of the intensified effort of the American and allied forces, the losses of merchant ships diminished rapidly in 1917, and by 1918 had almost disappeared.

The second duty of the American fleet was to escort and guard vessels carrying troops and supplies between the allied countries. This was done by the escort system, which proved an almost complete defense against the danger of such submarines, as were able to pass through the allied blockade. Secretary Daniels in his report of December, 1918, said that this convoy system was suggested by President Wilson, and he continues: "It is probably our major operation in this war, and will in the future stand as the greatest and most difficult troop transporting effort which has ever been conducted across seas."

In this report he summarizes the work of the American escort vessels during July and August, 1918. During that period 3,444,012 tons of shipping were escorted to and from France by American escort vessels. Of the tonnage escorted into French ports, only 16,988 tons were lost through enemy action, and of the tonnage escorted out from French ports only 27,858 tons were lost through the same cause. During the same period 259,604 American troops were escorted to France by United States escort vessels without the loss of a single man through enemy action. During the same period destroyers based on British ports supplied seventy-five per cent of the escort for 318 ships, totaling 2,752,908 men, and including escorted vessels carrying 137,283 United States troops, with no loss through enemy action. During the war American and British ships have carried over two million American troops overseas; 924,578 of these troops were transported under escort of the United States cruisers and destroyers. In these operations not one east-bound American transport has been torpedoed or damaged by the enemy and, according to Secretary Daniels, only three were sunk on the return voyage. The three American troopships sunk were the Antilles, President Lincoln and the Covington. There were three fighting ships lost, the patrol ship Alcedo, the torpedo boat destroyer Jacob Jones, and the cruiser Santiago.

The most serious loss of life was the loss of the coast guard

cutter Tampa, with all on board, in Bristol channel on the night of September 26, 1917. The Tampa had gone ahead of her convoy, and the exact manner in which the vessel met its fate is unknown. In addition to these vessels mentioned by Secretary Daniels as being lost in connection with the convoy, the Tuscania was sunk in February, 1918, with a loss of 204 men, the Oronsa with a loss of three men, the Moldavia with a loss of fifty-five men, and several other transports were torpedoed with a slight loss, but were able to proceed to port.

Besides the war against submarines, and the escort of naval convoys, the American Navy took an active part in the blockade of Germany, in connection with the English fleet, and also operated the transportation service which grew during the war from ten ships to a fleet of 321 cargo carrying ships, with a deadweight tonnage of 2,800,000 tons. This vast fleet was officered and manned with a seagoing personnel from the American merchant marine, the officers and men of the United States Navy and graduates of technical schools and training schools developed by the navy since the United States entered the war, some 5,000 officers and 29,000 enlisted men being required for the operation of this fleet. The navy also took part in the war on land, land batteries of fourteen-inch naval guns on railway mounts on the western front being manned by bluejackets under the command of Rear-Admiral C. P. Plunkett.

The great deeds of the Marine Corps are also a part of the history of the American Navy in this war. With only 8,000 men engaged casualties numbered 69 officers, 1531 men dead, and 78 officers and 2,435 men wounded. Only fifty-seven United States Marines were captured by the enemy. The Marine Corps played a vital part in holding the German drive near Château-Thierry, and participated in the hard fighting near Rheims and in Champagne, and won for itself imperishable glory.

Among the officers who especially distinguished themselves were Admiral Sims, Commander-in-Chief of American Naval Forces in European waters, Rear-Admiral Rodman, in command of the American battleships with the British fleet, Vice-Admiral Wilson in France, Rear-Admiral Niblack in

FIGHTING OFF A GERMAN U-BOAT

An American battleship crew at quarters engaged in firing on a submarine which had accidentally come up within range.

Underwood and Underwood, N. Y.

THE BATTLESHIP "VERMONT" IN A STORMY SEA

Forging steadily ahead beside troopships laden with precious American soldiers this great fighting machine was a terror to lurking submarines.

the Mediterranean, Rear-Admiral Dunn in the Azores, RearAdmiral Strauss in charge of mining operations and RearAdmiral Earle, head of the Bureau of Ordnance.

The following tables from the report of Secretary Daniels to President Wilson show the number of American vessels sunk by the enemy, their tonnage and the number of lives lost:

The Antilles, the President Lincoln and the Covington were the only actual troop ships lost in the war by the cruiser and transport force. The Westbridge, a cargo carrier, reached a French port, the Mt. Vernon also got to port.

Full reports from the commanding officers of these vessels are on record. From the report of Commander Daniel T. Ghent, the following selections are taken, as a typical description of the experiences of American transports which were victims to German submarines:

We left October 15th for America with the transports Henderson and Willehad in the convoy, and the Corsair, Kanawha and Alcedo as escort. All zigzagged as we knew the waters to be infested with submarines. The second day we were forced to reduce our speed to permit the Willehad, which had been feeling the heavy seas, to regain formation. Passing through submarine zones everyone is on edge, and when fire was discovered early the following morning on the promenade deck everyone was stimulated to swift action. The fire was soon under control. A half hour later just before daylight a torpedo was sighted heading for us two points abaft the port wheel. It was at least four hundred feet distant when sighted.