Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-04-08
V|CE-ADM|RAL SIMS
GETS BIG WELCOME
Ills Ship Escorted Into New York
Harbor by Destroyers and
Airplanes.
TELLS OF WORK OF NAVY
Declares Relations Between
British and American Sea-
fighters Are Ideal.
TELLS OF WORK OF NAVY
BY Associated press l

Nf." iolih. April I.-Nice- -tdmi:a,
william ;. Sims. who directed Amer.
,ca 3 wartime operations in Europcan
waters. arrived at quarantine at $50
O'Clock this afternoon on the British
liner Mauretania
escorted by notiila OF destroyers
ana airp!anes The admirals ship. which
a'so Drought home ZOO American SOL
dicrs. was met by "A fleet of harbor
craft bearing naval and muniri,,oJ o.
hccrS ana members of the ovprsc,s
commanders family.
F0rmni Greeting. Extended,
After greeting his family. tho re-
turning conmandar turned 10 Rear
Admiral l.. H. Burragc. who extended
INC formal welcome Of the Navy I,c-
partmcnt. TO this was addcd ~ MIavor
iiylah that Of the city or New Yor,.
TheEe also were greetings extended
ny representatives OF Rear Admiral
"icaFcs. Of the naval transpor; sery-
'cc' and EUdlnan Wananaker. chair
mn nG,,, 0, inc Mayors committee on well
"onle 10 the homecoming troops
Thc Mauretania entered tht. ha r,,o,.
ih Ihid al tcrnoon. delayed since early
',iornlnS oy fog which shrouded the
coastal waters for many miles. g rrent
icet or airplancs. their wings nash;nu
IN the sun. heraldcd tho apprnsch nf
.t.G i ''amspogi ana 6s6 pea ring the admiral, his
fn1
by Il ilotilla of dcstroycrs ana sn.,iio
naval craft. ''e'
Cheering Crowds Line Streets.
from the Battery the party vent bv
nInoiinoo!Ic 10 an uptown hotel. Thc
' amiml lrai uasscd through Cheering
crowds, and was showorcd by coufc,,i
Admira! Sims termed lis reccpiion
ma mG"acfrnI Mc,.;inc hn lie had exreetSd no for
direct to Washington tor cnnforo,co re
WITH naval officials, aftcrward nroccnd-
'hS to his home at Newport. r. I,
Fiects Fnr-Fluns Operations.
re added that American naval craft
nad operated from the White Sea 10
Eons;antinoplc. assisting the war De'
pat uneht. the Shipping Board ana re
lief commissions. 'd
meet, he continued but wc had ti,n
satisfaction of knowing that in ouaiit y
We ranked, ship for ship. with the bost
~ nc merchant seamen, the rear
aamiral ..e, spoke in high praise. DECLARING
some es Of ss9Sa fSamS by US through i; all and
iorpedoeds-cfte enough to suf,ssne6S.s = =
How Rear-Admiral William s. Sins
aee1mpaniee aosni,p nice by by one aid. proceeded in.
partment orders Issued him two weets
before the United states entered the
va Mar against Germany. was told by
from overseas ~ eur
IN reply TO questions he gave in
samip,e en,ni words h straghtforward ac-
passionate comment over n,any nm -,
iSioent OF his adventure that well could
o oe incoFporated into the most romantic
IN On March - or %, 1917. he said
Whi!c SShi!c ne was president of The Naval
deTsd M GoiIege 20 ssnort at Mewport. he was or
Secretary OF the SHou. SavS "a, aMSiay, M TO the
re was no; notified of the natmSe ~
!, .re nc. business 10 be discussed. Upon his
conferenee &C @ ,eerg by he was received in secret
ADMIRAL Benson. chief OF naval nnsr an,o
tions ia Va! opera-
Secret Conference Held.
,hn,,, e was told that it locked as
briey iaEh exn,sina we shall go to war, and it was
onGe iHe TO see the people on the 6tbar
70 how q the eedfh Gnitsd si sg,ndierstanding
CO. Operate with allied son foro conid
uii 0pGraiiQns against Germany. zone aid
mould be allowed TO accomnanw bfn'
he he ,sna Vas told. and his Identity must not
rcSeal II after his safe arrival abrooS ~
7, Com'nander J. V. Babcock. Of New
at aievGn; NeWpor, iowa, Wa. aid to Admiral Sims
MIN and both officers immcdiateey te1 'ans ans
neg civilian clothes "o''-
na1nnn n,muataneously an5 they dropped their
aoie to the occasion" Admirai Si,,,-
sd na,u , ne did nor clearly remember ,yhaf
,,,rn 'arne ne pore on his incognito adyen.
Work Under Assumed Nance,
ba ocock and chose .Picb. rdsor
Robertson as near as can rsnaI,.. usTi' ana II,
said. can't think of the real names
anu am not at all sure that these arc
correct. But that's how | seem 10
remember them" :"
me port of New York March 81 1a1;
On inc steamship New York. he saiJ
NO one on the vessel recognized them
anua anu snes p:, passed the time as ordinary
rear of their Identities being revcalcd
news of the declaration Of war bv
.ne United States on ADril 8, reached
mem mem D! the ships wireless news SER
vice. 1t did not disturb them.
entering Liverpool harbor on ApriI
y IN thick mist. the steamer struck
n mine and n hole was blown In one
ai mGr Tearward r ar, eompartments. bat the
ally disturbed" by that either.
No Reception for Them.
There was no reception committee
70 meet them at the docks i'm Liver
pool, Admiral Sims said They went
ashore unnoticed, like anybody else" /
y y spectai train was waiting in the !
i'iyerpool railroad yards. however. with
ADMIRAL Hope aboard. representing the
British Admiralty. They arrived i'm
London on April 10. both Admiral Sims
ana a, commander Babcock still wearing
their civilian clothes. They went at
once to the admiralty Offices where
Admiral Sims went into conference
with t,lmiraI Jellicoe.
On April 13. at a luncheon in Lon
DOR; the United states Amba ssa dor
mc.he :he first formal. announcement
that Admiral Sims had arrived in the
country After that tho admiral and
his aide reapneared in their navy uni
forms and abandoned the names Of
Richardson and Robertson" for all
time.
Why Sim. Wns Selected.
Commenting on chow he happened
TO be"the officer selected to go abroad.
Sims said:
81 was the logical selection for II I
of reasons. ] had been naval
attache at Paris from 1897 to 1900.
! speak the French language. 7 had
been to England about every winter
from 1902 10 1909 to talk gunnery
with British admiralty chiefs like
Admiral Jellicoe and Admiral Scott. I
knew the British and French naval
heads. And for three years I had been