Show W GERMANS A T BAY BAl BAYT IGLAND T S SQUADRON IS HUGE JOKE I Ms 1 the Most Mot Amazing Story to Come Out of the War the Story of an Unarmed Wooden Armada Which Great Britain Used for Months to Fool Germany German Germ ny and to toto THer to Her Naval Activities English Cruiser That Stood Off Nantucket and Caused Protest Protes From United States Was One of Dummy Fleet Told by an Officer of the theay Royal Naval Reserve V ho Served on Flagship ay a of Dummy Fleet As Told to Henry Clay Foster J 4 ORS OR'S RS R'S NOTE The f the royal naval re- re m whom this info c as secured and whose who e or obvious reasons c cand can n- n lu d has made affidavit in our r possession cn that ory oryn is IS corr correct t in In every In addition the Brit Brit- has consented to tolli tion of the story of oft t my Fleet ma m. m White Star liner iner to ship of the British Sui the tirom ron the the gray arIh ar- ar never mounted a aun Ih un or fired a shot yet yetI yete i e North sea keeping man navy huddled behind ields and played ani an Stole i 1 ole in the battle b of ofa f la lawas a was was my ing my bit for the theis j I I is f colossal war wa jest has hason hasI e upon on an enemy since jf f the Trojan horse m jg g g hum humor fir of the Brity Brit- Brit i y tantalized the Ger- Ger w with ith the mysterious of its mighty squad- squad of f them made of r until German kul- kul baffled at the 1 number Dumber of its ene ene- ene 1 t warships without v t a aon aon on of war aboard annia rule tule the waves first fifteen months of id d lorded bided it ov over r the Germans who never ted ted that they were what E-what r what they seemed hoodwink surely vindi- vindi humor cf sf f a all II charges against it And the theyer yer ver caught on to the theE E when one of their sunk a dumpy at I nelles where it was wasa I a for the I They announced J I that a British bat- bat the thc class was wase wase e e of our submarines 1 huge guns and tur tur- floated I out the entrance to Lit lt is no matter for foren foren I en en that British sea sea- sea sea-j so little respect for foi in intelligence ls les Jes of a mysterious vice squadron of the vy wei were e whispered seamen of my port j Ii st took k possession of I ind nd nd many and varied j I m conjectures we veno yen ven- ven-i ven 0 o 0 its structure and i it At kt t that time they the fas- fas I fas-I j these unknown units j I r fd td d fleet was my only regard to them and I Ie I e fined fined Ined that I was soon h n the flagship of the I I 1 i I le Ie secret came to me methe the company depot I en he tie offered to trans- trans o a that service The Thet I It t patriotic p and the pay higher I accepted II becoming a member l J naval reserve was I report for duty at a. a 1 town on the North Northe II fine ne e or location I will I lublic even now as it ably in use by the thees theof thes es s of Great Britain jr r r two years the fleeta fleet a 11 has ceased to haunt I r I ies leg Exact Counterparts II I ecial service squad- squad n appalling show of as it lay at thin the little landor land- land r or which was its i ships seemed in trim ring venture that the ime could afford and andr r if the tale that they ies les ies were not a farce 1 Consumption of spies a 1 I 1 seen warships with i 1 more genuine Huge inters they were with witha a ts is fore and aft from gat at guns protruded 1 m ts is with nests crows' I It l 1 a aval val bridges ees towered I S 5 stripped for action i m ma a aircraft craft guns and range I finders pointed ill in every tion All of them had steam u up p I as if ready to dash to sea anc and engage a pro prowling ling enemy at air any moment Never in my twenty y years at sea in n which time Ii I Ii i have seen the navies of all th thi the i i powers have I ever ver gazed upon I a more formidable squadron i ii ithe if f I i th the eye alone were judge But on on board the joke wa was s 1 j evident at a glance Nothing insight in ir sight proved the real thing The fighting turrets were little wooden wood wood- en barns with bare rafters in in- in- in side The great guns were logs graduated from a sawmill tapered ta tapered tapered ta- ta and bored in exact of naval cannon Not a single real gun aboard We Ve VeI I could not have sunk a rowboat T The he e deck was was covered with tig tightly 1 ly stretched canvas painted gray to represent the smooth steel deck of a war of so sc that even reconnoitering aeroplanes aeroplanes aeroplanes aero aero- planes would be deceived A Ai i dummy smokestack aft made the ship look more like a war vessel vessel vessel ves ves- sel and less like lije the merch merchantman merchant merchant- nt- nt man she had been before donning donning donning don don- ning this disguise The bridge was no longer that of a liner but an exact duplicate of those on battleships Below deck all alli i fixtures had been removed save those of absolute importance to the ship in its n nv v role A dining dining dining din din- ing salon alon and drawing ro room room m adjoining adjoining adjoining ad ad- joining the officers' officers quarters below below below be be- low them the crews crew's quarters storerooms stor ls gallery and engines otherwise otherwise the hold was vacant except for chunks of concrete used as ballast Old P Passenger ss r g r Liners Liner Remodeled Antiquated