South High School - Tiger Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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We Vfictlfduy may ' ' J ff:-:af could be stopped, and there I was in that cold, cold water, the hail coming down and the bubbles from the rudder of the ship sticking me like pins. I was in the water about a half hour when a life-boat reached me. I sure felt then that the One above was watching over me. For the rest of my voyage homeward, I laid between white sheets with my head on a real pillow. On January 28th I reached the good old U. S. A., happy to be back once more. EARL DAH1.. WITH THE AMERICAN FLEET The U. S. S. Utah, flagship of the sixth division, left Hampton Roads on August 28, 1918, for duty in foreign waters. We had fairly good weather the first two days, on the fourth day we ran into a bad storm. The next three days the tables were not taken down and our meals were rather light. The eighth day the sea was calm enough to start having three square meals a day. On the eleventh we were met by a convoy of four destroyers, which convoyed us to the American base at Bere-haven, Ireland. Bere-haven bay is a smaller portion of the Bantry Bay, which is sheltered by an island and makes a fine place for a base on account of its protection from the sea. On the tenth day of October the three battleships rigged ship for sea. Part of the life line was taken down and an observation balloon brought aboard. The balloon stayed with us for a day and a half. It does not take much to set fire to one of these balloons, and the ones on the Utah and Nevada burned up. We steamed west for one day, and in the morning of the second day we sighted a convoy. The convoy consisted of one cruiser, eight destroyers, twelve transports, and three battleships. We stayed with this convoy for one day and then changed our course and went to meet another convoy. This convoy was made up of ten troop ships. It was a wonderful sight to see those big ships going through the water, never thinking that a submarine might be half a mile ahead of them. We left the convoy, returning to Bere-haven that night. While in Ireland we received four hours' liberty every two weeks. After a person had gone ashore once or twice he did not care to go again, because there was nothing to be seen. An English army camp was situated on the island where we went ashore. The men in the camp were very young men or men that had been at the front and were not fit for duty in the war zone. One of the boys went ashore one day and came back with five chickens. Nobody asked him where or how he got them, but they sure were good. Everyone had doubts as to his paying for them, because it was too near pay-day to have money enough to buy chickens. We left Bantry, Ireland, on the twenty-seventh of November for Weymouth, Eng- land, arriving there on the twenty-eighth. On the second of December the U. S. S. 29 ME

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N WJ 'CIFEQ Vimllgm- Q1-Eoin U WE a H939 TORPEDOED On August 5, 1918, I made my First jour- ney across the water on an English auxiliary battle cruiser. The Limey,' ship, as we called it, was not very large. The crew consisted of about 200. The ship was mounted with 8-6 in. guns and 4-3 lb. anti-aircraft guns. On our way over, between Ireland and Scot- land, we were torpedoed in the fore part of the ship. Two other ships that were with us were torpedoed and sunk, but I was lucky enough to be on the ship that was not damaged so com- pletely that help would be useless. We all abandoned the ship in life-boats and on rafts. Eight tugs that were summoned towed the ship to a dry dock. Some destroyers were sent out to pick us up. We were landed in Scotland after twenty-one days on sea. We were then taken to Glasgow, Scotland, on board H. M. S. Cloustershire. We stayed there but two days and then traveled by train to Southampton, England. We were here for two months at the rest camp, detailed to unload hospital ships every day. I saw some terrible sights during my stay. On October 27 I was assigned to thc U. S. S. Rochester. I was transferred to land duty in France the latter part of November. Went to Eastleigh, England, about three days before the armistice was signed. A telegram was sent by Admiral Sims from London, stating that the armi- stice had been signed. The officers broke the good news to us. We sure did paint the town red. I went to London four times during my stay at Eastleigh, and while there I saw President Wilson. Christmas Day was spent in Eastleigh. That evening all the 'cgobsw had their girls at the Y. IVI. C. A. while I spent my time operating the moving picture machine. They weren't shy on the eats, and l was sick three days after from eating so much turkey. On January 20 we left Eastleigh, homeward bound. We shoved off at Southamp- ton and went to Brest, France. Here we coaled ship and took a number of casuals on board our ship, the U. S. S. Plattsburg. After being out for five days, we encountered a high sea. We were all given orders to keep off deck. Out of curiosity, two friends and I skipped up on deck. While I was walking along the sea-deck, I was suddenly knocked down against the bulk-head and washed over-board by a large wave. The chief engineer happened to see me through a porthole and he quickly telegraphed to the 'Lbridgef' Two life-buoys were thrown to me. I got the second one. The ship had gone about a mile before it 28

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X A X W! Arizona came across, leaving the States after the armistice was signed. A few days , Cfmfe Vricignw qllfgenv T V 1 ' H9519 later, five American ships arrived from Scopa Flow, Scotland, where they had been stationed with the Grand Fleet. At Weymouth, England, is located a large naval prison. A great many German prisoners are kept here. The men work on the docks and in the large stone quarries. One of the largest breakwaters in the world is here. It is six miles long and is well fortified. In peace time there were four entrances to the harbor, but all except one of them have been blocked by sunken small ships in the entrances. The American Fleet under the command of Admiral Sims left Weymouth, Eng- land, on the thirteenth of December. The President's convoy was sighted on the morning of the fourteenth about nine o'clock. The convoy consisted of thirty destroy- ers, ten battleships, and the U. S. S. Washington. The convoy arrived in Brest, France, at two o'clock. At three the review of the destroyer force was held. Thirty destroyers shot past the George Washington and then back to the different bases. That evening the boatswain posted the word to rig ship for coaling. Everyone of the crew wondered about it because we had just coaled ship before leaving England. But they were soon shouting and glad because they found out if they coaled ship that night they would get a chance to go ashore in Brest the next day. All the men did not get a chance to go ashore in Brest. So a great many saw Brest through a port-hole. We left Brest at two o'clock December 15, 1918. We came home by the Azores route, which is the best route for that time of the year. On the way back a great many jokes were played on the men. One night one of the men put a bucket of water over the door, so that when one of the men came down he would get the water spilled over him. We heard someone coming down the ladder, and everyone was getting ready for a good laugh. To our surprise it was an officer and not the person whom we expected. He happened to be a young fellow and took it as a good joke and never said anything IIl0I'8. On the twenty-third of December we received some of our Christmas mail. The U. S. S. Wyoming left Brest and went to England, where it picked up what mail had been sent over for the ships. It was so calm that day that when you looked at the sea you thought you were on a great big plate glass. A motor-sailor from each ship was sent over after the mail. Those little boats would almost go out of sight in the big swells. Receiving mail in mid-ocean is something that does not happen every day in the year. The Fleet anchored in Ambrose Channel on the afternoon of December twenty- sixth and came up the North River on the morning of the twenty-seventh. It was re- viewed by the Secretary of the Navy. In the afteroon a big parade was held in New York. WALTER HAGEN. 30