The Mystery Ships: Encounter with a Submarine
THE MYSTERY SHIPS.
ENCOUNTER WITH A SUBMARINE.
A NAVY RUSE.
SIR ERIC GEDDES,1 First Lord of the Admiralty, speaking at an entertainment to American troops at the Palace Theatre last night, said they were going to fight to the end, and they all knew what the end was going to be. For the first time that night he was able to tell them a story about the British Navy, a story which could not be told before because it would have given the enemy valuable information about a ruse of war which they were still using with effect. But now that ruse was a thing of the past, and he could tell them of the “Mystery Ships.” In the Service they were called “Q” ships, and were used as decoys. They might be an old sailing ship, obviously unarmed and an easy prey to submarines. They were manned by volunteers, the very best and the very bravest their service could produce. “The Mystery Ship is a veritable quick change artist,” said Sir Eric; “in half a dozen seconds or so she is converted from an apparently harmless trader to a formidable man-of-war by simply pressing a button.” As an instance of how Mystery Ships operated, Sir Eric told a story of mystery ship “Q” 50. She was a dingy looking collier, steaming about eight knots, and she sailed under sealed orders.
THE SEALED ORDERS.
They were, “Submarines are sinking British and American ships in such and such an area. Proceed there.” Her crew were attired as merchantmen. She had a little gun mounted in her stern. A submarine was sighted. She fired at “Q” 50, who turned as if to escape, and feebly returned the submarine fire. The submarine came on, keen for her destruction. To deceive her further “Q” 50 eased down to seven knots, then to six knots, all the time firing intentionally short, then she flushed out a wireless message in plain English: “Submarine chasing and shelling me—abandoning ship.” The submarine read the message that was intended and thought they had an easy prey. The captain in his report stated, “Shells were falling on deck. A big explosion took place; projectiles were blown about the ship.” The panic party were put off, leaving on board the captain and a number of picked men in hiding until the submarine came close to finish its “helpless” prey. After further shelling there was an outbreak of fire in the magazine, followed by an explosion which blew a concealed after gun and her naval crew in the air. The submarine saw that he at last had met the “Q” ship, which was the German submarine commander’s dread. It submerged, and torpedo after torpedo were fired at “Q” 50. The captain again gave the order to abandon ship, but he, with an officer or two and the picked gun’s crew, still remained hidden, whilst the submarine deceived, lay aft. The captain signaled the man-of-war waiting on the horizon to keep away, and they blew off steam to make the submarine think the boiler was holed. Completely deceived, the submarine came up. It was to her death. Shell after shell was fired at her, and she went down, her end being hastened by the fire from the warship which had come up. The fight he had described lasted from eleven in the morning till about four in the afternoon, and “Q” 50 was left blazing with fire, her ammunition exploding and sinking fast.
DECEIVING THE SUBMARINE.
Sir Eric, in giving further details of the action, said to further deceive the submarine the Captain again gave the order “Abandon ship,” and an additional party of naval men this time were sent away on a raft and in a damaged boat, whilst the remainder still remained hidden. For another hour the submarine circled round “Q” 50. During the time bags of cordite, shell, depth charges, and every imaginable kind of explosive were detonating. The ship was on fire, the decks were red hot, but the Captain and his men remained at their posts. His report ended with the words: “The White Ensign was hoisted when I opened fire, and remained hoisted throughout the action.” (Cheers.) Sir Eric in conclusion said that way of killing the submarine no longer works, but the British and American Navies had more ways than that of defeating the submarine, and new ones were added as old ones ceased to be effective.2
Source Note: Printed, London Morning Post, 5 August 1918.
Footnote 1: First Lord of the Admiralty Sir Eric Geddes.
Footnote 2: In a cable to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, this final detail was a ploy to trick the Germans into thinking Q ships were no longer in use. See: William S. Sims to Opnav, 5 August 1918.
