Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operations, to Vice Admiral William S. Sims, Commander, United States Naval Forces Based in European Waters

Chronological Copy.                          File No.

          Cablegram Received  June <22,1918.> 08122    RES

Origin Opnav Washington                      Ser. No. 7607

       C-1     23 June

          33 ADR

SECRET

Simsadus.

7607. War Department request following troop ships regular routed Newport News, Va., West passage1

     KURSK,

     TSAR, <Czar>

     TSARITA <Czaritza>

     DANTE <Alighieri,>

     DUCADAOSTA,<Duca D’Aosta,>

     DUCA,

     DUCLLABRUZZI, <Duca degli Abruzzi,>

     CASERTA, <Caserta>

     REDITALIA <Re d’Italia,>

     S.S.AMERICA

     PATRIA

     SOBRAL

     LUTETIA                 Acknowledge. 10022. 7607.

Benson        

N. B. “CAS” and TA of CASERTA comes garbled.     

Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 45, Entry 517B. Someone crossed through all the ship names in the column except KURSK and the last four on the list and, in a number of occasions, wrote a “corrected” version either to the left or right of the original. The editors have placed those “corrections” in angle brackets immediately following the original name.

Footnote 1: This request was that these troop transports, at least most of which were leased from Italian and Russian shipping companies, leave from Newport News and, if the voyage of Czar leaving 16 June is typical, then link up with convoys from New York. Crowell and Wilson, The Road to France: 433.

Related Content