the barrier was half way
across" said Captain Belknap, "the
barrage began to yield results, Early
in July 1913. after the second eXcur-
sion of the mine layers and from time
to time reports would come of sub
marines damaged or disappearing in
that area. From the nature of the
case it may never be known definitely
how many actually did come to grief
there, but the best information gives
a probable ten before the middle of
October with a final total Of seven
teen or more. In addition to this toll
the squadron should he credited with
two submarines lost in the fields of
British mines laid by the Baltimore
off the Irish coast"
The American squadron arrived nj
Inverness last May 90 ready to beg n
operations and twelve days later
started on its first mine planting
excursion" On these trips which
lasted from 40 to so hours, the squad
ron was part of the British grand
fleet, and for protection against sub
marines and raiding cruisers it was
accompanied by British destroyers
and battleships or battle cruisers.
The manufacture of these specia
mines, developed by navy experts
from an invention of an American, be-
gan in the United States in December
1917. The many parts. small anG
large, going into the makeup of a
single mine were being constructed
by the thousands by numerous con
tractors who delivered them at Nor
folk. There the mine spheres were
charged with 300 pounds Of T, \. T.
and with other parts were loaded into
mine carrier steamers. managed by
the naval overseas transport service
1t required twenty-four of these YES
sells. running constantly to keep the
ten mine planters supplied with
mines The carriers were slow and
good prey for submarines. One OF
them, the Lakemoor, was sunk last
April with loss of forty-one mer
and 5000 mine anchors and Other
parts. All the other mine cargoes
were safely delivered.
The flagship San Francisco was
commanded by Capt II. V. Butler
and her escort, the cruiser Baltimore
by Capt. A. W. Marshall. Four of the
merchant vessels used in the fleet
were former Morgan liners, carrying
freight between New York and Gal
weston, now named the Roanoke
Capt. c. d. Stearns; Canonicus, Capt