The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-12-14

I causing undue delays In forming out
ward bound conveys. The Pusticia,
though most people still think that she
was torpedoed because she was unes-
corted, was, in fact, protected by a
destroyer escort of considerable size.
Escorting outward bound ships in
creased considerably the strain on our
destroyer force. The difficulty was
that the inbound convoy arrived in a
body, but that the shpis could not be
unloaded and sent back in a body
without OBTAINING a number of them
an undue length OF time-and time
was such an important factor in this
war that it was necessary to make the
turn around of each important
transport as quickly as possible. The
consequence was that returning ships
were often despatched in small con-
voys as fast they were unloaded.
The escorts which were able to sup
ply for such groups were thus much
weaker than absolutely safety required,
and sometimes we were even forced to
send vessels across the submarine
zone with a few. if any, escorting war
| ships. This explains why certain home
| ward bound transports were torpedoed.
This was particularly true of troop and
| munition conveys to the western ports
| of France. Only when we could as
| semble a large outgoing convoy and
!, despatch it at such a time that it could
| meet an incoming one at the western
edge of the submarine zone, could we
give these vessels the same destroyer
| escort as that which we always gave
| for the loaded conveys bound for
| European ports.
American Escorts Returned.
AS soon as the destroyers made con-
| tact with an inward bound convoy. the
| ocean escort, the cruiser, or dread
nought. if an American, abandoned it
| and started back home, sometimes with
westbound convoy If one aid been
assembled in time. British escorts
! went ahead full speed into a British
port, usually escorted by one or more
| times aroused the wrath of the pas .
sengers the inbound convoy. Their
| protector had dropped them just as
| they had entered the submarine zone.
| the very moment its services were
really needed. These passengers did
not understand. any more than did the
| people at home. that the purpose of
| ocean escort was not to protect them
| from submarines. but from possible
| raiders. Inside the danger zone this
ocean escort would become part of the
| convoy itself and require protection
from submarines, that its rather
summary departure really made the
men more secure.
AS the convoy approached the dan
| ger zone, after being drilled all the way
| across the ocean, its very appearance
was more taut and business-like. The
| ships were closed up, keeping only such
/ distances apart as were essential for
| quick maneuvering, and for a more
compact formation. Generally the con-
voy was formed in a long para1ielo-
gram, the distance across the front of
|
or distance along the sides. Usually
the formation was a number of groups
of four vessels each, in column or
, Indian file," as a distance of about
five hundred yards from ship to ship.
and all groups abreast of each other
| and about one-hah mile apart. Thus
a convoy of twenty-four vessels, or
six groups Of four, would have width
of about five miles and depth of one.
Most OF the destroyers were stationed
on the narrow sides, for 1t was only
on the side, or the beam. that the sub.
marines could attack with much
chance Of success. It was usually nee
essary for a destroyer to be stationed
| in the rear Of a convoy. for, although
| the speed of nearly all conveys was
/ faster than that of a submarine when
| submerged, the latter while running on
the surface could follow convoy at
night with a fair chance of torpedoing
a vessel at early daylight and escaping
to the rear il unhanpered by the pres
ence of a rear guard destroyer. It was
generally impracticable and dangerous
for the submarine to wait ahead, sub
merge and launch its torpedoes as the
convoy passed over it.