Show I oJ U. U S. S NAVY ADDS NEW GLORY i iTO TO ITS SPLENDID RECORD p Prepared When W War r Came 1 It Lived Up to Best Traditions Traditions Traditions Tra Tra- Not a Soldier Lost in Ships Convoyed by American Vessels I r HE E AMERICAN NAVY In the THE first year of ot the war has been true truo to Its traditions has been beena a worthy wearer of ot the of ot courage and accomplishment de descending de- de upon it from that long line lino of ot famous which began with John Paul Jones and will never end When the nation lay like Ilko a sleeping giant slant muscles relaxed and mind failIng falling tailIng tail fall Ing a grasp the tho Impending Impending- conflict It was the navy alone alono which was wag pro- pro pared It was the navy that fired the tho first shot of or the war it was tho the navy that took plodding merchant vessels vessel and slovenly tankers unharmed through the tho dark seas where the tha submarIno submarIno submarine sub sub- marIno marine scourge lurked it was wao the thena na navy that had Its fleet in the war zone within a a. month after atter war had been beet declared and it was navy men who fought the guns on many a a. cargo boat bont long before belore the tho United Stat States s was ready a. a as J a united nation to carry on the battle for tOr world democracy Is it to bo be wondered at that the house committee on naval affairs completed completed completed com com- a report filled with eulogies with this tills single ringing sentence Sirs allIs all allIs allis Is well with the fleet 7 ONE YEARS YEAR'S WORK Twelve poignant months have sped past since President Wilson declared a n state of war with Germany and In twelve months the n concrete I u u u achievements of or the thc American nR navy stand forth without parallel in the naval naval naval na na- na- na val history of or the world They can bo be grouped Into a half dozen divisions which are 1 Immediately added destroyers destroy destroy- stroy 1 ers patrol yachts and small cruisers to the war zone hunt for the German U 2 Convoyed unscathed across the I Atlantic all of or the American expeditionary forces which it devolved upon It to protect This amounted to 90 per cent tho the other 10 per cent being convoyed by the British 3 Relieved tho the allied patrols In south Routh Atlantic and Pacific waters en enabling enabling enabling en- en abling a a. tighter blockade of or tho the thoGer German German German Ger Ger- man and Austrian coasts 4 Supplemented the tho British blockading blockading blockading block block- ading fleet in the tile North sea with val valuable val- val offensive units whose whoso weight and names are arc yet withheld b by the navy department 5 Placed naval gun crews on every even steamship of ot American register thus thu lowering considerably tho the per cent of disaster at the hands of or the thc I rine I 6 Tripled the tho personnel of or tho the thona na navy and quadrupled the ships That Is If the work of the first year but overlapping tho the last few tew months has been the work of or the second year yeara I a a work which had its inception Inthe Inthe in inthe the latter months of 1917 It is 1 Multiplying the submarine hunters hunters hunters hunt hunt- ers by the addition of or more than destroyers and hundreds of or mInesweepers mIne submarine chasers sweepers sweep and 1 I I. I A Y l I. I L UI wv t U ru beaR b b seas eaR fleet In a position to cooperate with the allies In forever sealing U up the German naval base at Kiel teJ and the thi 3 Austrian naval base at Pola 3 Training naval aviators for foi t r any defensive or offensive work to b bo 3 undertaken by the allied naval council 4 Convoying the balance of or th the I American army army millions millions of ot men men- men men- across th the Atlantic to Franco France 5 Completing tho the fie battle cruls- cruls r-r r fifteen and anc I dozens of light cruisers contracted for fot within the tho past two years as additions additions addi addi- to the fleet neet WHAT NAVY HAS DONE First t comes the American destroyer fleet In European waters It is more than eleven eleon months ago 00 that the tho first squadron of these slim greyhounds the thc red white and blue fluttering at tho thc peak slipped almost unheralded Into a British h port and their commander answered Cred the British flue question When I I will you bo ho ready read for service with sir Immediately tho the stirring reply And they were r ready ad for two weeks I later came word of or their first accorn- accorn America rE read with pride o oot of ot how American destroyers escorting the giant blant liner r Adriatic through h tho the Irish sea drove off oft German undersea boats There Thero are arc no ti figures The nfl navy dc do- nt has hON told of or but ono one capture a momentous one made b by the tho Detroyer De- De troyer Fanning From other sources have hae come conic reports of ot the capture of four our U-boats U In a 0 group roup of or the taking of ot a n submarine whose crew had mutinied mutinied mu- mu and killed the officers FOUR SHIPS LOST The na navy has lost four tour fighting craft in the war zono Of or these two the tho destroyer er Jacob Jones and tho the patrol yacht Alcedo have fallen a aprey aprey aprey prey to the U The other two the destroyer Chauncey Chaunce and a amino mine sweep name