us cover
On the 4th of May, 1917, the first squadron of United States destroyers arrived in Queenstown (now Cobh) in the south of Ireland. The group consisted of USS Wadsworth, Conyngham, Porter, McDougal, Davis, and Wainwright. Queenstown was the centre for anti-submarine forces, on the Western Approaches, under the command of Admiral Lewis Bayley, Commander in Chief , Coast of Ireland. The Davis commenced operations the following week.
Initially there was uncertainty as to the most effective use of destroyers. At first they were given patrol areas which they would scout, singly or in pairs. Any stray incoming merchantmen seen, were to be escorted to near their destinations. This was a most ineffective use of the force, as the chances of coming across, and destroying a lone submarine in the vastness of the Western Approaches was virtually nil.
By Summer 1917, under the urging of commanders such as Admiral Sims, Commander of US Naval Forces in Europe, the convoy system was initiated. Groups of merchantmen were escorted through the war zone by flanking destroyer screens. This had the dual effect of reducing the amount of targets for German u-boats, and allowing destroyers and sloops to attack the harassing submarines. The priorities of the destroyers were to:
Destroy Submarines.
Protect and escort Merchantmen.
Save the crews and passengers of torpedoed ships.
Anti-submarine patrols did continue also for the duration of the war, especially in the Irish Sea and close to the coast of France, where u-boats would try to sink merchantmen as the convoys dispersed. In 1918, any destroyer in the Irish Sea, which was not actively convoying, came under the orders of The Irish Sea Hunting Flotilla, under the command of Captain Gordon Campbell VC based in Holyhead, Wales. US destroyers were also used to patrol the west coast of Ireland to hunt suspected gun-running ships, for Irish Republicans.
The destroyers , initially, were ill-equipped to fight submerged submarines. When they arrived in Europe they were armed with guns and torpedoes. The only undersea weapons supplied were single hand-launched 50lb depth charges which were particularly ineffective. It was the later fitting of dual depth charge racks on the sterns of the ships, Thornycroft depth charge throwers, and Y shaped charge throwers that turned them into a dangerous force. These were capable of dropping and firing a continuous patterned barrage of 200lb, charges around a submarine's suspected position. Most of the retro-fitting of these armaments was done at Cammel Laird in Birkenhead, England.
On the 11th of May 1917, in pos 51.00N, 14.44W, USS Davis picked up 23 survivors of barque Killarney sunk by submarine on the 8th of May.
On the 12th of May, USS Davis encountered SS Picton, with a specially valuable government cargo in pos 15.15W. The Davis escorted this ship to the Tuskar Rock.
On the 28th of May, 1917, in pos 51.12N, USS Davis sighted a submarine which immediately dived,
On the 4th of July, 1917, the SS Thirlby was torpedoed and sunk in pos 51.39N, 12.52W. USS Davis rescued 20 survivors and landed them at Bantry. On returning to patrol Davis picked up 42 survivors of SS Matador, sunk on the 3rd of July in pos 51.06N, 12.25W.
On August 14th, 1917, Davis, escorting oilers Tacoma and Caloria, westbound, at 9.25am, sighted wake on port bow, presumably a torpedo. Went hard left, and wake passed astern. Circled ships at full speed, but saw nothing suspicious. 8am position 51.10N, 09.50W.
On November 6th, 1917, USS Cushing,Wilkes, Davis and Sampson, met and escorted USS Huntington and USS St Louis to Devonport. The ships were carrying the Commission from from the United States to the Allied Conference in Paris. Upon completion the following message was received – Admiral Benson thanks you for services and congratulates you and your force for the splendid manner in which your duty was performed.
On the 2nd of December, 1917, in position, 54.17N, 05.20W, USS Davis sighted submarine on surface, which submerged immediately.
On the 1st of January, 1918, in pos, 51.38N, USS Davis sighted periscope of enemy submarine. Dropped depth charge. No result was seen
On the 4th of January, 1918, in pos,51.35N, o8.02W, USS Davis sighted periscope of submarine. No report of attack made.
