many ships and safely transported many American troops,
the numbers having increased greatly in the spring and summer. A few
troops were carried over by other allied ships. The actual number
transported in British ships was more than a million.

Up to November 1, 1918, of the total number of United States troops in
Europe, 924,578 made passage in United States naval convoys under escort
of United States cruisers and destroyers. Since November 1, 1917, there
have been 289 sailings of naval transports from American ports. In these
operations of the cruiser and transport force of the Atlantic fleet not
one eastbound American transport has been torpedoed or damaged by the
enemy and only three were sunk on the return voyage.

Our destroyers and patrol vessels, in addition to convoy duty, have
waged an unceasing offensive warfare against the submarines. In spite of
all this, our naval losses have been gratifyingly small. Only three
American troopships--the _Antilles_, the _President Lincoln_, and the
_Covington_--were sunk on the return voyage. Only three fighting ships
have been lost as a result of enemy action--the patrol ship _Alcedo_, a
converted yacht, sunk off the coast of France November 5, 1917; the
torpedoboat destroyer _Jacob Jones_, sunk off the British coast December
6, 1917, and the cruiser _San Diego_, sunk near Fire Island, off the New
York coast, on July 19, 1918, by striking a mine supposedly set adrift
by a German submarine. The transport _Finland_ and the destroyer
_Cassin_, which were torpedoed, reached port and were soon repaired and
placed back in service. The transport _Mount Vernon_, struck by a
torpedo on September 5 last, proceeded to port under its own steam and
was repaired. The most serious loss of life due to enemy activity was
the loss of the Coast Guard cutter _Tampa_, with all on board, in
Bristol Channel, England, on the night of September 26, 1918. The
_Tampa_, which was doing escort duty, had gone ahead of the convoy.
Vessels following heard an explosion, but when they reached the vicinity
there were only bits of floating wreckage to show where the ship had
gone down. Not one of the 111 officers and men of her crew was rescued,
and, though it is believed she was sunk by a torpedo from an enemy
submarine, the exact manner in which the vessel met its fate may never
be known.

OTHER POINTS SUMMARIZED

Secretary Daniels records many other achievements of ships and
personnel, including tho