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- List of Documents
- The Mystery Ships: Encounter with a Submarine, 8/5/1918
- Captain Montgomery M. Taylor to Flag Officers and Naval Bureaus, 8/1/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, second cable of the day, 8/1/1918
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More Documents (258)
- Rear Admiral Austin M. Knight, Commander, Asiatic Fleet, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/1/1918
- Bureau of Ordnance to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/1/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, first cable of the day, 8/1/1918
- Navy Department to Commandants, Naval Districts One through Eight, 8/1/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/1/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/1/1918
- Commander William P. Scott, Staff, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to H. E. Frick, Representative, Emergency Fleet Corporation, 8/1/1918
- Diary of Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/2/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/2/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/2/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Herbert O. Dunn, Commander, Azores Detachment, 8/2/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, Commander-in-Chief, Southern Ireland, 8/2/1918
- Proposed Syllabus for Training Seaplane Pilots, Observers, and Radio Gunners, 8/2/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Lieutenant Commander Russell S. Crenshaw, Ocean Convoy Section, Naval Overseas Transportation Service, 8/2/1918
- First Lord of the Admiralty Sir Eric Geddes to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/2/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces in France, 8/2/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces in France, 8/2/1918
- Captain William V. Pratt, Acting Chief of Naval Operations, to Rear Admiral Albert T. Gleaves, Commander, Cruiser and Transport Force, 8/2/1918
- Captain William V. Pratt, Acting Chief of Naval Operations, to Rear Admiral Albert T. Gleaves, Commander, Cruiser and Transport Force, 8/2/1918
- Secretary of State Robert M. Lansing to United States Ambassador to Russia David R. Francis, 8/3/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/3/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/3/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/3/1918
- Rear Admiral Herbert O. Dunn, Commander, Azores Detachment, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/3/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in France, 8/3/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Anne Hitchcock Sims, 8/3/1918
- Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces in France, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/4/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain Walter S. Crosley, United States Naval Attaché in Madrid, 8/4/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of Naval Intelligence, 8/4/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/4/1918
- Edward N. Hurley, Chairman, United States Shipping Board, to Major General John J. Pershing, Commander, American Expeditionary Forces, 8/5/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/5/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/5/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/5/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/5/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/5/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Vice Admiral Ferdinand de Bon, Chief of French Naval Staff, 8/5/1918
- A Brief Summary of the United States Naval Activities in European Waters, 8/5/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/6/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations All Navy War Warning, 8/6/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to British Admiralty, 8/6/1918
- Bureau of Ordnance to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/6/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Bureau of Navigation, 8/6/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/6/1918
- Edward N. Hurley, Chairman, United States Shipping Board, to Raymond B. Stevens, Vice-Chairman, United States Shipping Board and United States Representative, Allied Maritime Transport Council, and George Rublee, United States Representative, Allied Maritime Transport Council, 8/6/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/6/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Captain Robert E. Coontz, Commandant, Thirteenth Naval District, 8/6/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/7/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/7/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/7/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/7/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/7/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/7/1918
- Bureau of Navigation to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/7/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the British Admiralty Sir Oswyn A. R. Murray, 8/8/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/8/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo, Commander-in-Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet, and Naval District Commanders, 8/8/1918
- Captain David W. Todd, Director of Naval Communications, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/8/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/8/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to the Bureau of Construction and Repair, 8/8/1918
- Capt. DeWhitt Blamer, Commanding Officer, Seattle, to Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, Commander, Cruiser and Transport Force, 8/8/1918
- Diary of Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/9/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, 8/9/1918
- Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss, Commander, Mine Force to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/9/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/9/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/9/1918
- Bureau of Navigation to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/9/1918
- Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman, Commander, Battleship Division Nine, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/9/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/10/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Certain Naval District Commandants and Other Officers, 8/10/1918
- Admiral Henry T. Mayo, Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/10/1918
- Admiral Henry T. Mayo, Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/10/1918
- Rear Admiral Herbert O. Dunn, Commander, Azores Detachment, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/10/1918
- Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman, Commander, Battleship Division Nine, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/10/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/10/1918
- Diary of Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Commander, Little, 8/10/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Anne Hitchcock Sims, 8/10/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/10/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/11/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/11/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/11/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/11/1918
- Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, R.N., Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/12/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/12/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Bureau of Navigation, 8/12/1918
- Major General Frederick C. Poole, Royal Army, to British War Office, 8/12/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/12/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/13/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/13/1918