deleted b by the na navy department were victims of or either accident or storm In addition two fighting craft have havo been disabled the clos destroyed troyed Cassin struck but not sunk L by a torpedo and tho the destroyer fr Manley damaged in a colli collision lon with a British naval vessel ressel Tho The submarine hov however ver has ex exacted ox- ox acted tho the greater death toll The Tho J record stands U-boat U Vessel Dead Doad Jacob Jacol Jones JoneR 69 Alcedo 21 1 Cassin assin 1 Total 91 91 A Accident den I. I Vessel Dead I Chauncey 21 21 ranley Manley 34 34 Mine sweep s JO 0 Total j THE RESCUE WORK Before leaving lea tho the subject of oC the i fleet In tho the war Will zono zone tho tire great grea work carried ed on onby of or f rescue which has haq been curl by lY tho the destroyers must not bo be over- over Sirs Alls All's s Well we With the Fleet Report of at the House Hous Committee on Naval Na Affairs looked With the file courage and absolute lute Jute disregard of ot danger danser the tho swift American vessels havo have dashed Into the wreckage of a submarine victim and saved boatload after bo boatload 01 ot of stricken survivors disdainful of or the fact tact that the U-boat U may yet et be ArkIng Ark Ark- rk- rk Ing InS beneath the surface nearby The British admiralty and even the house housa of ot parliament has taken recognition of ot this daring of ot the American seaman A week or two ago the entire nUre crew of ot the destroyer Parker came in for tor fora tora a full measure of ot praIse for tor this res- res sue BUO work while individual commendation commenda commenda- tion has been bestowed upon officers and men alike for tor leaping Into the Ic icy sea to save some forlorn victim of the tho submarine Next comes the work of ot con convoying I tho the American expeditionary forces a a. work which cannot be dwelt upon to I any extent as the convoying is still sUll In progress I and will continue so 80 until America has enough men in France to take up the march to Berlin Generally speaking the convoying I of tho the army armp has been the most perfect per per- feet bit of achievement to the navys navy's I credit e lt since Ince the days of ot the tho Re tion lion Ninety per cent of ot it has been done one by the American fleet the re remainIng remaining remaining re- re 10 per cent has hag been carried on b by the British and to their ac account account as- as count In th the war ledger must be charged the sinking of or the Tuscania a British vessel with the loss Joss of ot hundreds of or American lads I American destroyers did not convoy convoy con con- vo voy the tho Tuscania but American de destroyers destroyers destroyers de- de did guard ard the first expedItionary expeditionary force torce to France and the tile second force torce and the third and so soon on on and American merican destroyers are still stil guarding the tho soldiers going over there and anth since the first force reached Franco France on June 26 1917 right down to the present day the navy has hasI I convoyed the army without the loss of a man or a ship A Arid And nd that is a marvelous achievement NOT AN EA EAY Y TASK One transport has been lo lost t. t but It was not outward bound It was tho the Antilles coming back homo home with witha a small complement of 01 men anc and riding light t How the U-boat U got her has not been explained but she sank with the loss of sixty four lives in including including In- In four members of ot tho the naval na gun crew Tho The sinking of or the tho Antilles resulted in one change chango In the tho convoying convoying con con- vo-in vo arrangements It is said as asto asto asto to her Ios loss is attributed the recall of Rear Admiral William B. B Fletcher as head of the convoy squadron and the appointment succeed him of Rear Admiral Henr Henry B. B Wilson lIson Another transport the Finland also homeward bound came near suc sue 3 t r 3 I I I I I to a torpedo Sho was Wa s S struck but fortunately not in a vital vita 1 place and managed to reach a L friendly port But tho the torpedo ex exacted ext ex- ex acted a toll of ot lives and nine of ot th the killed were na navy men Third in the list of achievements comes the tile relieving of the allied pa patrol patrol pa- pa a atrol squadron in the South Atlantic and Pacific oceans This was ac accomplished accomplished accomplished ac- ac early last June when Rear Admiral Caperton reached Brazilian Braziliar I waters as commander of the patrol patro 1 flotilla The fourth accomplishment the addition addition ad ad- of heaY heavy offensive craft to th tho British blockading fleet In the North i sea cannot be discussed at an any length The nav navy department has not seen fit to even admit that largo large I vessels are In European waters and 1 I it Is only b by letters home fro from officers officers of of- ot- ot and men serving upon tho the II I hea heavy naval units that tho the fact tact is known Sufficient therefore to sa say that they are arc ther there and that they thoy will shortly be reinforced b by many manyI moro more of or equally powerful offensive I power THE REAL NAVAL EPOCH I. And nd now comes tho the real epoch In inthe tho the naval warfare of or the tho first year year year- the naV navy gun un crows crews on merchant ships What an nn undertaking