Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, R.N., Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters

Admiral House,

Queenstown.

12. 8. 18

My dear Admiral

          Very many thanks for your most kind letter about W Hunt.1 He is a live man otherwise I would not have recommended him to you. The Congressional Limited had a great time here; at first they wanted (or some of them) to rush through Q-,2 in the afternoon and then to go to Killarney but wiser counsel prevailed and they saw everything here and properly. We had Padgett, Butler, & Riordan at Admy Ho, and it proved a very good selection.3 Butler especially took my fancy, a very loveable man, I hope we shall see him here again as we both liked him very much.

About the seaplane ship Victor that we are going to fit up for the West Coast of Ireland. I see that the Admy propose that she should be manned by Americans. I have not yet seen the skipper who has been in command of her for three years, but am told that he is a very good seaman, knows the sea well and that it would be good to keep him in her. If so, I don’t know whether it could be managed, she will certainly require that type of man to command her, one who knows the type of steamer, as a very great deal will depend on him.

We return from Devonshire on the 26th & leave London 28th p.m., I would very much like to be allowed to see over your offices if you can spare the time.

Very many thanks for forwarding W. Paine’s4 book

Yours very sincerely    

Lewis Bayly        

I have started a hunting squadron of Kimberly Caldwell Allen & Flying Fox with kite balloon. They have had 4 days practice with US S/M s5 at Bher6 & started to hunt today LB

Source Note: ALS, DLC-MSS, William S. Sims Papers, Box 47.

Footnote 1: Sims’ informed Bayly that he could not hire William Hunt. See: Bayly to Sims, 12 August 1918.

Footnote 2: Queenstown.

Footnote 3: Lemuel P. Padgett from Tennessee; Thomas S. Butler from Pennsylvania; and Daniel J. Riordan from New York. For more on their visit, see: Sims to Bayly, 2 August 1918.

Footnote 4: Probably William Paine, author of, A New Aristocracy of Comradeship.

Footnote 5: Submarines.

Footnote 6: Berehaven.

Related Content