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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Diary of Commander Joseph K. Taussig

[Extract]

Thursday

Oct. 18.

Queenstown

     This is the sixth anniversary of my wedding day. sent Lulie1 a cablegram yesterday, hoping it will reach her today.

     Took a look at the Cassin in dry dock. About 20 feet of her stern are gone. The after gun and carriage were blown overboard, but the base plate is intact although the deck is gone all about it. They were lucky to have only one man killed and five injured.2

     As reports about the U-Boat sinkings have been very much alike, this is the first notice I have inserted for a long time.3 When the tonnage destroyed is figured out, we see no mention as to whether gross tonnage, net tonnage, or displacement are considered.4 I imagine that the British figure on net tonnage while the Germans figure on gross tonnage. That is why the German figures are so much in excess of those given out by the British. . . .

     Had dinner with Captain Pringle, Daniels, and Arwine on the Melville.5 We discussed the Men’s Club, with a view of making improvements and satisfactory rules. Our idea is to have a committee formed by each ship electing a representative, and this committee to appoint its own sub-committees for operating the various parts. At present there are movies only twice a week. We want to get sufficient films to have a movie show every night. The restaurant is popular now. One day they took in over $220.00.

     As the men are not allowed to go to Cork on account of trouble with the Sinn Feiners, we must do all we can to furnish them with recreation and amusement here in Queenstown.6

Source Note: D, RNW, Joseph K. Taussig Papers, Mss. Coll. 97, Naval Historical Collection.

Footnote 1: Taussig’s wife, Lulie J. Taussig.

Footnote 2: On the attack on the Cassin, see: Report on Torpedoing of U.S.S. Cassin, 15 October 1917.

Footnote 3: The newspaper article is pasted into diary. It describes a drop in the tonnage being sunk by German submarines as a result of convoying efforts.

Footnote 4: A gross ton (long ton or English ton) is equal to 2,240 pounds; a net ton (short ton) is equal to 2,000 pounds. Displacement tonnage is a ship's weight measured indirectly, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, and then calculating the weight of that water. It is usually expressed in long tons.

Footnote 5: Capt. Joel R. Poinsett Pringle, Cmdr. Joseph F. Daniel, and Lt. John S. Arwine Jr.

Footnote 6: On the “Men’s Club,” see: Pringle to William S. Sims, 19 October 1917. On the issues in Cork, see: Sims to Josephus Daniels, 11 September 1917.