Evening star., 1942-08-23

desire to help the Navy COM
bat the submarine and dirplane
menace.
BY FRANK EDWARD MCCOY,
Written for North American Newspaper
Alliance.
Can losses at sea of tankers and
cargo ships through enemy subma-
rine and airplane activities be
largely reduced? Every patriotic
American must be interested IN the
answer to this question-andt the an
swer Is yes.
This answer is based on the ex-
perience of tankerman-myseh-
who left a good business for the sea
because OF sense of duty to my
country, a tankerman who has gone
oversize from torpedoed vessel
Who has seen shipmates die in sheets
of flaming oil, who has studied the
submarine and airplane menace
while at sea and on shore from the
viewpoint of defense.
First of all, l might say I am
tankerman for the duration. l
have made six voyages on tank
steamships since last January. I
am not young man. l have a
grown son and at my home city,
Galveston, Tex, my wife is running
the roofing business I left behind.
But, you see, the U. S. A. and its
Allies have to have oil
In a humble capacity as an able
seaman I can help get oil to places
where needed. That is my duty, as
7 see it; my contribution, as an
American, to the national cause.
Just now I am on the beach for
week or two. But very soon I'll be
off again-on a tanker.
Seamen Brave Group.
While on my latest voyage, the
thought came to me that in working
the deck of a tanker I was doing
only part of my duty not only to my
country but to the officers and men
of oil-carrying vessels and cargo
ships who put out to sea with a
laugh on their hips, or reckless
curse, or just an Indifferent wise
crack, depending upon the sort of
men they are. But, whatever sort
they are, all these merchant seamen
are as brave and elf-sacrificing
heroes as ever trod deck-dont
forget that.
This further duty, as saw it. was
to contribute as best might be all
the knowledge I possessed concern
ing causes of the large destruction of
oil and cargo vessels by subs and
planes, together with suggestions
for removing or diminishing those
causes.
Now, let me get little ahead of
myself as I think forward to my
latest voyage, a westward trip from
an overseas port to the United
States. The ship was on, part of
a small convoy. was escorted by
warships. But the craft I was on
and presumably the rest Of the con-
voy-was well able to take care Of
herself. Aft she had a 4-inch B. L.
gun and two 3-inch quick firers,
Forward there was a 3-inch semi
automatic. In addition we had
twelve so caliber Brownings.
Did any submarines or planes
come messing around us? They did
not. We were not healthy meat for
ocean providers on the sea or above
or below it.
Some Things to Do Now.
1t Is plain enough that Uncle Sam
and the British cannot ride herd
on coast conveys the same as they
do on the transatlantic lanes and
that merchantmen cannot all be
armed as the craft on which I
sailed home was armed These
things take time and production.
They will come. I believe that.
Meanwhile, there are things that
can be done-right now.
Speaking from my own personal
experience and from the experience
of other seamen with whom / have
talked, I claim that many American
merchant ships are Improperly
armed and that the gun crews are
improperly selected and trained and
that. besides, various improvements
concerning armament could be
made
When the facts OF the recent at
tack upon convoy to Russia off
the Norwegian coast are made pub
lie, ! believe these Nassertions will
be confirmed. But my purpose is to
speak only about what I have seen
and do know
AS to guns and their crews, the
British have a far better system
than we have, IN the matter o1
training gunners. The British have
the DENIS (Defensively Equipped
Merchant Ships SCHOOL, which i,
part Of the British Admiralty ant
in which, on my last trip abroad
studied.
This organization maintains up
to-date gunnery and airplane recog
milton schools in which every Roya
marine, naval seaman and nearl,
every mechant seaman is traine,
only on guns and methods used OF
merchant ships. Neither Nav
methods nor Navy guns are EN-
ployed in these DENIS schools. j
large percentage of the men traine,
are the merchant marine officer
and men. I'll tell more about thes
schools later,
Gn the United States, mer-
chant sailors and officers are to-
tally ignored, as to gunnery
schools, except for a school in
Boston-an inadequate school
which I shall also discuss later.
Gun Crews Unframed.
There are a great many ex-Nav
seamen in the American Merchar
Marine, but under the present sys
tenn these men are seldom used.
typical example is an American YES
sci OF whose crew a short time ag
I was a member. We had four &c
nm. Oerliken guns, the best anti