United States. Navy -- History -- World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations, American
Four hundred vessels were assigned to the Naval Forces Operating in
European Waters, 373 being present at the time of the armistice--70
destroyers, 5 gunboats, 5 Coast Guard cutters, 120 submarine chasers,
27 yachts, 12 submarines, 13 mine sweepers, 10 mine planters, 8
battleships, 3 cruisers, 16 tugs, 4 cross-channel transports, 55
vessels carrying coal for the army, 18 tenders and repair ships, and 7
vessels of miscellaneous types. In addition three Russian destroyers
were manned by United States naval personnel. Eighty-one thousand
officers and men of the Navy were in service in Europe. Thirty thousand
Marines were sent overseas for service with the Army and 1,600 for
naval duty ashore.
But that by no means covers all the service performed for the Allies
and our own forces in Europe. The entire Cruiser and Transport Force,
with its 83 vessels, 3,000 officers and 41,000 men; and the Naval
Overseas Transportation Service, with 378 vessels in operation, manned
by 4,692 officers and 29,175 men, were in trans-Atlantic service,
carrying troops and supplies. Practically all the 384 merchant ships
which had naval armed guards and navy guns were carrying food,
materials and other articles to allied armies and peoples. Thirty
thousand of the naval personnel were, at one time or another, engaged
in this service. Thus, a total of 834 vessels and more than 200,000
officers and men of the Navy and Marine Corps were engaged either in
European service or in trans-Atlantic service to and from Europe.
Our forces in Europe operated in forty-seven different localities,
extending from the Arctic Ocean all the way around to the Adriatic Sea.
The extent of our operations is seen from this list of the principal
naval bases, and the United States naval vessels on duty at each of
them on November 11, 1918:
Queenstown (2 tenders, 24 destroyers, 30 chasers, 3 tugs) 59
Berehaven (3 battleships, 1 tender, 7 submarines, 1 tug,
1 oiler) 13
Brest (1 gunboat, 16 yachts, 3 tenders, 38 destroyers,
9 tugs, 1 station ship, 4 steam barges, 4 barges,
9 mine sweepers) 85
Cardiff (1 tender, 1 refrigerator hulk, 55 colliers) 57
Gibraltar (2 cruisers, 4 gunboats, 5 Coast Guard cutters,
9 yachts, 1 tender, 6 destroyers, 18 chasers) 45
Genoa (2 tugs) 2
Azores (2 yachts, 1 tender, 1 oiler, 2 mine sweepers,
5 submarines, 1 tug) 12
Grand Fleet (5 battleships) 5
Murmansk (1 cruiser, also 3 Russian destroyers) 1
Mine Force (1 tender, 10 mine layers, 2 mine sweepers) 13
Southampton (4 transports) 4
Plymouth (1 tender, 2 destroyers, 36 chasers) 39
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