Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-11-25 | Page 3 | Navy Honors 'Suicide Club'

NAVY HONORS I 'SUICIDE CLUB' Daniels and Strauss Review Mine Sweepers From North Sea. XKW VORK, Nov . li -1 . - -T ii.j I'nihnl Stdt&i navy's 1 "suicide club'" 3000 officers of-ficers mitt mi'ti of fifty nine mine rweepori just relumed from the per Hone task ol clearing tht N'ortil mo of mines wna honored today by 1 1 1 navy.' Secretary DaUlell and Roar Admiral Joseph Strattfii commander of too" flo lilla, reviewed the craft iii tlio Hud- boo, Sweepers, submariiSi chosen and trawlers removed 50,000 mini's planted In an area of -i'dl square miles in tho North sea. During the operat ions some of tlio craft vcr- damaged by explosions explo-sions and UAny men were injured. Tlio ftueita were hailed by tho secio-tnry secio-tnry as "victorious men of war victors vic-tors over difficulty ami danger, over i hi' hidden menaoa of the deep, which ever threuteiiH the mine sweep.'' Asscrtiuj.' that "no (Ingle operation did more to conQuef tlij Qtfman U boata" than tin- stretching ot the 280- mile mine barrage from tho Orkney islands to Norway, Mr. Dauleli do elaned the project at first seemed so stupendous as to cause doubt in I he minds nt' some American and allied statesmen as to whether it were possible. pos-sible. Ot.f 5,000 mines required, tho Amor ican na y planted o.'j.iuuj. Of the rt'siilt Mr. Daniels said: "Winn tho (ierniaus had tbemaelvea to face uu unwell foe, when death lurked in every foot of that 2.10-mile stretch from Scotlauil to Norway, and the stealthy i.'U wolves miht at any uiomeii run into a mine that would blow thorn into kingdom come, they lost their nerve. "We may never know just lnew many submarines were sunk or damaged by the mine barrage. Tlyrc is pretty pood icvidemv that at least ten met their fate in the cold waters of the North ca. Bat much greater than the actual number sunk was the moral and material ma-terial effect of the bnrrnge. " I Mr. Panicle announced th.it he had named a new destroyer after Lieutcn nnt Trunk Bruce, commander of the Bobolink, und another after Commander Comman-der 1'. P. King, commander of the Dudley, the two offk.'rs killed in the mine service.