The Washington times., 1922-07-09
BOOKS I'm BRIEF REVIEW
DANIELS TELLS OF
OUR NAVY IN
THE WAR

Former Secretary's Book Com
prehensive Account Of Naval
Activities That Reads Like
Romance.
osEPHUs DANIELS. secre-
tary of the Navy from 1913
e. to 1921. has written by far
, the best story we have read OF
our navy. In the great war. our
Navy at War" Doran) is sn or.
derby and comprehensive record OF
the achievements Of the navy from
the moment President Wilson
signed the declaration Of war
against Germany until the task OF
bringing our men home from Eu.
rope was completed.
Mr.. Daniels tells of the state Sf
the navy when we entered the
war; how the news was flashed
to ships and shore stations In a
few brief minutes after the decla-
ration Of war. putting the entire
navy on a war basis. ( The vessels
on the Asiatic station knew It be-
fore the extra papers were on the
street, and the fleet was mobi-
lized that same afternoon in ac-
cordance with the plan Of the pre-.
ceding March 21. Admiral Henry
T. Mayo afterward said he did not
have to give a single order of
any kind or description to pass the
fleet from a peace to a war basis."
Complete instructions and plans,
brought up to date. had been Is
sued two weeks previous and mo-
bilization was completed without
an hours delay.
He is Justly proud Of what he
calls the biggest transportation
Job in history. carrying 1000. 900
troops over the Atlantic. with the
American navy furnishing trans
port for nearly half that number
and escort for four.fifths Of the
transports.
The race between President
Wilson and Hindenburg in the
spring OF 1s1s-Hindenburg try
ing to win the war before we
were able to land enough troops
In France to turn the tide OF
battle, forms a dramatic chapter
in Mr.. Daniels book. Then TO-
lows accounts of the use Of ex-
German vessels which carried
$751; 900 American troops to Europe.
and the record made by the
"Leviathan" in the transport
service.
Mr.. Wilson. for whom Mr..
Daniels expresses highest admira-
ton on every possible occasion.
was, so the author tells us.
keenly interested in the matter
Of transportation Of our troops.
Says Mr.. Daniels:
When we were transporting
soldiers through the infested
zones he was anxious, intensely
interested, and read every cable
gram concerning the troopships.
When he did not come In person
on crucial days there would come
from the White House frequent
memoranda written by himself on
his little typewriter asking for
some information or making al
illuminating suggestion, signed
w. W. Those w. W. notes
never had a spare word. and they
showed the same clearness and
vision which John Hay tells US
Lincoln had when he would 60
over to see Stanton or Gideon
welles in the dark days Of the
civil war"
The operations involved In pa
trolling the coast Of France were
on a large scale, lines Of command.
communication and cooperation
being based on Brest,. American
mine sweepers picked UP mines
and kept clear channels to the
ports. American vessels escorted
90 per cent Of shipping between
England and the Mediterranean,
and the United States naval forces
made possible the convoy system.
described as one Of the most ef.
fective measures Of the war.
There is no more exciting chap.
ter In Mr.. Daniels book than that
devoted to the shutting up of tho
hornets in their nests" Mr.. Dan.
iels explains why Germany's naval
offensive planned for the fall of
1918 was never carried out; why
the U-boats were recalled and the
German fleet surrendered without
striking a blow
Hidden mines and bombs that
destroyed the submarines caused
U.boat crews to revolt. and this
revolt spread to other branches