Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-03-10
Say. That Navy Depar tt,'ae.'lt : | ! ].
Did Not Fully Understand
The Situation; Asserts
That His Recommends
ton. Were Not Consiidered
For Months.

Washington. March 10.-Failuro of E
the navy department to fully oo-
operate in the war during the first nix
months after Americas entry cost
half 4 million lives. fifteen billions OF
dollars, 2.5oo,ooo tons of shipping and
prevented a victory over Germany By
July, 1916, Rear Admiral Sims told
the senate investigating COMMITTEES to-
day IN presenting documentary evi-
lay against the department. III
The omcer read to the COMMITTEES
recommendations he had made to the
department Immediately upon his ar.
rival In London in 1917. A cable-
gram sent late in April, 1917, said the
critical area where the war would be
won or lost was in the eastern At
lantc at the focus Of all lines OF ocean
communication to England ana
France. Admiral Sims told the COM
'mittee that although he repeatedly
urged that every destroyer and small.
craft that could be sent to sea be- dis
patched Immediately to this area, his
Recommendation was not compiled
with until about six months later.
He also recommended, he said, that
two divisions Of American dread
naughts be sent to base on Brest to-
guard against raids in the English
channel by German cruiser forces, but
this recommendation was entirely dis
regarded.
Failure of the department to throw
the full force of the navy into the
struggle, he said. resulted in the '.un-
necessary loss of 100000 tons Of
shipping by submarine attack in 1917
and 100000 tons in 1918 to France.
He estimated on the basis of what
happened when the American forces
did arrive that victory could have
been achieved by July, 1918. if the
tonnage had been preserved.
Subs Increased.
Admiral Sims said that when he
found his efforts to impress upon the
navy department the seriousness OF
the situation we're unavailinE, he in
voked the aid Of the late Ambassador
Page at London, who on April 81,
1917. sent q confidential cablegram to
! Secretary lansing and President Will
J son, declaring that there Is i reason
for the greatest alarm about the issue
Of the war, caused by the increasing
success of German submarineH.'
| Declaring that British anti-subma-
| rine forces were entirely unable to
i,stem the rising, stfde Of sink4nsE the
/ 1nn nnbA3sad0R ted the Immediate as
stgnment Of every available United
| States destroyer and submarine
! chaser to British waters. s: i. 49,
! Even this request was unheeded for
some months, Admiral Sims said
! The witness read message to the
department in 1917, saying the British
government appreciated" what tho
United States was doing to keep down
submarines.
'Incidentally." he added, that is =
case Of International politeness. They
were thanking us for sending six de-
stroyers." tss
Admiral Sims insisted that he had
been badly handicapped by failure Of
the department to keep him informed
Of it's plans. He read excerpts from
his message, urging adoption Of the
] convoy system. and said:
| II will show that great losse kere
sustained due to the resistancIHof the
United States to taking up theS Sconvoy
system"
He then read department message
/ sent him in May and signed by Sec
retary Daniels.
"In regard to convoy" it read. IT
| consider American vessels having
; armed guards are safer when sailing
| independently"
When l got that message was
about ready to jump overheard" !" con-
/ tinued Admiral Sims. IT realized that
the department did not understand or
aDDreciate the situation"