Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-04-19

lnent American civilians employed such
Influence as they would exert to the
same end.
GREAT WORK
ACCOMPLISHED.
And so at last in the fall of 1917 oppo-
sition and prejudice gave way. Admiral
Earle and his associates had convinced
the doubters in our own navy and the
British navy and rejoiced that their plan
was to be put into effect Admiral Strauss
was put in charge of this. the outstanding
naval offensive Of the world war. He
had a picked personnel of 1000 Officers
and uen of stuff and skin. Our force
laid 56,611 mines; their British coworkers
lad 1862 Most Of our mines were of
q new type, perfected in the summer of
1917. The British laid the old type of
mine. However, both proved effective.
Our navy made 100000 mines and trans
ported $4,000. 1t required sixty-four
ship loads from the United States. and
involved dangers and hardships little
realized by those who were not engaged
in the perilOus task. The entire cost
of the American part Of this operation
was approximately SS0,O0OOO0. The mines
cost $50, 5S1, $50.
The first mines we're placed on June
8, and the first victim was recorded on
June Q, when U-boat was disabled and
compelled to return to it's base.
The British admiralty officially credits
| the barrage with the destruction or Grip
pling Of twenty-three U-boats. Accord
ing to Admiral Earle, chief of the bureau
Of ordnance, ut has been established
that six submarines were lost in the bar
nj H. =
that they never again put to sea-" This
is the conservative American estimate,
which the British admiralty supplements
from further information in it's posses
sion.
WHAT THE
BARRAGE DID.
Eight and one-half per cent Of the
total number Of submarines lost during
the war were brought into the list of
missing" says Admiral Earle, by the
barrage, which existed for only per
cent Of the period Of the war. Such re
suits more than Justified the effort and
time and funds expended"
Admiral Strauss is responsible for the
following opinion. which, 1 think, has
never been published.
If the war had continued and the bar
rage had been completed to the Orkneys,
and the barrier across the straits Of
Dover had been promptly completed, 1t
would have ended the submarine menace
so far as submarines going from the
North sea into the broad Atlantic was
concerned. Also the barrier that we were
to build across the Adriatic and across
the Aegean sea, when completed, would
have actually ended submarine opera
tons"
In 20 -TeN- X
its purpose. ID precipitated the mutiny
Of the German navy, which was a main
factor in bringing about the internal
collapse of kaiserdom.
FUTURE OF
MINE BARRAGE
The day may come when it will be pos
sible to SOW the seas with so many ex-
plOsives, timed to go of at a given mo-
ment that sea fighting will be seen only
on the open oceans provided the fighting
craft can reach them.
Beyond all question such inland seas as
Chesapeak By. the Bay Of san Fran
cisco. the Mediterranean and the North
Sea can be sealed hermeticany by the
proper employment OF enough mines of
the modern type, upon whose deadliness
to the enemy we are steadily improving
But one Of the tasks that mine warfare
involves is cleaning up the seas after
the fuss is over. 1t is, of course, out Of
the question that these terrible death
containers should be left to bob around
IN times Of peace.
Mine sweeping is more perilous than
minelaying. Nov. q, 1919, about a year
after the armistice, l went to New York
to welcome home the last Of the mine
force, and express to them the Nations
gratitude.
1t took eighty vessels and 1000 men
from May s, 1919, TO Sept so to sweep
up the mines in the North Sea. 1t was
desperately dangerous work. carried on
without any of the glamour and stimu-
lus attaching 10 actual conflict but call
ing for just as great heroism and devo-
ton to duty as any daring venture on
land or sea against the enemy. To the
men who did this work must go no small
share of honor and glory.
Twenty three ships were damaged and
two officers and nine men lost their
lives in sweeping up the mines in the
North Sea barrage. They, too, died for
America and civilization.
Let me, in closing this article, give you