Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-12
ATLANTIC FLEET
NOT KEPT READY.
DURING THE WAR
.,S,,;::A'2GE OF SIMS
Rear Admiral Continues to
Pile Up Charges of Ineff-
cheney Against Secretary
Daniels and Staff,
FREQUENT PLEAS FOR
WARSHlPS UNHEEDED
Months Lost in Sending a
Squadron of BattIeShlpS to
European Waters to Join
British Grand Fleet.
r.r MORNING IouSs.A SPECIAL LEASED w,ss,

Washington, March l1.-Charges
that the Atlantic fleet was not kept
In readiness for battle during the
war were added by Rear Admiral
SIMS to his arraignment of navy
department policy in testimony to-
Gay before the senate investigating
committee.
He told the committee that fire.
Guent pleas for American warships
were disregarded and months were
lost in dispatching squadron OF
battleships to join the British
grand fleet When the squadron
FINALLY was ordered abroad, he said.
III was composed OF four ships of
,different types, evidence that other
ships TO form a homogeneous unit
we're mot ready for sea service"
He read also a message from the
navy department showing that
after the four were selected it was
+ ecessary to dock them before
they could proceed, a delay OF an
other two or three weeks.
Tribute to the officers and men
of the battleships was paid by tho
admiral, who. said the work of
fitting into the British fleet was
accomplished in four days. one OF
the finest exhibitions he had ever
seen. Service with the British, he
pointed out, necessitated the aban-
comment of all the American codes
and signals and adoption of tho
British system.
Requests for American forces 10
supplement the allied naval patrol,
Admiral Sims asserted were re-
fused at first by the navy depart
ment on the ground that the "fu-
tore position of the United Sta@s
must in no way be jeopardlzed BY
any dlsintegration of our main
! fighting fleet" Tho admiral DE-
clared he was wholly unable TO
conceive of any war policy, espec-
tally in world war. based upon
the requirements of possible future
wars.
Admiral Sims charged that II
was three months after the United
States entered the war before he
received statement of the navy
departments policy; that for seven
months the department failed to
answer even his cables with regard
to sending battleships and then
denied the request, but month
later reversed positions and order
ca the sixth battle squadron
abroad; that he first urged the
despatch of all available tugs to
the war zone on April 23, 1917, but
no tugs arrived until year later
although forty-three were avail
able to the navy department the
day war was declared. in addition
to many owned by private con-
Germs; that although he asked on
June 2S, 1917. that American sub
marines be sent to the war'zone to
help combat U-boats, 1t was four
months before his request was
compiled with and then but five
submarines were sent, five more
arriving four months later.
Admiral Sims requested that the
committee call Herbert Hoover to
substantiate his statements that
the war was In danger of being lost
by the allies because of the Ger
man submarine campaign. The
committee agreed TO ask Mr..
Hoover to appear Saturday to tell
of food conditions in the allied
countries in the summer of 1917.
Senator Ball, republican of Del
aware, replaced Senator PoindeS-
ter, republican of Washington, on
the committee. the latter resigning
because of inability to attend the
sessions.