Evening star., 1920-03-16
BLUFF BY TEUT0NS
W0ULDHAVE HELD
UP U.S., SAYS SIMS
Foe "Could Have ParaIyzed"
Transportation of Men and
War Materials.

little 'biuf' on the part of the
Germans in 1915. at the crucial point
of the war. would have paralyzed
transportation of soldiers and war
materials between this country and
Europe. Rear Admiral Sims TODAY told
the Senate naval subcommittee
Information from authentic sources
indicating that the Germans were
building two heavily armored modern
battle cruisers for a desperate last
hope raid against troopship conveys
was transmitted to the Navy DEPART
ment. Admiral Sims said, and imme-
diately he was besieged with cable
grams from Washington outlining va
rious plans of action. all of which. he
testified. were impractica ble although
such a contingency had been under
discussion for nearly a year. and there
had been ample time to prepare
IF the enemy had only known" said
Admiral Sims, "all he need have done
was to make a series of bluffs, involv-
ing little risk to himself, and we
would have done the rest. Shipping
would have been paralyzed."
Discusses Four Plans.
Admiral Sims discussed at length
four plans proposed by the depart
ment for defeating Germany on the
sea. They were: A protected lane
through the danger zone: the block
ing of German ports by sinking ships
in the entrance; mine barriers of nets
and mines of types then in use; mine
barriers OF mines of q new type All
except the last were impractica BILE. he
declared! and much time was wasted
by the insistence Of the department
that they be tried.
The department wished to land 4
solar plexus blow" against the sub
marine campaign, the admiral said.
and suggested many schemes lcng be-
plan was that Of sinking old battle
ships and cruisers in the entrances
to all German submarine base har-
borS Admiral Sims asserted, anu only
after he had pointed out that the
% forty battisships sui and % fortyntFree f es
cruisers and six months Of prepara-
tion did the department agree to
abandon the plan. 1t took seven
months of effort to bring the WASH
ington officials to the final conclusion,
he said.
Barrage Of Mines.
On May II. 1917. the Navy Depart
ment first suggested the idea of a
tarrage of mines across the North sea
to trap the German sea forces. ,Ad-
miral Sims said. and at that time he
opposed the plan because the allies
could not afford to divert the large
numbers of men and ships and huge
amounts of material necessary to
make the project a success. he de-
clared. and also because the old type
mines then in use were not practica-
BILE for such a purpose.
Later. when the submarine CAM
paign was well in hand and a new
type of antennae mine developed in
this, country. he approved the idea. he
said, and helped to expedite the lay
ing of the barrSge.
The result, the North sea mine bar
rage, was magnificent achievement.
the admiral said, rejecting great
credit on the Navy and the officers
and men who were responsible for
the success of the project.
Admiral Sims said he particularly
tshed to refute an assertion widely
circulated" that the department had
proposed and from the first favored
the mine barrage project. and that he
was about the only officer in the
Navy who had ever opposed it,"