Evening star., 1939-09-18
Admiral Sims Devised
Effective Convoy Plan
Says Great Britoin Should
Use System Proved by
World War Trial
By PRESTON GROVER.

The surprise sinking of the passenger
steamer Athena and the loss of more
than 20 merchant ships might act as a
warning to England that she had better
adopt at once the system of anti-sub-
marine warfare that America perfected
for her during the World War.
1t was tough-minded old Admiral Sims
and his staff who taught England that
mine barrage could be laid across the
principal submarine outlet into the At
lantic Thereafter Germany Officially
lost a dozen submarines among the
mines and an unestimated number that
failed to leave any trace.
1t was Admiral Sims and his officers
who also perfected the convoy system
that permitted United States troops to
get to France with the loss of only one
boat.
The Lusitania had somewhat the same
experience and lot of unfriendly stories
arose about her.
The Lusitania sailed with a cargo Of
American and foreign passengers, to-
gether with some war materials, straight
in the face of warnings published by
Germany in American papers that the
boat was certain to be target for sub
marines. When it reached the subma-
rine zone it got no protective convoy.
Further, for some reason which has not
yet been explained, the commander of
the ship did not zig-Zag as he approached
home. That is one way of preventing
submarines from getting a proper aim.
Further, the commander slowed his speed
to barely half the ships maximum. The
Lusitania was cold meat to a subma-
rine.
Repeatedly it has been suggested, and
repeatedly it has been denied, that Eng
land let the Lusitania run the gauntlet
without protection in the expectation
that her sinking would arouse Amer
leans further against German "atroci-
ties" and bring America into the war on
the side OF the allies.
There isn't a shred of evidence to as
sociate the Athena with such stories,
but the general effect on American SEN
timent appears much the same as that
generated by the Lusitania
The convoy system, designed to pre-
vent such tragedies. works well. 1t is
run this way: A group of cargo vessels
sets out from America. The ships may
be conveyed entirely across the Atlantic
if the cargoes are worth the additional
trouble.
In any event, a convoy of fast sub
marine chasers or destroyers picks up
the group far out in the Atlantic and
swiftly herds them into port. The gun
boats watch the slower cargo vessels as
sheepdogs watch band of woolies. They
circle them, dart in and out among
them while all vessels keep an ever
watchful eye for any periscope that
may be jabbed above the surface for a
seconds look-see.
At the slightest hint of the presence
of submarines they drop depth bombs
which are so powerful they will crack
the seams Of submarines as much as
IS yards from the burst. A whole pat
tern of depth bombs may be dropped
Depth bombs are cheap, compared with
cargo vessels.
In the submarine zone the cargo ships
zig-zag and wriggle in irregular courses
That makes it difficult for the subma-
rine to aim its torpedoes, especially since
the presence of the sub-chasers may
keep the submarine two miles or more
away from the target.
You can just about bank on it: The
American plan" will prevent the sink
ing of such high percentage of cargo
vessels as England lost during the early
months of the submarine campaign last
time.