Evening star., 1941-06-29
j. ). Seamen 10 Get
Medals for North Sea
Mine Work in 1918
Crews Of Sailing Ships
Made Hazardous Survey
After Armistice

The American crews OF two British
sailing ships are to be given belated
recognition for some of the most
heroic work of the World War-a
dangerous exploratory survey of the
North Sea mine fields after the Ar
n1istice in 1918.
Secretary Knox has announced
that the crew members will receive
the Victory Medal with the mine
sweeping clasp for their four days
of extremely hazardous work from
December 81 to Is of that year.
The United States Navy had laid
q great mine field known as the
North Sea barrage across the north
ern exit of the sea. The Navy had
never swept such an aggregation Of
mines before. and it was necessary
to explore the field and study meth
ods of removing the explosives. 1t
was decided. for safety's sake, to
use wooden vessels, and two 56-ton
ketches we're chartered from the
British government and manned by
American crews. The vessels were
the Red Rose and Red Fern. Their
metal fittings were driven inward
and covered with heavy tar.
They were toWed to the vicinity
OF the field by the U. S. S. Patapsco
and the U. S. s. UatuXent and left
In command of 1t. Noel Davis.
First Sweep Made in Gale.
The first sweep was made in a
bitter winter gale. The fifth mine
exploded and lifted the Red Rose
clear of the water and opened her
seams so badly that constant pump
ing was required. After five crossings
of the field. with mines exploding
with regularity. the gale had in
creased to such force that the tugs
could not pass the lines to tow the
ketches back to Inverness.
Violence of the storm carried away
the 10-inch main topmast of the Red
Rose at the crosstrees. Quarter
master. Third Glass. P J. Strain
risked his life to work his way for
ward. climb the shrouds and cut the
mast free TO prevent it from wreck
ing the craft completely.
Both ships were given up for lost,
but at last made port in two widely
separated havens-the Red Rose in
peterhead and the Red Fern in Dun
dee. The two ketches were the only
sailing vessels to serve with the Navy
overseas
Those Who Will Be Decorated.
In addition to commanding the
expedition. 1t Davis had direct COM
mand OF the Red Rose. The Red
Fern was commanded by 1t. Junior
Grade Olaf MaatSon. Men serving
on the two boats who will receive
the decorations are Alexander Fryer
Cartwright seaman: William Sher-
man Childs, seaman: Raymond
Cleveland Duncan, chief machinist's
mate; Henry LarsSan. seaman;
Joseph Leo Shea. boatsWain's mate
first class; Richard Simpkins. ships
cook, first class; Philip Joseph Stra-
han, quartermaSter second class;
Arthur William Summerville, sea-
man; Herman Wannemacher, sea-
man; Albert Leonard Arnberg, sea-
man; George Erwin Boyd seaman;
William Hobert Camp. boatswain's
mate, second class; Arthur William
De Muyser. quartermaster, second
class; Frank Elwood Ford, seaman;
George Michael Keiderling. machin-
lists mate, first class; Edward Pat
rick SINNERS, boatsWain's mate. first
class; CLYDE Allen Simpson, chief
boatswains mate and Louis Edward
Weiss, ships cook, third class.
1t. Davis was awarded the Dis
tinguished Service Medal for his
work in laying the mines and in re-
moving them. He was killed in
1927 near Langley Field, Va, when
his plane was forced down while he
was preparing for nonstop flight
to Paris. The Noel Davis Trophy
for Naval Reserve flyers is named
for him,