New-York tribune., 1920-03-17
Navy Neglected
Troop Convoy,
Sims Asserts
Department, Warned of the
Danger of Rattle-Cruiser
Raid. Waited 10 Months
TO Act, Admiral Charges
Shipping Faced Menace
Declares Plan After Plan
Suggested by Washington
Was Rejected by Allies

WASHINGTON, March 16.--Germany
missed an opportunity to paralyze ship
ming and American troop movements
"a France in the summer of 1918 by not
sending battle-cruiser to raid con-
~oxs Rear Admiral Sims said to-day,
continuing his testimony before the
Senate committee investigating his.
CHARGES against the Navy Departments
conduct of the war. Although the de-
cartment was warned in September,
1917. of this danger, he said, it had no
comprehensive plan to combat such an
enemy move ten months later when the
danger was really imminent.
The department acknowledged that
il had no approved plans and said that
It depended upon the European forces
ard upon the British grand fleet to
stand off the danger until it had time
to act Admiral Sims asserted, adding
that little "bluff' on Germany's part
would have worked havoc with Allied
transportation. The department sug-
cested plan after plan in the interven-
ing months, the admiral said. all based
on q wrong premise and most of which
had been previously considered and re-
iected by the Allies as unworkable.
Aroused by Cruiser Reports
In August. 1918. word came that the
enemy was preparing two cruisers for
raiding duty, Admiral Sims continued,
and not until then did the department
abandon its own ideas and accept his
recommendation, made ten months be-
fore, that battleships be assigned to
protect troopships He read from the
the department said it was "only tenn
porary expedient" and did not "solve
the problem of continued enemy battle
cruiser activity in the Atlantic"
The same cable said that mo reply"
had been received to a request by the
department that four Japanese battle
cruisers be assigned to the American
Atlantic feet for duty against raiders
and that the department desired to
know what will be the Admiralty's
policy as to the use of their battle
cruisers for pursuit in case Of the es-
cape of an enemy battle-cruiser"
The admiral said that confusion as to
plans at this stage of the war was an
Impressive example of the deplorable
absence OF unity of command on the
seas, measure which the Allies finally
adopted on land and which made vic
tory possible"
Atlantic Shipping Threatened
Fortunately, the enemy never at
tempted battlecruiser raid said the
officer. ITO any one at all familiar
with the case it is, to put it mildly dis
quieting to contemplate the confusion
OF all Atlantic shipping, naval and
merchant, troop carriers and all, that
would have resulted if the raid had oc-
Cured during those long drawn out
negotiations between Washington and
London in an attempt to reach simple
decision as to joint action"
Admiral Sims discussed four plans
proposed by the department for defeat
ing Germany on the sea. They were:
A protected lane through the danger
zone; the blocking of German ports by
sinking ships in the entrance; mine bar
riers of nets and mines of types then
in use; mine barriers of mines of
new type. All except the last were
impracticable, he declared, and much
time was wasted by the insistence of
the department that they be tried.