On February 7th , 1918, USS Trippe, Davis, Porter, and Cushing, escorted SS Leviathian from Liverpool to 17.00N.
On the 5th of May, 1918, in pos 7 miles E od Mew Island Light, USS Davis sighted suspicious object which disappeared. Found well defined wake and dropped 24 depth charges. Burning oil was observed on the surface.
On the 11th of May, 1918, HMS Olympic, whilst under escort, rammed and destroyed enemy submarine U-103. USS Davis picked up 36 prisoners and disembarked them at Milford Haven.
On the 20th of May, in pos 48.25N. 7.50W, USS Davis and HMS Hardy sighted enemy submarine. 19 depth charges were dropped. No result seen.
On the 28th of May, 1918, in pos 51.10N, 06.40W, USS Davis dropped 8 depth charges on oil slick. No apparent result seen.
On the 11th of June, 1918, USS Davis, Allen,Trippe, Sampson, Caldwell and Wilkes escorted incoming convoy HS42. On the 13th, Davis sighted oil slick ahead of convoy and dropped 15 depth charges on same. No apparent result was seen.
On the 11th of July,1918, in position 20 miles NW by W of Coningbeg light vessel ,the schooner Katherine Ellen was fired at by enemy submarine. USS Davis picked up survivors and landed them at Dunmore East. Schooner was not sunk and was towed into Milford Haven.
n the week of the 17th of July, 1918,USS Davis, Cassin, Allen, and Conyngham escorted HMS Aquitania from 15.00W to Liverpool. Davis also escorted RFA Industry from Queenstown to Kingstown.
On the 28th of July,1918, in position 51.52N, 06.40W, USS Davis dropped three depth charges on oil slick. No results seen.
On the 8th of October 1918, convoy HH71 was escorted to Brest, France, by USS Stockton, Davis, Rowan, Wilkes, Ammen, HMS Camellia, HMS Heather,HMS Sir Bevis
In December 1918, Davis formed part of the review in Brest France, in front of President Woodrow Wilson.
On the 26th of December, 1918. The last of the United States destroyers departed Queenstown (Cobh), on route to the USA, via the Azores. They were the Beale, Stockton, Wilkes, Duncan, Rowan,Kimberley, Allen, Davis, Sampson and Duncan . They were accompanied by the US tug Genesee. The press reported that the harbour was full of the whistles of other ships as the destroyers, flying their pennants were overflown by US Flying boats as they disappeared into the morning fog.
SOURCES
There have been a number of publications detailing the history of Queenstown (Cobh) during World War One. The standard reference works are those those listed below
Danger Zone. The story of the Queenstown Command.
By E.Keeble Chatterton
Little, Brown and Co, Boston 1934
(copy available in Cork City Library – local history section top floor)
The Victory at Sea. By Rear-Admiral William Sowden Sims, Doubleday, Page and Company, New York, 1921.
Simsadus London, The American Navy in Europe.
By John Langdon Leighton.
Henry Holt & Co, New York, 1921.
Available to download here
Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy
For the Fiscal Year, 1918
Available to download here
Officers and Enlisted Men of the US Navy who died during WW1
Available to download here
Bayley’s Navy,
by Vice Admiral Walter.S.Delany (Rtd)
Available to download here
American Participation in the Great War,
by Captain Dudley W.Knox.
Available to download here
Naval Aviation in WW1,
by Adrian O. Van Wyen.
Available to download here
For Operational Records Various files from the Public Records Office,of the United Kingdom, Kew are invaluable, especially records of ADM137, which were files bound for the official history of WW1 Naval Operations. None of these records are digitised yet, and can only be accessed by visiting the British Public Records Office, Kew, near London.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
For photographs of the Queenstown Command, the following websites have many photographs available to download free of charge. Most of the aforementioned publications also have photographic illustrations.
US Naval History and Heritage Command website
www.history.navy.mil
United States National Archives Website
www.archives.gov/
The British Imperial War Museum
www.iwm.org.uk/research
This site contains many photographs of US and British Naval operations in Ireland. Importantly, it also has a number of copies of unique newsreel footage. These can be played on the site.