World's War Events Volume III Part 33

[Sidenote: Varied character of Naval activities.]

It could hardly have been foreseen to what extent United States naval activities in Europe would acc.u.mulate, and it is a fact that it has been a growth by accretion rather than by system. The resultant fact is that the supervision of the commander of United States Naval Forces in Europe is of great and varied scope and continues to increase from week to week. Despite this great extent and varied character of our naval activities in Europe (as evidenced by the list given in par. 2 above) and the fact that their growth by accretion has made a highly centralized control more or less inevitable, the results speak for themselves--all of our naval activities are cooperative in character and all of them give every evidence of performing useful and appreciated work wherever found.

[Sidenote: Under the Allied Naval War Council.]

Cooperation with the allied navies in general is effected by means of the Allied Naval War Council, which meets monthly or as may be deemed advisable. The membership is composed of the several naval ministers and naval chiefs of staff and of officers specifically appointed to represent them in their absence. Vice Admiral Sims is the United States naval representative. The secretariat of the council is composed of British officers and personnel, with officers of the allied navies designated for liaison duties therewith.

The Allied Naval Council has advisory functions only and has liaison with the Supreme War Council, with a view to coordinating and unifying allied naval effort, both as regards naval work only and as regards unity of action with military or land effort. Proposals made by the several allied navies are considered and definite steps recommended to be taken in the premises. As well the naval aspects of military (land) proposals are examined into and pa.s.sed upon. Conversely military (land) aspects of naval activities are referred to the Supreme War Council for consideration.

[Sidenote: Unity of effort on land and sea.]

[Sidenote: Council at first advisory.]

The Allied Naval Council has had, in common with the Supreme War Council, until last spring the handicap of being only advisory in function. The conclusions are recommended to the several Governments for adoption, but there is no common instrumentality for carrying into effect measures which require cooperation or coordination. This state of affairs in the Supreme War Council has been remedied by the appointment of an allied commander in chief in the person of Marshal Foch.

There can be no doubt but that the Supreme War Council has met and that the Allied Naval Council continues to fill a great need as a sort of clearing house for the necessarily varied proposals of the several Governments, most of which require cooperation on the part of some other Government, and certainly it should be continued in being until a more forceful control of allied naval effort can be agreed upon and brought into effect.

[Sidenote: Liaison officers with the War Council and the Naval Council.]

The United States naval staff representative in Paris is the United States naval liaison officer with the Supreme War Council, and a member of the staff of Vice Admiral Sims is the liaison officer with the secretariat of the Allied Naval Council. The United States naval staff representative in Paris is also liaison officer at the French Ministry of Marine and is at present naval attache as well.

[Sidenote: Naval attache to Italy.]

The naval attache to Italy, Capt. C.R. Train, maintains naval liaison with the Italian Ministry of Marine and keeps in touch with the United States naval activities in Italian waters.

II. ACTIVITIES IN COOPERATION WITH THE BRITISH.

Inasmuch as the British are predominant in naval activity, it is natural to find that a major part of our naval activities are in cooperation with them and controlled by them. In fact, the British have been in position to carry so much of the "naval load" of this war that our first and our princ.i.p.al efforts have been toward taking up a share of that load.

[Sidenote: Friendly rivalry between British and Americans.]

Cooperation has in many cases been carried to such an extent that the coordination necessary for efficiency has developed into practical consolidation. It is pleasing to note that while consolidation is all but a fact, our own naval forces have in every case preferred to preserve their individuality of organization and administration and, as far as feasible, of operations; and that a healthy and friendly rivalry between them and their British a.s.sociates has resulted in much good to the personnel of both services.

[Sidenote: On the coast of Ireland.]

The largest single group of naval activities wherein cooperation is effected with the British is that in Ireland, all of them being under the jurisdiction of the commander in chief, coast of Ireland, who has been and is Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, whose cordial appreciation of the work of our forces has gone far to stimulate the personnel coming under his direction. The chief of staff, destroyer flotillas, and the officer in charge of aviation in Ireland are designated by the British Admiralty as members of the staff of Admiral Bayly.

[Sidenote: Battleship Division Six.]

_Battleship Division Six_, Rear Admiral T.S. Rodgers, is based on Berehaven, Ireland, in readiness for the protection of convoys in general and of troop convoys in particular. Arrangements are in effect for the supply of their needs as to fuel and stores. While lack of destroyers has operated to restrict their training underway, they are in good material condition and their efficiency is being maintained by utilizing all available facilities.

[Sidenote: The submarine patrol.]

_Submarine Detachment_, Lieutenant Commanders Friedell and Grady, is based on Berehaven, Ireland, and maintains a submarine patrol off the west and south coasts of Ireland. Their service is hard; they have had a great deal of work at sea and have cheerfully met every demand made on them. Despite their relative isolation, they have maintained themselves in readiness with the aid of the submarine tender _Bushnell_, whose limited facilities have been utilized to the utmost. Their performances and condition of material and personnel reflect great credit on all concerned.

[Sidenote: Destroyers at Queenstown.]

(_a_) _The destroyers based on Queenstown_, Capt. F.R.P. Pringle, are the original United States naval force in European waters--a distinction which is an ever-present spur to cheerful efficiency under any and all circ.u.mstances and produces results which must be a satisfaction to their superiors.

