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In his book, "The Victory at Sea," Admiral Sims said:

One day Admiral Bayly, Captain Pringle of the U. S. S. Melville, Captain Campbell, the Englishman whose exploits with mystery ships had given him world-wide fame, and myself, went out on the Active to watch certain experiments with depth-charges. It was a highly imprudent thing to do, but that only added to the zest of the occasion from Admiral Bayly's point of view.

"What a bag this would be for the Hun," he chuckled. "The American Commander-in-Chief, the British admiral commanding in Irish waters, a British and an American captain."

In our mind's eye we could see our picture in the Berlin papers, four distinguished prisoners standing in a row.

The destroyers which escorted the first troop convoys were, after they reached St. Nazaire, sent to the base in Ireland. By July 5th we had thirty-four destroyers at Queenstown. Thirty-seven vessels of the Force—35 destroyers and two tenders—had been sent to Europe, as follows:

Destroyers and Date of Sailing Commanding Officer Wadsworth—April 24 Lt. Comdr. J. K. Taussig Conyngham—April 24 Lt. Comdr. A. W. Johnson Porter—April 24 Lt. Comdr. W. K. Wortman McDougal—April 24 Lt. Comdr. A. P. Fairfield Davis—April 24 Lt. Comdr. R. F. Zogbaum Wainwright—April 24 Lt. Comdr. F. H. Poteet Rowan—May 7 Lt. Comdr. C. E. Courtney Tucker—May 7 Lt. Comdr. B. B. Wygant Cassin—May 7 Lt. Comdr. W. N. Vernou Ericsson—May 7 Lt. Comdr. C. T. Hutchins Winslow—May 7 Lt. Comdr. N. E. Nichols Jacob Jones—May 7 Lt. Comdr. D. W. Bagley Melville (tender)—May 11 Commander H. B. Price Cushing—May 15 Lt. Comdr. D. C. Hanrahan Nicholson—May 15 Lt. Comdr. B. A. Long Sampson—May 15 Lt. Comdr. B. C. Allen Cummings—May 15 Lt. Comdr. G. F. Neal Benham—May 15 Lt. Comdr. J. B. Gay O'Brien—May 15 Lt. Comdr. C. A. Blakely Patterson—May 21 Lieut. J. H. Newton Warrington—May 21 Lieut. I. F. Dortch Drayton—May 21 Lieut. D. L. Howard Jenkins—May 21 Lieut. W. H. Lee Paulding—May 21 Lieut. J. S. Barleon Trippe—May 21 Lieut. R. C. Giffen Sterrett—May 23 Lieut. G. W. Simpson Walke—May 23 Lieut. C. F. Russell Jarvis—May 25 Lieut. L. P. Davis Perkins—May 25 Lieut. F. M. Knox Dixie (tender)—May 31 Commander J. R. P. Pringle Burrows—June 14 Lieut. H. V. McKittrick Fanning—June 14 Lieut. A. S. Carpender Allen—June 14 Commander S. W. Bryant Wilkes—June 14 Lt. Comdr. J. C. Fremont Ammen—June 17 Lieut. G. C. Logan Shaw—June 17 Lt. Comdr. M. S. Davis Parker—June 17 Lt. Comdr. H. Powell

Others were sent as they became available, and new destroyers, in course of construction when war began, were dispatched to Europe upon completion. All but two of the destroyers we had in April, 1917, served in foreign waters. We also sent to Europe nine of the old type later designated as "coast torpedo vessels"—the Bainbridge, Barry, Chauncey, Dale, Decatur, McDonough, Stewart, Truxtun and Worden—and, old and small as they were, they did excellent service. Eighty-five destroyers, in all, saw service in the "war zone."