merchantmen of about tons burden unfit for sea traffic in ordinary times were the material out out of which the admiralty constructed this squadron of make-believe make warships war war- ships Some of the Old Did tubs had been in the Canadian Pacific service prior to 1914 carrying third class passengers across the Atlantic such as the Montezuma ma and Montrose The flagship however however however how how- ever ever was a better bottom than the others The ironical part of her history was that she was a aGerman aGerman aGerman German boat boat boat- and in her best days had been a pioneer pioneer in in n the kaisers kaiser's marine marine k known own in iIi every important port in the world Previous to the war the Cecilie had been serving serving serving ing Germany in ul the Mediterranean ean trade and among the vicissitudes vicissitudes vicissitudes which overtake men and ships alike in war she was captured captured captured cap cap- during the first week weel of th the struggle and became the leader of British impostors to frighten her former consorts off the seas The dummies were an Irish joke according to our chief who hailed from Belfast where the ships had been fitted out in garb of f war And it seemed that the Celtic port officials there were proud of us for they continued continued continued con con- to s send seid us our supplies in spite of the distance A small mall fast boat used to make the trip through the Irish sea English channel and North sea every every month to bring us what whit we needed needed needed need need- ed for success in our task of tricking the Indeed In eed there was small ch chance nce of the ruse ruse being discovered discovered discovered ered as ve we ourselves knew precious preci preci- ous little of the schemes of the squadron in their entirety During During During Dur Dur- ing my whole term of service I never learned what vessels theother the theother theother other dummies represented and andin andin andin in wartime curiosity is regarded as unbefitting hg Both officers and men lien were almost prisoners being being being be be- ing allowed shore leave only at atthe atthe atthe the little home port where no noone noone noone one was allowed outside the res res- It was a tiny town to of exactly ten houses all inhabited by Mc and there was a little year old cemetery at the foot of the hill full of precious Our neighbors neighbors neighbors neigh neigh- bors were good honest Scotch folk with countless little provincialisms provincialisms provincialisms pro pro- that afforded us many many ny a a good laugh among our our our- selves They seemed t to possess an optimism about their weather that was the marvel of even our harden t tars J For though it might be c raining cats and dogs they would greet us on the street with a cheery marnin andin and in time we learned to assent without debate I. I I I But serving on dummy warships warships warships war war- ships did not mean U that at our duties dui du- du 1 i ties and discipline were were shams j likewise Sinecures do do donot not exist exist exist ex ex- in the British navy and we were part of it The same rigid system prevailed aboa aboard d our wooden fakes as upon the ves yes vessels vessels sels sets we were made to lib libel l the gun drills being our only I The men had to drill with lifeboats and race with the c crews of other ships when in port I And at specified intervals we all had to effect a landing on a supposedly hostile shore and charge up a hill hillin in life belt and collar and I learned by experience experience ence how lOW steep bleep are some of I 1 those picturesque hills of bonny Scotland Encumbered with the I I heavy equipment we wee fat fellows had a tough time of it always I reaching the t top p too jaded to hurt a toad and too late to serve I even even as reinforcements to our I comrades I In rn the admiralty cl classification we were not allowed the names of the vessels we duplicated Our ships were known as His Majesty's ship No l 1 2 3 4 and so on there being fourteen of them in all Commodore Haddock Haddoc who commanded the he I squadron had been f for r years a aI I captain on the White Whit Star liner i Olympic before the war He i ihas has since been appointed aide- aide de-camp de to the king He was assisted by both merchantmen I and naval officers the latter di directing directing di- di the maneuvers nf of the I di-I squadron They were magnificent cent seamen keen and quiet I when on duty but they possessed possessed possessed pos pos- the most marvelous store tore i I of oaths I have ever heard They could make the best talent in inthe inthe inthe I the merchant fleet sound liken like n novices vices and their accomplishments accomplish I ments were ments-were were the admiration and I despair of all on board boara who were I not not- recipients recipients' of their epithets epithets- I I Utmost Secrecy of Movements Destination unknown is al always always al- al I aI-I ways exciting and with men in inmost inmost I I most branches of the service it I II happens but seldom with us II IIII i however it was the constant I I state We never knew where I we were going when we steamed ii out of port or where we were I on tIre the sea when out of sight of familiar landmarks on on shore snore I II I Like other squadrons of the British