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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, to Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

DISPATCH TO BE SENT.

Date August 2, 1918.

To Opnav.

Prepared by CS   Approved <NCT>  Code <46 ARD>   No. <Simben 20>

SIMBEN

     Simben 20. Referring my Simben 17.1  Admiral Bayly2 informs me as follows:

     “Boom defence at Berehaven is efficient and anchorage is safe from submarines. There is ample room for three battleships of any size in Berehaven”.3 <22202.>

SIMS

Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 45, Entry 517B. Document identifier: “3/J.”

Footnote 1: Simben 17 has not been found.

Footnote 2: Adm. Sir Lewis Bayly, Commander-in-Chief, Southern Ireland.

Footnote 3: To protect U.S. troop convoys from surface raiders, Adm. William S. Benson, the Chief of Naval Operations, proposed on 30 July to base three U.S. battleships in European waters. They had proposed either Queenstown, Ireland, or Brest, France, as the ports at which they battleships would be based. Because of Sims’ (and Bayly’s) recommendation, the battleships Nevada, Oklahoma and Utah were based at Berehaven. Jones, “U.S. Battleship Operations,” 177, 191-93.

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