one of the most successful efforts of the whole war by any of the forces engaged. Not only has the North Sea barrage had a deterring effect necessarily on the enemy, but it has convinced the European nations that there is no task which the United States once undertakes to perform that they cannot and will not successfully carry through. I believe that the moral effect alone of the North Sea barrage, not only on the enemy, but on our friends, to say nothing of the excellent training to our own personnel, will be worth more to the country than all the money and time spent upon it. Actual serious damage to submarines, in amount comparing well with that done by patrol and escort vessels in thrice the period of time, panic among submarine flotillas, probable deterrence of cruiser raids, and considerable moral effect at home and abroad—these results were well worth while. And is it not more than probable that the barrage weighed heavily towards the German collapse? Imperfect though it was—expected to be so in its first consideration—still, there it stood, a deadly menace already, which could and would become more and more effective, the more the submarine campaign was persisted in. That campaign could not hope to survive it. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN GENERAL LIVING CONDITIONS No account of the mining excursions would be complete without some description of the conditions in which the ships’ companies worked. The accommodations on board were sufficient for their officers and, when clear of mines and the weather such as to permit hatches and air ports to be open, the crew’s quarters were roomy and comfortable. Upon embarking mines, however, the crew spaces in all ships except _Shawmut_ and _Aroostook_ became very cramped, and as the season advanced, mines were on board during a greater part of the time, while rainy weather became more frequent, thus making more discomfort on board with less diversion on shore. The simplest movement below decks was interfered with by the mines; moreover, their presence forbade moving pictures on board, restricted smoking, and limited the “happy hours” and similar forms of diversion, so common in our navy and so particularly desirable in our circumstances. After the third excursion it became the rule to embark the mines as soon as possible after returning to base. For the one night following a planting, the ships’ decks would be clear for hammocks, and all the watch below might then swing on their billets. Occasionally there would be one more night before the mines would be in the way again, but generally most of the ships would begin to take coal or mines on the day following their return to port. Thus the period of rest allowed, after the physical exertion and the tension of a mining excursion, was brief.