Evening star., 1941-07-21
(SeDenth OF a SerieS.)
BY ROBERT J. CASEY,
Foreign Correspondent Of The Star


BY ROBERT J. CASEY,
FOREIGN Correspondent Of The Star
and Chicago Daily News.
Little by little you get to uncer-
stand that the Mediterranean feet
took a pretty bad pounding at Crete
three cruisers. four destroyers, a
quantity of auxiliary craft. You hear
that couple of battleships stood up
for hours in fight with the Helm
kels virtually without help from the
ships designated to protect them.
And meager as are the details OF
this engagement, they lead to a be-
lief that it may one day be classed
among the great naval battles OF
history.
1t was the first definite, unquali-
fed test between big ships and div
ing airplanes. and for the moment
at any rate the evidence seems to
indicate that the big ships won.
They were damaged, to what extent
the reports do not say. But If you
talk about the matter with the
naval experts they all point out
that despite losses the fleets mis-
sion was accomplished, the garrl-
son of Crete was evacuated with q
percentage of casualties that seems
to have been satisfactory to the
Near East command.
That Hitler took Crete. they say,
is not conclusive inasmuch as the
Mediterranean squadron lacked
proper support from airplanes. You
leave it at that, as you once left the
battle of Jutland and other en-
counters that never got themselves
properly classified. After all
as your memory goes back to the
harbor at Ras Ell Tine and the
deadly traps of the broad blue
water to the West. it seems that
ships don't count for much--hey
are just ships and you can make a
lot more of them if you have to-
It's the men who counted with the
Mediterranean fleet. They still dc
those of them who are alive.
Goes Aboard Battleship.
There was a day when We went
down to Alexandria and paradeo
our charm in front of the Ad-
miralty representatives and pres
emily were ferried out to battle
ship and into new and possibly
cockeyed world. There we're two
of us w. F. Hartin of the London
Daily Mail was the other one, ano
aboard we found another outlandel
in the person of Comdr. Hartman
United States naval observer. Tht
commander. of course, fitted il
perfectly with the scenery even i
everything from the fire contro
bridge to the keel bore a labe
different from that of its coun.
/ terpart in the American Navy. Mr.
Hartin and I were the only land
lubbers aboard and our bright new
desert uniforms made us feel NJ
more conspicuous than if We haC
been wearing ballet costumes.
We didn't know where We wer
going. Once we had been orderet
/ to bring our suitcases to Ras E
Tine We knew that the fleet wa
going out and that was all. w
had hopes that we might be on ou
way 10 lombard Tripoli or Genoi
or that We might be headed TO
/ some new lair OF the unwary Italian
Navy. But as we pulled out int
/ the Mediterranean. the loudSpeake
system, which for its vocal idiosyn
cracies had been christened Donalt
Duck, informed us that We hae
business in Crete. We were goinI
/ to help to land some troops there
Crete! 1 remember that W,
| discussed reasons for the landing
of the troops. We figured out tina
Britain must be planning some hell
for the Greeks. Somebody said tina
Crete would make very nice jump
/ ing-off place for airplanes and {
jolly good idea, too, what will
German planes coming down il
large numbers to bolster up tn
Italians in what they still held o
North Africa
Efficiency of Fleet.
It was aWesomely beautiful. thi
matter -of-fact departure of the flee
on a routine errand. q. Magnificen
the scythe-like sweep of the BIZ
boats as they came into line on
after one on leaving the harbor-
magnificent despite the panoply o
15-inch guns, entirely dissociate'
with any of our old ideas of death
All was so still that we Seeme'
hardly to be moving. I. standin
out of the wind on the quartz
deck, wouldn't have believed tha
there was a soul above decks unit
1 looked around at the great masse
of armor plate above me. Ever.
rail was massed with sailors, ever,
gun position filled with them-hun
dreds of them, each doing his joi
without fuss or feathers. apparent,
without command. 1t is difficult Il
express ones reactions to all of this
1t was something like watching ,
symphony orchestra that yol
couldn't hear-a symphony orches
ira of a thousand or more pieces
Less POLITICALLY it was a demonstrs.
ton of efficiency such as we hadn'
seen for many long day-an Ell.
cheney that no land army could evel
hope to equal.
The ship was not new, but she
had been entirely reconditioned, ano
recently. as any one who looked Al
her armament could easily tell
Among other artillery she carried
six batteries of Al anti-aircraft
rifles, and she bristled with pom.
poms like a 35.000-ton porcupine
All her fittings inside and out were
fashioned of steel and bare pipe. but
she was a comfortable boat. The
wardroom was spacious and fur.
nished with quantities of deer
leather chairs. The cabins had
everything you'd expect to FIND
aboard a luxury liner. All the bath,
aboard, however, we're tub. Some
body said this was because they
didn't, know anything about shower
baths when Nelson was running the
! navy.
Speeding Into Trouble.