un it has been and with what marvelous rapidity It was as accomplished Prior to the declaration of ot war there was not an armed under American register Since that date I eve every steamship tl flying the American flag flag cargo cargo boats and tankers has tankers has been armed with one ono or two or three I naval guns uns and manned by naval gun un crews s of ot from twelve to twenty twenty- I four men To pro do 10 this the navy department practically stripped Its high seas fleet of or expert gunners it wiped out In the tho course of or a few weeks weel s the tho men on the ships of or the nav navy creating vacancies v which were replaced later ater I and it manned mannell not only American ships but all the German merchantmen merchant merchant- men which were seized when hen war wor was r I d declared eel The story of ot tho the Yankee Yank e gunners on the tho merchant ships Is on ono one of ot the brightest the bravest epochs in our I Inval naval val history The rank and fib o of the enlisted men have named the merchant merchant merchant mer mer- death chant ships trun crews the gangs g and death Cun gangs gangs' the tho they havo have proven In man many Instances yet et through it all has run a a. a chord of ot valor of or al honor of or braver bravery sufficient to bring tile the whole nation naton upstanding with hats off to tho lads Iuds who man the tho I wih guns hat on tho the oc plodding craft craf Thero There have hae been forty forty-cl forty eight ht recorded encounters between armed American merchant ships shins and German rifles rines Of ot these twenty-eight twenty vessels have been struck by torpedoes without without without with with- out warning and sunk before tho the American gunners could even en see tho the enemy This leaves twenty encounters in which tho the American gun crows crews had hud hada huda a chance v vAnd And here hero Is the remarkable feature In Tn twenty encounters the tho submarines submarines rines succeeded in sinking only onh ves- ves I I Personnel Expanded From to and Number of Craft Increased Increased Increased In In- creased Fourfold in One Oe Year Credit Due Staff sels seis set But not only did the other eighteen eighteen eighteen eight eight- een escape but seven of or the eighteen succeeded in sinking their opponent THE RECORD Here Is tho the record Vessels sunk without warning waring Aztec Vacuum Rockingham John D. D Archbold Kansan Kanaan Mo- Mo 0 tano Lewis Lwis Luck- Luck D. D N. N Hr Harry Rochester Schuylkill Ac- Ac Owasco Orleans Al- Al lamance Seward Seward Dingo Dirigo Grace Grac St St. St Helens Atlantic Sun and Rizal total tota 28 Vessels sunk In fight right with wit boats U-boats U and Campana Campana total 2 Vessels sinking submarines In battie bat bat- tie tle te Mongolia Silver Shell Shel Navajo ba- ba bate Borinque and two whoso whose names name the tho navy navy department has haa withheld total 7 7 Vessels besting beating boats U-boats In encounters Mongolia second boat U-boat at attack k Armenia Armenia Ar Ar- Armenia menia menia two attacks Virginia VirnIa J J. J Lu L. L Luckenbach Nyanza Nann Paulsboro Cin- Cin Cincha Chincha Chin Chin- cha cha and ad three whose names name nae- nae have havo been withheld total n. n 1 r Fifteen iteen If teen members member of or naval gun crow crews c a have lost Jost their lives in the of at their ships They are divided as follows follows fol fol- fol- fol lows Aztec 1 Vacuum 1 officer and 4 seamen 8 1 1 The victim of the Aztec boatswains boatswain's mate John was was the tho first firt enlisted enlist enlist- ed man in tho the navy nv to lose lse hi his life in tho the war with wit Germany The officer on the te Vacuum Lieutenant Charles Charle C C. Thomas Thoma was the tho te first f naval noyal officer offe to lo hla hia life In the war The navy nav t te from from th tho tord torpedoed t Campana a j u. u as they with the tho to captain captan of ot the vessel were taken prisoners prisoner by the tho same samo sao submarine rine rifle which sank the The he U-boat U came canio to tho the surface surte and took the tho six men from a boat boat They Tey hayo since been located in a a German military prison alon along with wih two seamen from the destroyer Jacob Jones who were ere picked up by tho U-boat U after ater the craft crat had sunk That In brief brie is th the tha history of at the gun un crews crows on tho the merchant ships a record which will wil live long Jong In American Amen Ameri Aeri- Aeri can naval annals It does not begin to tell all al how the crew on the tho te oren fought for tor two hours firing tiring shots at the U-boat U until unU the steamshIps steering gear was wrecked and she was going In a dizzy circle on the surface surface sur sun face of ot the sea how the tanker taner Paulsboro Paulsboro Pauls Pauls- boro bora too slow to escape escape trained her runs uns on her pursuer and blazed away until unU a lucky shot discouraged discourage tho the eno- eno m my from tram further furher efforts how the J J. L. L L Luckenbach gave back shot for shot for four tour solid soUd hours until American de destroyers destroyers do- do camo caine co to her re rescue cue how the tho Nyanza kept up a a running fight for tor two and one-half one hours and finally sunk her adversary and how a he heavy laden provision |