The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-21
BIGGEST CONVOY. HAD STRONG SEA
 AND AIR ESCORT
BY WALTER CRONKTTE United Press Atlantic
 Fleet COrreapOndent

New York, Sept. 21.-(UP)-A successful convoy is boring con- yoy.
 It Is . convoy 50 thoroughly plan ned, 50 perfectly co-ordinated and so strongly protected that the en- emy dare not molest 1t from under the surface or from the sky.
 I have just completed round trip to the British Isles with such a con- voy. It was the largest convoy of American troops to cross the Allan tic and 1t made the trip without iIl- reference through an ocean n1eshed with Nazi destruction.
 It was protected by a fleet of de- stroyers which virtually screened 1t from enemy action and by two of the most powerful larger ships in the American Navy. Out from the east coast 1t had aerial protection furnished by first American and then Canadian air forces, supple mented by Navy blimps. :.
 Out from the British Isles 1t had the aid of individual scouting units of the RAF, and a British cruiser joined the convoy to escort 1t into the mined waters of the Isles thenl- selves. In mid-ocean its own scout ing planes kept watchful eyes.
 Too Speedy for Subs
 Nothing less than a suicide raid by the enemy could have touched this convoy and the ships in 1t were so speedy that at the first signal Of danger they could have broken for safety and easily outrun an under surface craft. And the Nazi was not believed able to throw enough surface raiders at the convoy to match the guns of Its protecting fleet.
 This does not mean that the Nazis were not interested. There was evi- dence that they knew of the exist ence of the convoy, that thir suh- marines llovered safe distance away ready to pick off any strag- glers from the protected area, that their planes had the ships under surveillance after the convoy reach ed European waters.
 Two days out from its destination this conveys lookouts began "see- ing things" darting in and out Of the clouds. The things" never weSe positively identified because they kept for the most part behind the cloud banks. but they kept popping up at intervals and they more than likely were lone German reconnais- sance planes. They could watch this bigf shipment of troops to the British Isles but they apparently weren't powerful enough to inter- fere with 1t.
 Thsy gave the convoy officers mo- ments of concern. however. It was after a day of such reports, as the late dusk of the cold North Allan tic began dropping its protective shield around the blackedout ships, that one of the senior officers said to ms:
 stand by for your story tonight. They've been watching us all day"
 But the story didn't develop-not that story, anyway. We were url- molested.
 Saw Wreckage Three Times
 As quiet as was this convoy, there was plentiful evidence on that tur- bulent green-blue water of the At- lantic that all conveys aren't SO lucky, or so well-planned, os so we'll executed. Three times we passed through areas of debris-overturned lifeboats, charred bits of timber, sacks of potatoes and onions that float for some reason, bales of cot ton half waterlogged and thus half submerged.
 Floating debris carries with 1t a grim humor of its own to taunt in ghostlike fashion luckier ships still afloat. A spar, its lower half water logged 50 that its top sticks vertical ly from the sea. looks 8 lot like a periscope. It can give you bd mo- nent, just like floating oil drum that in the half light, half-dark of a foggy dusk looks so much like a mine.
 A small black globe, its top hemis- phere showing above the choppy waves, looms suddenly on our bow and we veer sharply away, messag- ing back to the other ships to keep clear likewise.
 Then a message flashes back from one of the leading destroyers:
 Don't be alarmed" it says, "at small black object. Dropped oul medicine ball overheard"
 The lookouts and their officers laugh when "periscope" turns out to be a spar and 8 mine" turn: put to be a medicine ball but they laugh with their eyes straight ahead ever searching for the periscope that is not a spar and the mine that is not 8 medicine ball.
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