British British Brit Brit- i I ish navy we were continually II joining and quitting the the grand J I fleet where it lay at its base baseI I I ready to dash to sea at any mo mo- I ment It was the men of the fhe i I gr grand nd fleet who named us The Them Suicide Squadron to whom it I was no small thing to venture out upon the sea unarmed and I defenseless in in the garb of the I I submarines' submarines legitimate prey Sometimes upon quitting the I II main fleet we left one or more I of our own squadron and brought I II I out an equal number n of the real ureal boys exactly like them During I the cruise they would leave us to togo togo togo I II go on some business that was none of ours and we would return return re re- turn without them for our dummy dummy dum dum- re-I re Imy my pals in port At the base of the grand fleet I we had had an assigned anchorage I and in ul the great panorama of I Igray I gray fighting monsters eternally I II I belching forth clouds of smoke I we felt like the frauds we really I were But even here the dumMies dum dum- dummies I dum-I I mies held their own so perfect I j i was their disguise Fr From m our I I deck the other ships of the t squadron looked like fit comrades comI comrades com com- I rades for the me real fighters famed I for speed and power I I A Visit From Grand Admiral The grand admiral of the British Brit Brit- Brit British Brit I ish navy on board a dummy flagship flagship flagship flag flag- I I ship sounds like German satire I I but it was a fact for a short I time on one occasion When we I learned that Sir John Jellicoe was coming with his steel m marvel J lof of a flagship to inspect our poor I benighted dummy we grinned at each other sheepishly But we were eager to make a good i showing because we had h heard ard ardI that Jellicoe objected to the I dummies when proposed asserting assert assert- asserting assert J ing that good men could not ilot be beJ found to man them We thought I it a good chance to show him i his mistake as we were vere sure suie lie he he I J I was wrong la In our preparations for the visit we had very little steel or brass to shine so we tidied up the old hull as best we weco co could ld and waited for the signal The entire crew was as drawn up at attention on deck when the I II admirals admiral's launch touched at our I I companionway A second later Sir John Jellicoe bounded lightly light light- ly up the steps follo followed ved by I Ily members of his staff He is is a aj aI I j small man despite his deceptive I pictures pictures about about the size they say L Lord rd Nelson elson was was dapper dapper quick in in his Ius actions the very embodiment of alertness alertness' and energy He seemed to take take i in 1 everything with his his' restless eye eye as he passed before the ranks rank's of I the crew cre creOn On the aft deck he het I stopped and turned to the group group PI I of officers behind him address i addressing addressing I ing our commodore What ship do you represent sir fir r he lie asked quickly q The A Ajax x sir r. r replied r 8 Had Had Had- d- d dock Then that boat doesn't belong be belong bi- bi long there sir returned Jellicoe Jellicoe I I coe cae pointing to a small skiff suspended amidships f fn ps In n some embarrassment t the commodore ordered it removed immediately Jellicoe l however ow yer 1 turned his attention elsewhere re I as though the incident which I displayed his marvelous familiarity familiarity familiar familiar- ity with every ship in his fleet were already dismissed and for for- I gotten In the same businesslike businesslike businesslike business business- like manner he expressed approval ap ap- approval of or the dummy as as asa a whole I ap-I and departed We 2 never saw the grand g and admiral aft after r. r that but we felt his dynamic presence inthe in inthe j I Ithe the alertness and el energy which I marked marked the activities activities' es' es of the e I grand fleet i Our cruises often carried carr d us nosing in in the coast II of Great Britain as if if we we were i simulating an amb ambuscade scade or i seeking to be as inconspicuous as as possible possible sonie r reason rea a- a son But sometimes we steamed o out t in tin line of battle and it it was an imposing show of fighting strength we made Standing on the aft deck of the flagship it was difficult to r repress press a feeling of power and exultation at the sight as if we were the real rulers rulers rulers rul rul- ers of t tie e. e seas One could hardly realize re lize that we were the most han harmless ships afloat in those troubled l times and that the effective weapons aboard the leader of the battle line consisted consist consist- ed of two toy rifles which their owners kept for sea birds We are not not given destroyers like other squadrons sq to ward off submarine attacks We had to trust to luck chiefly in that par par par- But whenever we put putto putto putto to sea a f fast st steam yacht always went ah ahead for us and to the vigilance e of her crew we all doubtless owe our lives A R Run Ran m for fer It Submarines reported the scouting yacht one day soon after we had left port and I 1 asked another officer what the commodore g generally did at s such sucha ch cha a 3 time f Run for forit It he lie answered lightly V The sub or r home I 1 |