- Captain Thomas C. Hart, Commander, Submarine Flotilla Two, Anti-Submarine Instructions, 8/13/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Radio Station, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 8/13/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain William V. Pratt, Assistant Chief of Naval Operations, 8/13/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Commander Charles R. Train, United States Naval Attaché at Rome, 8/13/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Bureau of Ordnance, 8/13/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to P.B. Brill, General Manager, Lake Torpedo Company, 8/13/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/13/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/13/1918
- Captain Richard H. Leigh, Staff of Force Commander, Operations Section, Anti-Submarine Division, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/14/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to All Commandants and All Branch Offices, Office of Naval Intelligence, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain Joel R. Poinsett Pringle, Chief of Staff, Destroyer Flotilla, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in France, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/14/1918
- Commander Paul Foley and L. I. Thomas to Edward N. Hurley, Chairman, United States Shipping Board, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in France, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in France, 8/14/1918
- Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in France, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/14/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/15/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland, 8/15/1918
- Commander William P. Scott, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to Captain J. W. Munn, Marine Superintendent, United States Shipping Board, 8/15/1918
- Captain William V. Pratt, Assistant Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/15/1918
- Commander Paul Foley and L. I. Thomas, to Edward N. Hurley, Chairman, United States Shipping Board, and Mark L. Requa, general Director, Oil Division, U.S. Fuel Administration, 8/15/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/15/1918
- Bureau of Navigation to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/15/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, to All Naval Forces, 8/15/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Charles M. de Bartolme, R.N., The Third Sea Lord, 8/15/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Anne Hitchcock Sims, 8/15/1918
- Report of the Allied Conference on Minelaying in the Mediterranean Sea, 8/15/1918
- Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland, to Secretary of the Admiralty Sir Oswyn A.R. Murray, 8/16/1918
- George I. Gay, Commissioner, Planning Division, to Professor J. A. Field, Staff of United States Shipping Board, 8/16/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces in France, 8/16/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Vice Admiral Étienne Charles Marcel Ratyé, French Naval Representative at the Allied Minelaying Conference, 8/16/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/16/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/16/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Commanders of Submarine Chaser Detachments, 8/16/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations to Various Officers in United States Waters, second letter of the day, 8/16/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Various Officers in United States Waters, 8/16/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/16/1918
- Admiral Sir David Beatty, Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet, to the Admiralty, 8/16/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain Frank D. Berrien, former Commanding Officer, U.S. Destroyer Nicholson, 8/16/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/16/1918
- Force Instructions No. 25, 8/16/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/17/1918
- Lieutenant Calvin H. Cobb, Commander, Duncan to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/17/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/17/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/17/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval of Operations to United States Navy, 8/17/1918
- Rear Admiral Herbert O. Dunn, Commander, Azores Detachment, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/17/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Hutchinson I. Cone, Commander, United States Naval Aviation Forces, Foreign Service, 8/17/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/17/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Base, Detachment, Squadron, and Division Commanders, and Certain Ship Commanders, 8/17/1918
- Secretary of State Robert Lansing to United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Walter Hines Page, 8/17/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Bureau of Navigation, 8/18/1918
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/18/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain Hutchinson I. Cone, Commander, United Stations Naval Aviation Forces, Foreign Service, 8/18/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in France, 8/18/1918
- United States Naval Vessels Undergoing Overhaul, 8/19/1918
- Commander Charles R. Train, United States Naval Attaché in Rome, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in Europe, 8/19/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/19/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/19/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to All Naval Forces in European Waters, 8/19/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, to Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Congressmen Lemuel P. Padgett from Tennessee, Chairman, House Naval Committee, 8/19/1918
- Ensign William A. Martin, Commander, U. S. Submarine Chaser 349, to Commander Charles P. Nelson, Commander, Otranto Detachment, Submarine Chasers, Distant Service, 8/19/1918
- Lieutenant Commander John L. Callan, U.S.N.R.F., Commander, United States Naval Air Forces in Italy, to Captain Hutchinson I. Cone, Commander, United Stations Naval Aviation Forces, Foreign Service, 8/19/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/19/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/19/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Admiralty Sir Oswyn A. R. Murray, 8/19/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Thomas S. Rodgers, Commander, Battleship Division Six, Atlantic Fleet, 8/20/1918
- First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/20/1918
- Memorandum for Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/20/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/20/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/20/1918
- Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss, Commander, Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/20/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/21/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/21/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/21/1918
- Lieutenant Kenneth Whiting, Commander, First Aeronautic Detachment, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/21/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Bureau of Ordnance, 8/21/1918
- Captain Benton C. Decker, Acting Director of Naval Intelligence, Memorandum on Plants doing Naval Work in First Naval District, Boston, Massachusetts, 8/21/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/21/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to All United States Naval Forces, 8/21/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/21/1918
- Diary of Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/21/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/21/1918
- Captain Joel R. Poinsett Pringle, Chief of Staff, Destroyer Flotillas to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters., 8/22/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Commanding Officers, Sub-Chasers and Destroyers, 8/22/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Captain David W. Todd, Director, Naval Communications, 8/22/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/22/1918
