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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

George I. Gay, Commissioner, Planning Division, Shipping Board, to Raymond B. Stevens, Vice-Chairman, Shipping Board, and Representative, Allied Maritime Transport Council

 

Chronological Copy.                           File No.

Cablegram Received May <16, 1918.> 88317  RES

Origin  Opnav Washington                     Ser. No. S M 113

     C-3  17 May

31 ADR

Simsadus

Boards Navy 113. For Stevens from Gay. 2 factors of importance in proposed revision of British Re-routing Plan Petroleum Mission 5 requires consideration.

     1. Any additional burden on Atlantic Seabosrd [i.e., Seaboard] Refineries at present time will require additional tank ship transportation of crude from Gulf Coast point.1 Same point is involved in general policy of routing all oil shipments from North Atlantic Refineries. Policy is valid up to quantity of refinery output possible without additional crude from Gulf Coast points. Revision of tonnage estimate therefore necessary.2

     2. Recent developments indicate superiority of Napathene [i.e., Naphthene] Base Aviation Naphtha such as derived from East Indies and Southern Asia based upon British and French experience and trend of opinion here. Enemy used this type. Pershing3 cables must have equivalent of enemy gasoline. Bureau of Mines Bureau of Standards and Signal Corps now investigating. If Correct our supply Aviation Naptha must come largely from California. At best only small quantities available United States. Believe destruction this superior material hazards policy not justified by saving and revision should be delayed at least pending further result of investigation.4 20016.

Benson   

Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 45, Entry 517B. The date is handwritten but agrees with the time/date stamp at the end of the text.

Footnote 1: With the loss of the Russian oil fields, the United States was supplying eighty percent of the Allies wartime requirement for petroleum. In 1917, this surging demand exhausted available petroleum supplies in the United States. The gap was closed by using up inventories and by importing more oil from Mexico. Daniel Yergin, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1990), 178.

Footnote 2: On the continued use of double bottoms for transport of oil because of the shortage of petroleum stocks, see: William S. Sims to Josephus Daniels, 19 May 1918. Also, there were complaints that United States tankers were being sent on more dangerous routes than was necessary. See: William S. Benson to Sims, 22 May 1918.

Footnote 3: Maj. Gen. John J. Pershing, Commander, American Expeditionary Forces.

Footnote 4: Stevens’ reply has not been found.

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