American Armies and Battlefields in Europe
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Chapter x OPERATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY IN THE WORLD W AR HE information given in this chapter of shipping a month, which was much is based upon data furnished officially greater than the rate of replacement. T by the Secretary of the Navy. The task facing the American N avy When the United States entered the was one of tremendous difficulty. It war the Allied N avies appeared to be had to assist as soon as possible in coun- lacking in effective means for combating teracting the submarine menace and in the German submarines which had started addition had to organize means of pro- a campaign of unrestricted warfare two viding passage across the Atlantic for months previously. It was extremely hundreds of thousands of American important, therefore, that immediate troops and enormous quantities of supplies. German Submarine U- 58 Surrendering to United States Destroyers Fanning and Nicholson, November 1917 American naval assistance be furnished Action against submarines was initiated to aid them in meeting the crisis. at once by dispatching to Europe the Admiral William S. Sims, who was limited number of destroyers then avail- to become Commander-in-Chief of the able. These were augmented by con- United States Naval Forces in European verted yachts, gunboats, small cruisers waters, landed in England shortly after and revenue cutters, and immediate steps America's entry into the war and estab- were taken to build additional destroyers. lished bis headquarters at London. He The first fighting unit of the American was at once informed by the British N avy to arrive in European waters was a authorities that if lasses due to hostile detachment of six destroyers which, on submarines were not checked quickly the May 4, 1917, steamed into the harbor at Allies would probably be defeated, as Queenstown, Ireland, where a main base they were then losing about 800,000 tons was established. This force was soon (449) 450 OPERATIONS OF UNITED STATES N AVY IN WORLD WAR increased to 34 destroyers. A main base the war the Cruiser and Transport Force was later established at Brest, and the was organized to carry American troops force operating from there gradually overseas. The few suitable vessels avail- grew in size until it approximated that able were taken over by the Government of Queenstown. A third main base at once and the German liners interned American Naval Activities in European Waters Naval Headquarters Sub·Chaser Base Air Force Main Base, Destroyers, etc. () Battleships Mine Barrage Minar Base œ Submarines + Mine Base was established at Gibraltar. Secondary in American ports were later added to bases were established along the Bay of this fleet. Every effort was made Biscay and at various other places along throughout the war to obtain additional the European and Mediterranean coast. ships for this service, which carried a Soon after the United States entered total of 911,000 men to Europe, or a little less than half of the number sent. Most of the remainder were transported in ships under British control. To guard against submarine attack, American transports making the trip to Europe were, as far as practicable, gathered into groups and escorted through the danger zone by destroyers and other armed vessels. This method of combat- ing the submarine menace was most suc- cessful and the results obtained were re- markable. Not a single vessel of the Cruiser and Transport Force was lost on the eastward voyage, although three Stern of Des troyer Showing 4-Inch Gun and ships returning to the United States were Depth Bombs Used Agains t Submarines sunk out of a total of five torpedoed. Nearly all the troops who crossed the Atlantic in American and French ships landed at French ports, while those going in other vessels landed in England. This necessitated the establishment of a small transport force of American ships at Southampton, the chief port used for reembarkation to France, in order to aug- ment the British cross-channel service. As the number of troops overseas in- creased, the task of supplying them be- came more difficult. This problem was met by the formation of the Naval Over- seas Transportation Service, which was a force distinct from the troop transport organization. It developed into a fleet of more than 400 vessels, manned by ap- proximately 4,500 officers and 29,000 men. To form this great organization it was Explosion of a 300-Pound Depth Bomb Dropped necessary to take vessels from every by a United States Destroyer, May 18, 19l 8 available source, and included in it were ships taken over from the Shipping Board, new tonnage resulting from the intensive building program of the Emer- gency Fleet Corporation, and a number of ships which were brought from the Great Lakes under considerable difficul- ties. The convoy system was also used insofar as possible in the operation of this fleet, and only seven vessels were lost by enemy action. This was considered an exceptionally fine record. As soon as the safety of the transports and supply ships had been reasonably assured, aggressive steps were taken against enemy submarines. This was ( 451 ) Oil Patch Indicating a "Hit" With a Depth Bomb United States Naval Vessels With Captive Balloon in Tow The ba11oon was used in searching for German submarines done by the laying of mine barrages, have been put out of action either by the employment of a hunting force cf being sunk or considerably damaged. small ships, supplemented by aircraft, Plans were also made for placing mine and the use of submarines. barrages in other areas, and a mine base Before America's entry into the war was planned at Bizerta, Tunis, from where the British had considered closing the operations were to be conducted in the northern entrance to the N crth Sea by Adriatic and Aegean Seas, but the signing placing a mine barrage from Scotland to of the Armistice halted the undertaking. N orway, but had given up this idea as In order to establish a large and effec- impracticable. The American naval au- tive hunting force of surface vessels, con- thorities felt, however, that with a new struction was undertaken in America of type of mine which had been developed several hundred boats called "submarine in the United States this scheme could be chasers". These were small wooden ves- undertaken successfully. In October sels, 110 feet long, powered by gasoline 1917 it was decided to make the attempt, motors, and equipped with sound-detect- in conjunction with the British, and the ing devices. A force of 135 of these ves- construction of mines was begun in the sels was sent to Europe. Most of them United States. The total length of the based at Plymouth, England, Queens- mine barrage to be put down was 270 town, Ireland, and Corfu, Greece, and miles, and the estimated number of were very effective in the protection of mines required was about 75,000. Bases merchant shipping. During the period were established on the eastern coast of of operation of the Plymouth detachment Scotland, necessary vessels were procured between Start Point and Lizard Head not and equipped, and in March 1918 opera- a single merchant vessel was lost in its tions were begun by the British and in area as a result of German submarine June by the United States. By the time attacks. A detachment from the Corfu hostilities ceased the British had placed group sailed from Brindisi, Italy, with approximately 14,000 mines and the the Allied fleet and participated with it Americans 56,000, as a result of which 12 in the attack on the Austrian port of enemy submarines are known definitely to Durazzo, doing especially valuable work (452) OPERATIONS OF UNITED STATES NAVY IN WORLD WAR 453 in screening the larger vessels of the fleet During the early days of America's from attack by Austrian submarines. effort there appeared to be no necessity In June 1917 a small detachment of the for dispatching any great portion of ber Naval Air Service arrived in Europe and battle fleet to European waters. There- soon thereafter the establishment of avia- fore, except for two divisions, it remained tion bases was begun along the French, on the American side of the Atlantic, English and Italian coasts in order to where it was engaged principally in train- assist in the escort of shipping. At the ing the large numbers of recruits taken signing of the Armistice this force had into the N avy during the war. developed into an organization of approx- Of the two divisions of battleships sent imately 19,000 officers and enlisted men, to Europe, one, comprising four vessels operating from 27 bases. later increased to five, joined the British T he operations of this force against at Scapa Flow in December 1917, there- hostile craft at sea were very successful. after participating in operations of the With its growth, plans were made for Grand Fleet. The other division of offensive action against the submarines three battleships took station in 1918 at at their bases, and eight squadrons, based Berehaven, from where it was to operate near Calais and Dunkirk, frequently against any enemy raiding cruisers that bombed the Belgian ports of Zeebruge, might break through the cordon drawn Ostend and Bruges until they were freed around the German coast. in the autumn of 1918 by the attacks of Aside from the foregoing purely naval the Allied Armies. Until the cessation of operations, a brigade of marines served hostilities the American naval air units as part of the 2d Division, and five 14-inch also helped the Royal Air Force by operat- naval guns on railroad mounts, manned ing against objectives which aided the by naval personnel, operated along the advance of the northern British Armies.