The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-02-15


great groups of merchantmen in con-
voys, surrounded by destroyers made
this a hazardous adventure, and the
submarines therefore had to change
their program. The important point is
that the conveys, so long as they
could keep formation. and so long as
protecting screens could be main
tanned on their flanks, were virtually
safe. Under these conditions sinkings
as already said, were less than one
half of one per cent.
These conveys, it will be recalled
came home by way of two trunk
lines" a southern one extending
through the English Channel and a
northern one through the so-called
North ChanneT'-the latter being the
passage between Ireland and Scot
land. AS soon as the inward bound
southern trunk-line conveys reached
the English Channel they broke up
certain ships going to Plymouth, Ports
mouth, Southampton and other Chan
mel ports, and others sail to BreSt
Cherbourg, Havre, and other harbors
in France. In the same fashion, con-
voys which came in by way of the
North Channel split up as soon as
they reached the Irish Sea. In other
words, the conveys. as conveys, nee
essarily ceased to exist the moment
that they entered these inland waters
and the ships, as individual ships, had
to find their way to their destina-
tions unescorted by destroyers, or es-
corted most inadequately
One Weak Spot in Convoy System.
This was the one weak spot in the
convoy system, and the Germans
were not slow to turn it to their ad-
vantage. They now proceeded to
withdraw most of their submarines
from the high seas and to concentrate
them in these restricted waters. In
April, 1917. the month which marked
the high tide of German success, not
far from a hundred merchant ships
were sunk in area that extended
about three hundred miles west of
Ireland and about three hundred miles
south. A year afterward-in the
month of April, 191S,-not a single
ship was sent to the bottom in this
same section of the sea. That change
measures the extent to which the
convoy saved Allied shipping. But if
we examine the situation in inclosed
waters-the North Channel, the Irish
Sea, st. Georges Channel, and the
English Channel,-we shall find
less favorable state of affairs. Prac-
tically all the sinkings of April, 1918,
occurred in these latter areas. In
April, 1917, the waters which lay be-
tween Ireland and England were prac-
tically free from depredations; in the
spring of 1918, however, these waters
had become a favorite hunting ground
for submarines; while in the English
Channel the sinkings were almost a:
numerous in April, 1918, as they hao
been in the same month the year be
fore.
Thus we had to deal with an en-
tirely new phase OF the submarine
campaign; the new conditions demand
ed a light vessel, which could be built
in large numbers, and which could
aggressively hunt out the submarines
even though they were sailing sub
merged. The subchaser, when fitted
with it's listening devices, met these
nesv requirements, though of course,
not to be desirable degree of precision
we hoped soon to attain with still
further improved hydrophones and
larger vessels of the Eagle class, then
being rapidly built.
Where the Ships Were Based.
The matter was presented to the
Allied Naval Council and, in accord
ance with the unanimous opinion of
that. of the subchasers then available,
a SQUADRON should be based on Ply |
mouth, where it could be advantage
ousIy used against the German sub ,
marines which were still doing great |
damage in the English Channel, and
that another squadron, based on
should similarly be. used
against the submarines in the Irish |
Sea.
I was. therefore, requested TO con-
centrate the boats at these two points,
and at once acquiesced in this recon- |
But another point, widely separated |
from British waters, also made /
powerful plea for consideration. In
the Mediterranean the submarine cam
paign was still a menace. The spring
and early summer of 1918 witnessed
large losses of shipping destined TO |
southern France. to Italy, and to the
armies at Saloniki and Palestine
Austrian and German submarines, OPP
Grating from their bases at Pola and
Catarro in the Adriatic, We're respon-
sible for this destruction. If we could
pen these pests in the Adriatic, the
whole Mediterranean Sea would be-
como =. snobstructed highway for the