The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-01

CTedLEQ
4 Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves. As
Don as war was declared the work
vas begun of converting into trans
,orts those German merchant ships
which had been informed in American
,orts. The successful completion or
his work was, in itself, a great tri-
lmph for the American Navy. or
he vessels which the Germans had
eft in our hands, seventeen at New
fork, Boston, Norfolk. and Philadel-
Iha. seemed to be adapted for trans
,ort purposes, but the Germans had
lot intended that we should make any
mch use of them.
Condition IndescribabIy Bad.
The condition of these ships, after
heir German custodians had left, was
,omething indescribable; they re-
Iected great discredit upon German
eamansIa.p, FOR it would have been
impossible for any people which really
owed ships to permit them to dete-
iorate as had these vessels and to
become such cesspools of filth. For
hree years the Germans had evil
Iently made no attempt to clean
hem: the sanitary conditions were
10 bad that our workmen could not
lleep on board, but had to have sleep
ne quarters near the docks; they
ipent weeks scrubbing. scraping, and
l.sinfecting, in a finally successful
,ffort TO make the ships suitable
,abitations for human beings. Not
My had the Germans permitted such
liners as the vaterland and the Kron-
,rinzessin Cecilie to go neglected, but,
10 otf
ID in many cases to injure them IN all
conceivable ways. The cylinders had
,een broken, engines had been smash
ID, vital parts of the machinery had
,een removed and thrown into the
Tea, ground glass had been placed in
he oil cups, gunpowder had been.
placed in the coal-evidently in the
rope OF causing explosions when the
yessels were at sea-and other dam
tge of a more subtle nature had been
lone, it evidently being the expecta-
ion that the ships would break down
when on the ocean and beyond the
possibility of repair. Although our
navy yards had no copies of the plans
II these vessels or their machinery
he Germans having destroyed them
lll-and although the missing parts
we're of peculiar German design, they
succeeded, in an incredibly short time,
n making them even better and
speedier vessels than they had ever
been before.
Remaining the Boats.
The national sense OF humor did not
all the transport service when Il came
20 rechristening these ships; the
Princess Irene became the Pocahon-
as: the Rhein, the Susquehanna; and
there was also an ironic justice in the
TACT that the Vaterland. which had
been built by the Germans partly for
The purpose of transporting troops in
war, actually fulfilled this mission,
though not quite in the way which the
Germans had anticipated. We called
In all available vessels from the At
lantic and Pacific coasts and the Great
Lakes; England stripped her trade
routes to South America, Australia and
the East, and France and Italy also
made their contributions. OF all the
American troops sent to France from
the beginning of the war. the United
States provided transports for 1925
per cent. Great Britain for 51.25, the
remainder being provided by France
and Italy. OF those sent between
March, 1918, and the Armistice, Amer
lean vessels carried 42.15 per cent.
British $40 per cent. (These figures
are taken from the Annual Report Of
the Secretary of the Navy for 1919,
page 207.)
Two American Battle squadrons in
Europe.
Yet there was one element IN the
safe transportation OF troops which
was even more fundamental than
those which / have named. The ba-
sis OF all our naval operations were
the dreadnaughts and the battle cruis-
ers OF the Grand Fleet. 1t was this
aggregation. as / have already indi-
Gated. which made possible the oper-
alton OF all the surface ships that de-
,troyed the effectiveness of the sub
Had the Grand Fleet sud
ienly disappeared beneath the waves,
all these offensive craft would have
been driven from the seas. the Allies
sea lines of communication would
have been cut, and the war would
nave ended in Germany's favor. From
The time the transportation OF troops
began the United States had squad
ron OF five dreadnaught battleships
with the Grand Fleet. The
following vessels performed this i'm
oortant duty: the New York. Captain
:. F. Hughes. afterward. Captain e. L.
Beach; the Wyoming, Captain H. A. |
Wiley, afterward Captain II. H. Chris |
"; the Florida, Captain Thomas !
afterward Captain NJ. NJ. |
Taylor; the Delaware, Captain A. H. |
Scales; the Arkansas. Captain w. H. !
8. Billiard, afterward Captain l.. r. de |
Steiguer; and the Texas, Captain Vic
tor Blue. These vessels gave this |
great force an unquestioned prepon-
ierance, and made 1t practically GER
tain that Germany would not attempt |
another general sea battle. Under /
Rear Admiral Rodman, the American
performed excellent service /
md made the most favorable impress
lion upon the chiefs of the Allied /
navies. But these were not the only
large battleships which the United |
states sent to European waters.
Despite all the precautions which / /
ave described, there was still one
ssneer which constantly confronted
American troop transports. BY June