- Bureau of Navigation to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/22/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to Captain Charles P. Nelson, Commander, United States Submarine Chaser Base, Corfu, 8/22/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/22/1918
- Ensign Thomas M. Conroy, U.S.N.R.F., Commander, Submarine Chaser 248, to Commander Charles P. Nelson, Commander, Submarine Chasers, Otranto Detachment, 8/22/1918
- Captain Richard H. Leigh, Operations Section, Anti-Submarine Division, Staff of Vice Admiral William S. Sims. Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Planning Section, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/22/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain Joel R. Poinsett Pringle, Chief of Staff, Destroyer Flotillas, 8/23/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/23/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to United States Destroyer Flotillas, Queenstown, 8/23/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/23/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/23/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/23/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/23/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Rear Admiral Augustus F. Fechteler, Commandant, Fifth Naval District, 8/23/1918
- Rear Admiral Herbert O. Dunn, Commander, Azores Detachment, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/24/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/24/1918
- Department of State to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/24/1918
- Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss, Commander, Mine Force, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/24/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, second cable of the day, 8/24/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/24/1918
- British Admiralty to Vice Admiral Sir William Lowther Grant, R.N., Commander-in-Chief, North American and West Indies Station, 8/24/1918
- Chester N. Greenough, Emergency Fleet Corporation, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/24/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, Commander-in-Chief, Southern Ireland, 8/24/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces in France, 8/24/1918
- Information Bulletin #189, Prepared by Intelligence Section Staff of Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces in Europe, 8/24/1918
- Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces in France, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/25/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/25/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Allied Forces in Europe, 8/25/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/25/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Submarine Chaser Detachments One, Two, and Three, 8/26/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol, Commander, U.S.S. Oklahoma, 8/26/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to the Staff of Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/26/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/26/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/26/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Commanders, All Bases and Commands in European Waters, 8/26/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/26/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, United States Naval Forces in France, 8/27/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to General Tasker H. Bliss, American Permanent Military Representative, Supreme War Council, 8/27/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, second cable of the day, 8/27/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, General Order, 8/27/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/27/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/27/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/28/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, Patrol Squadrons Based in France, 8/26/1918
- Rear Admiral Leigh C. Palmer, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/26/1918
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/28/1918
- Lieutenant Commander Ronan C. Grady, Commander, Submarine Division Five, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/28/1918
- Captain Joel R. Poinsett Pringle, Chief of Staff, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/28/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Flag Officers Operating on the United States East Coast, 8/28/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Commandants of Various Naval Districts, 8/28/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain Hutchinson I. Cone, Commander, United Stations Naval Aviation Forces, Foreign Service, 8/28/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, Confidential Memorandum, 8/28/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Commander Charles R. Train, United States Naval Attaché in Rome, 8/29/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Commanding Officers of Submarine Chasers, 8/29/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/29/1918
- Major General William L. Sibert, Director, Chemical Warfare Service to Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/29/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/29/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, to Staff of Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/29/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations All Navy War Warning, 8/29/1918
- Press Conference of Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, 8/29/1918
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to Various Naval District Commandants and Naval Overseas Transport Service District Supervisors, 8/29/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Commander, Patrol Squadrons Based in France, 8/29/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Captain William V. Pratt, Assistant Chief of Naval Operations, 8/30/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/30/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/30/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/30/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/30/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/30/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/30/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/30/1918
- Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, to First Lord of the Admiralty Sir Eric Geddes, 8/30/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/30/1918
- Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol, Commander, Oklahoma, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/30/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Anne Hitchcock Sims, 8/31/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 8/31/1918
- Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Office of Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, 8/31/1918
- Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman, Commander, Battleship Division Nine, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/31/1918
- Admiral Leigh C. Palmer, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, to Staff of Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/31/1918
- Rear Admiral Herbert O. Dunn, Commander, Azores Detachment, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/31/1918
- Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, 8/31/1918
- September 1918
- October 1918
- November 1918
- Post-War: Transporting the AEF
- Post-War: The Role of the CNO
- Post-War: Naval Aviation
- Post-War: Demobilization
- Post-War: Sweeping the Northern Barrage
- Post-War: Northern Russia
- Post-War: Humanitarian Aid and Relief
- Post-war: Armistice and Final Treaty
- 1914
- Additional Resources for August 1918
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