Page 254 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

220 PAOLO 1!. COLE'l"TA

counrer rhe German High Seas Fleer if ir gor by che British Grand Fleer an d soughr
barde in che Caribbean. Ochers advocared sending aU possible anti·submarine (AS)
craft and cheir supporcing ships ro Bricish and French bases so rhar rhey could counrec
U-boacs. Furcher, some men demanded aod othen opposed adopring a convoy sys-
cem, aod some men would bave che Unired Srates fighr irs own war while ochers
would cooperate wid1 rhe Allies.
The admiral chosen co answer a Briclsh requesc for a liaison officer was che
Preside ne of d1e Naval War College, William S. Sims. N or unril he spoke wich che
B.rirish Pirst Sea Lord, Adm. John R. JeUicoe, on lO Aprii 1917 did he learn rbe
gravity of che Allied shipping siruation- 6.5 m.illion cons of che 32 miUion cons
of Allied merchanc shipping had already been sunk - and che AUies could con-
ceive of no merhods co counrer che U-boac except by evasive rouc.ing and parroUi ng
sea lines of commonicacions. Sims k.new char ships musr funnel inro well known
channels leading co Allied porcs and thar parrolling was ineffecrive. He tberefore
recommended sending over aU possible desrroyers and smaU AS Craft, merchanr
ronnage, supporring auxiliary ships, and reviving the convoy sysrcm che British had
used effecrively during tbc days of sail
To Sims's dismay, his Navy Deparrmeor acred slowly and hesicatingly. Com-
plerion of the more than rwo bundred AS craft ordered could noc be expecced for
abour rwo yeal's. le bad only 51 descroyers but kepc 16 of chem wich che Atlanric
Fleer, the lattee secnre behind mine ners in Chesapeake Bay. N or un cii Augusr 1917
d id i c ha ve 3 7 dcsuoyers, 2 desrroye-r ren.ders, and 8 yachrs in European warers.
However, by che l rh November 1917 Sims had 375 ships of al! classes, abour 5000
officers and 70000 men; 45 bases naval bases, and major naval air sratioos io En-
gland, 1reland, and France.
NevertheJess, Sims was in an anomalous position. Although g,iven command
of American naval forces in Eu.rope, he reponed nor co che Commander i l) Chief
of che Arlantic Fleer, Adm. Henry T. Mayo. bur co Benson. Whereas che Bridsh
Admiralty shared irs innermosr secrers with him, Wilson, Secretary of che Navy
Josephus Daniels, and Benson considered him co be so pro-British as co be incapa·
ble of independenc judgmenr. They did so because he was Canadian-born and ha d
made pre-war p ro·Bricish scacemenrs.
Under prcssure from Prime Miniscer: David Lloyd George and Sims, in June
1917 Jellicoe esrablished a convoy system ro which President Wilson agreed. Ship·
ping losses were halved for e a eh remaining month of che war afrer November 1917,
wbile U-boat losses jumped from 25 in 1916 ro 66 in 1917, and new consrruuion
chereafcer barely replaced losses. Even if the grear Norrh Sea Mine Barrage berween
che Orkneys and Norway descroyedfew U-boars, irs psychological impacc may have
cooujbured ro mut:inies in che High Seas Fleer.
The Uniced Srares helped the Allies in various orher ways. The nine bacde-
ships ir senc over enabled che Brirish ro rransfer crews from Brirish ones ro ASW
ships.lrs Cruiser aod Transport Service ferried rwo miJHon American soldiers across,