It fell to Sir Edward Carson's lot during his tenure as First Lord to face the most anxious and trying period of the naval war. During those eight months the U-boat sinkings of merchantmen reached their terrible climax, It was under his administration that the peak was surmounted and most of the important decisions of principle were taken by which the peril was ultimately overcome. The trial of the convoy system was urged upon the naval authorities by the Cabinet, and in this the Prime Minister took a decisive part.
At the end of April, 1917, the Director of the Anti-Submarine Division definitely advocated the introduction of convoys, and the first one left Gibraltar on May 10.
The convoy organization will for ever stand as a monument to the constancy and courage of the Royal Navy and Mercantile Marine.
No credit is too high for the officers and men who without previous training navigated these fleets of 40 or 50 ships in close formation through all the winds that blew. No service ever carried out by the Navy was of greater value to the State than that of the escort vessels.
Those who served in small ships will realize the skill, faithfulness and hardihood required to carry out this arity day after day, month after month. in wild weather and wintry seas without breakdown or failure.
The control and arrangements of the Admiralty and the Ministry of Shipping became more thorough and perfect with every week that passed.
The Admiralty, before the war, had not expected the mine to play an important part. In a war on the surface of the sea the weaker navy would no doubt use such a weapon to hamper the movements of its superior antagonist; but for the anger fleet the fewer mine-fields e better.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.