[Sidenote: Changes in destroyer personnel.]

(_b_) Despite the fact that the requirements of supplying personnel for new destroyers has resulted in large changes in the original experienced destroyer personnel, this has been accomplished in such a manner as to maintain the operating efficiency of the force at or near its original high standard.

(_c_) Aside from unavoidable casualties, the force is in good operating condition. The systemization of supply and repairs developed and maintained by the destroyer tenders _Melville_ and _Dixie_ effect the readiness of destroyers for sea with commendable promptness and with a view to the comfort of destroyer personnel during their short stays in port.

[Sidenote: Destroyer tenders.]

[Sidenote: Gunnery and torpedo exercises.]

(_d_) Within the last few months means have been found to systematize and supervise the training, particularly with regard to the carrying out of gunnery and torpedo exercises, which, under the press of keeping the sea, had somewhat lapsed in favor of the necessary development of escort work and of depth-charge tactics.

(_e_) All of the activities at Queenstown--the torpedo repair and overhaul station, the training barracks at Pa.s.sage, the repair force barracks at Ballybricken House, the general supply depot at Deepwater Quay, the hospital and barracks at White Point, as well as the activities afloat--were well underway and gave an impression of purposefulness in "getting on with the war" in that particular corner of the world.

[Sidenote: Enlisted Men's Club at Queenstown.]

(_f_) On account of the restricted facilities for liberty and recreation, a special and most successful effort has been made to furnish healthful and interesting diversion in Queenstown itself by means of the Enlisted Men's Club, wholly of and for the men, which is second to none in results obtained in promoting contentment.

[Sidenote: Subchaser at Queenstown.]

_Subchaser Detachment Three at Queenstown_, Captain A.J. Hepburn, had only recently arrived, but arrangements for their employment were well in hand, and they were expected to begin operations as soon as the means of basing them had been perfected. The need of a suitable tender was apparent, especially for the upkeep of those units whose working ground would be at some distance from the main base. The personnel gave evidence of a strong feeling of eagerness to get to work and of readiness to face the hardships that going to sea in small craft entails.

[Sidenote: Seaplane and balloon stations.]

_United States Naval Air Stations in Ireland_, Commander F.R. McCrary, consists of seaplane stations at Whiddy Island, Queenstown (also the main supply and repair base), Wexford, and Lough Foyle, and a kite-balloon station at Berehaven. None of these stations was in operation in mid-September, except that Lough Foyle was partially so, but all were about ready to begin operations and would do so upon the receipt of the necessary planes or pilots or both, all of which were en route. A great deal of the construction has been done by our own personnel, some of the stations having been entirely done by them.

[Sidenote: Rear Admiral Rodman's command.]

(_a_) _Battleship Division Nine of the Atlantic Fleet_, under the command of Rear Admiral Rodman, has const.i.tuted the Sixth Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet under Admiral Sir David Beatty for nearly a year.

(_b_) When this division was sent abroad it had, in common with other units of the Atlantic Fleet, suffered in efficiency from the expansion of the Navy, which required reduction in the number of officers and transfers of numbers of men to furnish trained and experienced nuclei for other vessels. Upon reporting in the Grand Fleet, it immediately took its place in the battle line on exactly the same status as other units of the Grand Fleet. The opportunities for gunnery exercises are limited but drill and adherence to standardized methods and procedure as developed in our own naval service have brought this division to a satisfactory state of efficiency, which continues to improve.

[Sidenote: General efficiency of the squadron.]

(_c_) It is pleasing to record that the efficiency of this unit in gunnery, engineering, and seamanship is deemed by the British commander in chief to be in no way inferior to that of the best of the British battle squadrons. In fact, it is perfectly proper to state the belief that our ships are in some respects superior to the British, and perhaps chiefly in the arrangements for the health and contentment of personnel, which have been very thoroughly examined into by the flag officers, captains, and other officers of the Grand Fleet. These ships have also been the subject of much favorable comment in regard to their capacity for self-maintenance, a matter which has been given much attention in our own Navy of late years.

[Sidenote: Capacity for self-maintenance.]

(_d_) Service in the Grand Fleet is noteworthy by reason of the fact that the fleet is at never less than four hours' notice for going to sea, so that liberty is restricted and whatever is necessary in the way of overhaul and upkeep of machinery must always be planned with a view to a.s.sembly in case of orders to sea.

[Sidenote: Mine-laying operation.]

[Sidenote: Readiness to attack difficulties.]

_The Mine Force of the Atlantic Fleet_, under the command of Rear Admiral Strauss, is an independent unit, except that the mine-laying operations are under the jurisdiction of the commander in chief of the Grand Fleet, who has to choose the time when arrangements can be carried into effect to furnish the necessary destroyer escort and heavy covering forces. The arrangements made at home prior to the departure of the mine force appear to have been well considered and thoroughly developed. The mine-laying operations themselves give an impression of efficiency which can only come from thorough preparation and complete understanding of the work. The a.s.sembly of mines in the bases has been somewhat changed by the necessity for certain alterations in the mine itself, most of which are due to difficulties inherent in the application of the operating principle of the mine. Here, as elsewhere, the cheerful readiness of officers and men to attack difficulties and to surmount all obstacles is producing results of magnitude and importance of which all too little is known even in the Navy itself.