Only one of our armed yachts in French waters was sunk, the _Alcedo_, torpedoed at 1:45 a. m., November 5, 1917. She sank in eight minutes. About 75 miles west of Belle Ile, she was escorting a convoy, when a submarine was sighted, and then a torpedo, which struck the ship under the port forward chain-plates. Boats were lowered, and as the vessel began going down, Commander W. T. Conn, Jr., the commanding officer, ordered the men who were still aboard to jump over the side, intending to follow them. Before he could jump, however, the vessel listed heavily to port, plunging by the head, and sank, carrying him down with the suction. Coming to the surface, he swam to a raft, and later got to a whaleboat, which, with several dories, went among the wreckage, picking up survivors. Half an hour after the _Alcedo_ sank, the submarine approached, but after remaining twenty or thirty minutes steered off and submerged. After searching the vicinity for three hours, Commander Conn's boat and the others with him, containing 3 officers and 40 men, headed for Penmarch Light. They rowed until 1:15 that afternoon, when they were picked up by a French torpedo-boat. Reaching Brest at 11 p. m., Commander Conn was informed that two other dories, containing 3 officers and 25 men, had landed at Penmarch Point. One of the _Alcedo's_ officers, Lieutenant (junior grade) John T. Melvin of Selma, Ala., and 20 enlisted men were lost. This was the last American naval or troop-vessel sunk in many months by the submarines, which were kept on the run by our forces. The _Wakiva_, _Noma_, and _Kanawha_ fought off two U-boats and it is believed sank one, which appeared as they were escorting the storeships _Köln_ and _Medina_ on November 28, 1917. At 6:20 p. m., the lookout on the _Kanawha_ reported a periscope on the port beam, heading towards the _Medina_. It disappeared, but at 6:50 the _Noma_ saw a periscope on her starboard beam. Twelve minutes afterward the _Wakiva_ sighted a periscope heading towards the convoy. Swinging into position to fire a torpedo at the _Wakiva_, the submarine crossed the yacht's wake. The _Wakiva_ fired three shots, apparently striking the periscope, which disappeared. She also let go two depth-charges. As the _Wakiva_ approached, what appeared to be the conning tower of the submarine emerged. The yacht fired at it, and the conning tower sank. The _Wakiva_ dropped numerous depth-charges and after they exploded her commander saw what seemed to be three men clinging to a piece of wreckage. He hailed them, but received no response, and when the yacht went near the place they had disappeared. In the meantime the _Noma_ had continued search, and sighted a periscope on her starboard bow, turned toward it, and let go several depth-charges. Officers were convinced that there were two submarines, and that one of them was sunk by the _Wakiva_.