Evening star., 1942-08-18
7 transports
Continued From First PageD

hours at the most There have
been some remarkable rescues, the
details of which cannot be revealed
until after the war.
The service extends to nearly
every part of the world. 1t repre-
sents a titanic job of conversion
alone, for few of the craft originally
were suited to Army service. 1t
employs approximately $4,000 ci-
vilians-sailors and longshoremen-
and in spite of the danger and the
long hours has had practically no
labor troubles for, the officers in
charge say. a fine esprit de corps
has been. built.
Never Return Empty.
It's essential job is to supply the
Army with men, equipment and pro-
visions wherever they are wanted.
1t has hundreds of other jobs,
deemed essential to the war effort.
If the city of Honolulu wants fire
engines or if road-building machin-
cry is needed in the Panama Canal
Zone it is the job of the service. an
integral part of the newly-estab-
lished Transportation Corps, to get
them there. 1t handles essentially
all civilian transportation for Army
bases.
It is no secret that shipping is
short. Only a mere trickle of COM
mercial shipping is left on the seas.
The utmost use must be made OF
every bottom, both through utiliza-
ton OF full carrying capacity at all
times and avoidance of any delay.
The latter Is made possible only by
the remarkable nerve" system de-
veloped by the Army by which the
widely scattered ships are kept AS
constantly co-ordinated organiza-
ton.
Another means developed in the
past few months is referred to as a
ship market" Every morning, rep
resentatives of the Army, Navy and
Maritime Commission, which deal
with civilian shipping, get together
and bid for space" in accord with
their immediate problems. The OBJ
iective Is never to allow a ship to
return empty.
Garry Supplies to U. S.
A typical example would be AZ
| forded by A troopship which goes
to the Canal Zone loaded with SOL
diers while a shipload of coffee is on
the docks OF some nearby Latin
American port. Without the CO.
ordination of services a badly need
ed civilian ship might have to make
a voyage to get the coffee while the
Army ship returned empty. Such
problems arise without much warn
| ing, but so efIicient has been the
system that ship seldom is on the
seas without a full load. 1t Is
largely on these Army ships, which
otherwise might return empty that
the Nation now must depend for
maintaining supplies OF coffee
sugar, bauxite, manganese and
scores of other imported products
For their return voyages they are
sllocated to the War Shipping
Board.
No shipping. officers OF the serv-
ice stress, can be considered safe
these days. BY far the safest, how
ever, are craft In conveys with naval
and air protection A submarine sell
dom dares attack conveyed ship
and usually 1t is suicide move tt
do so. But there is one great draw
back, Transportation Corps of1icer.
explain. The convoy is costl,
waster of time. 1t can move only al
fast AS the slowest ship in its line
The average craft, it is calculated
; can make one and three efourth
turn around voyages alone com
pared to one such voyage in a con
voy.
Hence. depending on the exigen
cies OF the situation, it often is es
, sential to send ship out alone an.
rely on speed and secrecy for safety
The surprisingly small loss OF sucl
Army ships has been the creates
; tribute to the efficiency OF the sys
; tenn.