The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-06-27
THE VICTORY AT SEA
By ADMIRAL WILLIAM SOWDEN SIMS S.
ST.

evidently kept informed of our prog
ress and had a general idea OF liio
territory which had been covered. = OF ,
a considerable time a passage way /
sixty miles wide, was kept open Ior
the Grand Fleet just east OF the OIh-
ney Islands; the result was that tue
submarines, which had hitherto usual
#ly skirted the Norwegian coast, no"
changed their course, and attempted 70
slim through the western pasSageWay
"a course that enabled them TO avoiu
the minefield When the entire dis
lance from the Orkneys to Norway
had been mined, however. 1t becaIn.
impossible to run around the emu.
The Germans were now obliged TO sail
boldly into this explosive field, taking
their chances of hitting a mine. stories
of this barrage were circulated III
over Germany; sailors who had been
in contact with it related their ex-
periences to their fellows; and the
result was extremely demoralizing TO
the German submarine flotilla. Ine
North Sea Barrage was probably
lcontributory cause Of the mutiny whicn
ldemoralized the German fleet In the
fall of 1913.
! think I am justified in saying
! that this enterprise was strong rae
tor in overcoming the submarine men
ace though the success of the convoy
system had already brought the emu
! in sight, and thus made it practicaDie
/ to assign, without danger of deIeal'
the tonnage necessary to lay the par
rage and maintain and augment 1t as
long as might be necessary. Tne Ger
mans saw the barrage not only as !.
was in the fall of 1918. but as 1t WouId
be a few months or year hence we
had started q steady stream OF mines
from hundreds Of factories In the
United States to our Scottish bases
these establishments were constantly
increasing production. and there was
practically no limit to their poss1ple
output. we had developed a mine
laying organization: which was ad-
mittedly better than any that had peen
hitherto known; and this brancn OF
the service we could now enlarge m
!, definitely. In time we could have
planted this area so densely with ex-
, plosiyes that it would have been mad
; ness for any submarines even to at
tempt a passage. To be sure, the
lPentland Firth, between the Orkneys
land Scotland, was always open. and
\ tCOuid IlOl Dc liliilCA oti S-SS0--
swift tides, but besides being dan
gerous passage at best it .AWas con-
! stantly patrolled to make 1t still more
dangerous.
The loyal devotion to duty and the
skillful seamanship which our OIL
GERS displayed in this great enter
: prise was not only thoroughly in keep
: ing with the highest traditions OF tne
NAVY but actually established new
|, standards to guide and inspire tnoss
who will follow us. These gallant OF
ficers who actually laid the mines arr
: entitled to the nations gratitude ane
!, take great pleasure in commencing TN
7 work of Captain III. ". Butler, com
: handing the flagship San Francisco
: Captain J. Harvey Tomb. commandins
the Aroostook, Captain A. w. Mar
!. shall. commanding the baltimore
Commander w. H. Reynolds, com
. manding the Canandaigua; Captain I
r. Johnson, commanding the Canont
!. Gus, Captai J. w. Greesdale, com
!. handing the Housatonic; Command
er. D. Pratt Mannix, commanding tn
: ouinnebaug; Captain c. D. Stearns
:. commanding the Saranac; and Cap
: tain w. t. Cluverius, commanding Tn
. Shawmut.
(To be continued.)