Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-16
AMERICAN SHIPS
HAvELARGEP PART
IN MINE LAYING
Thousands Of Engines of De-
StruCtiOn Placed in North
Sea ''Barrage" by US.
Warship.

Washington, Feb. ls.sThe Amer
lean mining squadron, which, in CON
junction with the British navy,
blazed a 23O-mile trail of mines
across the North Sea from the Ork-
neys TO the coast OF Norway, has
returned home with the story of
how this great achievement in the
campaign to throttle the German
submarines was contributed.
Capt. Reginald R. Balknap, COM
mander of the feet of ten ships
two light cruisers and eight convert
ed merchant craft-graphically de-
scribed in a statement today the
work Of laying the 70,l00 mines
which made up the so-called North
Sea barrage and announced that at
least IL enemy submarines were
known to have come to grief IN at
tempting to pass through this field.
The American ships laid $3.50 Of
the total number of these American
invented and manufactured engines
of destruction. The field averaged
Is miles in width and nowhere was
it less than IS miles across, an
hours run for a submarine. If a
safe course were sought underneath
several lines of mines would be
found there equally deep, and if the
submarine went down even deeper,
mines were ready for them there,
too, and one touch was enough.
Barrage Brings Results.
Before the barrier was half way
across" said Captain Bel1nap, "the
barrage began to yield results, Early
in July, 1918, after the second ex-
cursion ofthe mine layers and from
time to time reports would come OF
submarines damaged or disappear
ing 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 q probable ten
before the middle of October, with
a final total OF II or more. In adj
dition to this toll the squadron
should be credited with two subma-
rines lost in the fields of British
mines laid by the Baltimore off
the Irish coast"
The American squadron arrived
at Inverness last May rs ready to
begin operations and II days later
started on its first mine-planting
excursion. On these trips, which
lasted from 40 to 80 hours, the
squadron was part of the English
grand feet, and for protection
against submarines and raiding
cruisers, it was accompanied by
British destroyers and battleships
or battle cruisers.
"On the second mining excur-
sion," said Captain Belknap, the
sixth battle squadron was the sup
port, consisting of four American
battleships, commanded by Rear
Admiral Hugh Reman Of the United
States navy, in the flagship New
York. One may imagine with what
feelings we saw our own ships file
out Of Scapa Flow, form line and
slowly disappear in the haze as they
swept off to the southeastwardI 1t
will be readily understood that the
way had to be made smooth for the
mine planters. A single we'll placed
torpedo or mine, or few enemy
shells, would certainly finish one
vessel ane probably destroy all ten
of them Each mine planter carried
from "a to l20 tons Of high explos-
i've. a total of nearly 800 tons in the
squadron, many times more than
the amount that devasted Halifax.
THE operation as whole was
done in conjunction with British
mine-laying squadron of four YES
sells, which worked from a base at
Grangemouth, Edinburgh, under
command of Rear Admiral Clinton
Baker of the Royal navy. The Amer
lean and British mine squadrons Of
ten went out at the same time, under
the protection of the same heavy
squadron, but except on two occa-
sions they always worked separate
ly, in different parts OF, the barrage
area.
altogether the American squads
49, $50 ~ Il ~ =