Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-05-02
KEYES TELLS OF
GERMAN SURRENDER
W. =. &. Graduate Saw Big Fleet
Tanned and Handed over To
Allies

graduate in electrical engineering al
Washington State, and later superin-
tendent OF the Valley Telephone com
pany of North Yakima tells OF the
surrender of the German fleet, ae
witnessed by him, Of thrilling expert
ences in lodging and capturing sub
marines, and of major naval opera
tions by which the allied fleets were
able to keep Heligoland closed.
Lieutenant Keyes left Yakima in
1917, going to Camp Lewis, after
which he trained and taught in yari-
GUS military camps. Finally he was
ordered to report for service on
board the Arkansas, wherever she
may be found, which happened to
be in New York harbor, but which,
SO far as Keyes knew when he start
ed in search of the battleship, might
have been a port in France. Immedi-
ately after he boarded the Arkansas
at New York the battleship was or
dered to the North Sea for service
with the grand or allied fleets
1t was in July, 1918, when the
former Yakima telephone superin-
tendent left New York harbor. Four
hundred miles out at sea the Arkan-
sas encountered a submarine which
kept the crew busy for zoe miles,
when they met the British convoy.
The British Immediately engaged the
were dropped, which either destroyed
the undeTseas pirate or scared him
so badly that he gave no further an
noyance.
keyes spent five months in the
North Sea zone of war, all the while
attached to the grand fleet In addi
tion to the Arkansas, American war
ships likewise assisting the grand
fleet included the New York, the
Wyoming, the Texas and the Florida.
together with 200 destroyers and
many light cruisers.
Lieutenant Keyes says that the
fleet operated from two bases, one at
Scapa Flow in the Orkneys, and the
other in the Firth of Forth. He says
that the extremely great secrecy with
which the British admiralty guarded
the whereabouts OF the great fleet is
illustrated by the fact that much
of the time when the English popu-
lace was wondering where the fleet
was, part of it was only eight miles
from Edinburg. Scotland lying hid
den in the almost perpetual mist
To protect these bases, three lines
of submarine nets were placed across
the mouth of the harbor one mile
apart. This mGde it impracticable
for the Huns U boats to attack the
fleet. The lieutenant tells how one
OF the subs successfully followed in
the wake of a battleship that was
ing of the second net. the presence Of
the sub was discovered. Depth
bombs were dropped. After the first
undersea shot a diver went down and
inspected the Y boat. Listening, he
heard a tapping inside the sub.
When he came up and reported this
more depth bombs were dropped,
which finished the sub and crew in it.
No signs of HE" was the report of
the second diver who went down.
Not until then was the second net
opened to permit the battleship to
enter the base.
He described the surrender of the
German high seas fleet as follows:
On the Goth of November, last fall
the following order came through the
proper channels to the five American
superdreadnaughts making up the
sixth battle squadron acting with the
Grand Fleet, and at that time lying
at anchor in the Firth of Forth about
eight miles out of Edinburg. Scot
land:
Il The Sixth Battle Squadron
will pass the Black Rock Gate at
o420 (4:2O a. M Thursday. No
vember 81, and will probably sight
the High Sea Fleet at O93O $3.50
a. m :"
This then was the elimination of
all the British naval activity for the
past four years, and the event for
which the powerful American squad
ron had been silently waiting Tor a
year, as a part of that magnificent
combination Of speed and gun power
know as and well named the Grand
Fleet" True, the Hun submarines
had been active and caused much
grief in the shipping for all the al.
lies, and yet, under all the activities
all the schemes and plans that had
guided the conduct of the war for the
past four wears had hear . ,;1o,,