The Black Sea ports were also to be evacuated by Germany and she must give up the Russian fleet. While the blockade was to be maintained as respected Germany, all German restriction upon the trade of neutrals was removed. Germany must give up all the prisoners she had taken, all the ships she had seized, but this was not reciprocal. German prisoners of war and German ships remained in the custody of the Allies. While President Wilson was reading to the assembled Congress the drastic terms which Germany had been forced to accept in order to obtain peace there was a tense silence on the part of the great audience. It was only when they realized, as paragraph after paragraph was read, how complete the victory of the Allies was that faint handclapping was heard, then cheers and presently everyone in the gallery and on the floor was on his feet cheering madly. After reading the terms of the armistice President Wilson continued: "The war thus comes to an end; for, having accepted these terms of armistice, it will be impossible for the German command to renew it." PART V--VICTORY ON THE SEA CHAPTER XVI NAVAL EXPLOITS OF THE ALLIES--SUBMARINES The fleets of the Allies, and the American fleet, had comparatively few opportunities for direct action after August 1, 1918, yet they had a great share in winning the war. A British destroyer which had been seriously damaged by collision was torpedoed and sunk by an enemy submarine in the Mediterranean on August 6, 1918. Two officers and five men lost their lives as a result of the collision. On the next day, August 7, 1918, the old French cruiser _Dupetit Thouars_, which was cooperating with the American navy in the protection of shipping in the Atlantic, was torpedoed by a submarine. American destroyers rescued the crew, of which, however, thirteen were reported missing. The _Dupetit Thouars_, 9,367 tons, was launched in 1901. She carried two 6-inch and eight 6.4-inch guns. Two British destroyers struck mines and sank on August 15, 1918. Twenty-six men were reported missing--presumed killed by explosion or drowned. One man died of wounds. In the latter part of August, 1918, a notable feat was performed by an Italian submarine. On August 20, 1918, it was officially reported that, a few days before in the upper Adriatic, the Italian submarine _F7_, after crossing certain mined areas, boldly entered the Gulf of Quarnerolo, and seeing near the island of Pago a large Austrian steamer going south, the _F7_ succeeded in hitting the vessel amidships with a torpedo, which sank her. The submarine returned unharmed to her base.