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Show lEIIIf! DEFENDED 8! - U.SJD11 Active List Never Better Pre- pared for War Than When ; U. S. Joined Allies "WASHINGTON. April 8 The vessels ves-sels on the ucthe list of the navj , were never bettor prepared for war i than when the United Slates joined! the allie.s and the navy department! had "full and complete" plans to com-J , bat a German offensive against tho i coasts or the United States, Admiral 1 H, B. Wilson today told the senate in-1 jvestigating committee of the navy de- partment's conduct of the world wai. (Admiral Wilson asserted that from! 1 the moment war was declared the eii-1 itire navy, tho department as well as 'the fleet entered into the prosecution of the war with the greatest energy : and Its accomplishments deserve tho I commendation of the nation. Admiral Wilson, now commander-in-j 'chief of the Atlantic fleet, commanded i the .patrol force that first protected I waters adjacent to the United btatGo ' and later, based on Brest, France, co-! , operated in protecting allied convoys) ; in the war zone and hunting U-boats, i Quick Action Taken ithln four days after the country, entered the war representatives or the allied admiralties were in conference 'with secretary Daniels and naval f-fleers f-fleers in Washington outlining tho I means by which tho most effective aj-isistance aj-isistance could be rendered by this j country, the witness declared, oo f . i as he knew, Admiral Wilson said, v-jery v-jery suggestion or proposition put r-jward r-jward by the allied officials was , promptly agreed to and efficiently car- ried out. The fact that a greater part I of tne American army was transported transport-ed over 3.000 miles of water without a life being lost through efforts ofjthe enemy testified to the success of .this co operation, tho admiral asserted. j Mistakes Relatively Unimportant Mistakes the navy made during the war were so "relatively unimportant" , that they were hardly worth considering consider-ing in comparison with its achieve-ments, achieve-ments, the witness' said. i ' Referring to Admiral Sims' charger that an Insufficient number of small vessels was sent abroad during I he 'first few months of American participation partici-pation in the war, Admiral Wilson declared de-clared that at a conference between Secretary Daniels ah'd allied admiral ty representatives about April 10, 1917, ' the foreign officials did not qxpress) any dire need for help and suggested that the United States take over the work of patrolling the waters adjacent1 to (his country and one representative! suggested that tho United' States seudi "one destroyer abroad in order that tho flag may be shown to. let it be 'known that the United States navy has I actually joined the naval forces of the allies." -on |