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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 Captain Thomas E. Crease, Secretary of the Allied Naval Council

 

CONFIDENTIAL.                           9 March 1918.

From:  Force Commander.

To  :  Secretary of the Allied Naval Council.

Subject:  Transportation of U.S.Troops and Supplies to Europe.

Reference: (a) Your letter of March 2, 1918.1

     1/ With the present available vessels 15 to 18 troop transports will arrive each month in French ports. In addition to these the LEVIATHAN will for the present make a round trip once every two months to the United Kingdom.2

     2. It is estimated that for the supply of the U.S. troops in France there will arrive each month in French ports 55 storeships. The greater part of all troop and supply transports will be brought into French Atlantic ports.

     3. At present about 25 – 30 storeships per month are arriving on the Frenchcoast. This number will increase to approximately 70 ships by the end of 1918. The average number for the year 1918 should be about 55 storeships per month.

Wm. S. Sims.       

Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 45, Entry 517B. Identification number “01. 10768-11-4-24” appears in the upper-left corner and “11-4-24/1/3/c/j” appears in the upper-right corner in columnar fashion.

Footnote 1: This letter has not been found.

Footnote 2: Leviathan was the former German passenger ship S.S. Vaterland. Interned after putting in at Hoboken in 1915, the U. S. government seized it upon declaring war on Germany. It was used as a troop transport throughout the conflict. DANFS.

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