THE HALF-WAY HOUSE
AZORES VITAL IN NAVAL OPERATIONS--"ORION" CELEBRATED FOURTH OF JULY
BY DRIVING OFF U-BOAT THAT WAS SHELLING PONTA DELGADA--HUNDREDS OF
AMERICAN SHIPS STOPPED THERE ON THE WAY ACROSS--DUNN IN COMMAND OF
BASE--MARINES MANNED GUNS, MAINTAINED AERIAL PATROL--SUBMARINES
KEPT OFF SUBMARINES.
The Fourth of July, 1917, was ushered in by the booming of American
guns, not in the United States, but in the far-away Azores.
Bright and early, at 4:45 a. m. (not long after midnight in this
country), a German submarine began bombarding Ponta Delgada, the
principal city in the islands. The U-boat was one of the largest type,
with powerful guns, and she poured a rain of shells that crashed into
stores and residences, and exploded in the streets. People were panic
stricken. The antiquated forts were no defense. Their guns were not of
sufficient caliber to cope with the enemy. Knowing this, the Germans
thought they would have a picnic, without any risk or interruption,
shelling an undefended city and terrorizing its helpless inhabitants.
But relief came from an unexpected source. The United States naval
collier _Orion_ was in port, and three minutes after the enemy began
operations, her guns were in action. This was a surprise for the
submarine. When the shells began to fall around her, the Germans
could not imagine where they came from. The _Orion_ was at a dock
2,000 yards away on the other side of a point of land that juts out
into the harbor. She could not sail out immediately, as her stern had
been hoisted to make repairs. But she promptly turned her guns on
the intruder, and in a few moments the enemy found he was faced by a
formidable foe.
The _Orion's_ fire was too hot for the Germans. Its shells were falling
uncomfortably close; its gunners rapidly getting the range. Not many
minutes later the U-boat, baffled and disappointed, disappeared. The
submarine, it was discovered later, was the famous _Deutschland_, the
U-155.
Proclaiming that the American collier had saved the city, the whole
town joined in a spontaneous celebration. The captain of the _Orion_,
Lieutenant Commander J. H. Boesch, was cheered and fêted, as was his
whole crew. Officials tendered him their formal thanks, and he became
a hero in the Azores. All kinds of honors were paid him, and later he
was presented with a handsome gift, expressing the gratitude of the
Delgadans. They even named brands of cigars for him, with his picture
on the boxes--and I know no more conclusive evidence of popular favor
than that.
These islands--the "half-way point between America and Europe"--were
vitally important in our naval operations, and soon after war was
declared, we began negotiations with Portugal for permission to
establish an American naval base at that strategic point. U-boats of
large type were already operating in that region. Had the Germans
succeeded in establishing a base there or in utilizing the islands for
supplying or refueling submarines, they could have seriously menaced
our troop and cargo transportation, and trans-Atlantic lines of
communication.
The necessity of protecting this locality was emphasized in a dispatch
from our London headquarters on July 13, and letters of July 30, 1917,
in which we were informed that England had sent a mystery ship and two
submarines to the Azores, and the hope was expressed that the United
States would do the same. "The advisability," said the report, "of the
United States sending one of the older battleships with perhaps two or
three auxiliary craft to the Azores to prevent the use of these islands
as a base during the coming winter should be considered." The Germans
had, about that time, sent out the former _Deutschland_ to cruise in
the vicinity of the Azores.
Early in August, 1917, the _U. S. S. Panther_ and five coal-burning
destroyers arrived at Ponta Delgada "to operate against enemy vessels,
to assist torpedoed vessels and rescue survivors, and to deny the
island to enemy submarines which might try to use them as a base." In
September the _Wheeling_, with two destroyers, arrived, relieving the
_Panther_ and destroyers, which had been ordered to French waters. The
_Wheeling's_ captain was acting base commander.
On October 28, a division of U. S. submarines, the K-1, K-2, K-5 and
K-6, arrived, and later the E-1. These submarines and our destroyers
patrolled the waters around the Azores, and from the time operations
began there was practically no enemy submarine activity around the
islands, although the German Government had declared this a "barred
zone."
As a result of the Allied Naval Conference at London, in September,
1917, it was decided to establish a British naval intelligence center
in the Azores and to build a radio station eight miles west of Ponta
Delgada. Our Navy mounted a seven-inch gun on a high bluff for its
protection. This radio station was of great value, for prior to its
construction communication from the Azores was by cable to the United
States and thence to Europe. By arrangement, all British naval units
served under the general direction of the United States senior naval
officer.
As soon as the diplomatic negotiations with Portugal were completed, I
directed Admiral H. O. Dunn to proceed to Ponta Delgada and establish
a regular naval base. He embarked on the _Hancock_, with a complete
advance base outfit, and a detachment of Marine aviators with aircraft.
Guns were mounted at Ponta Delgada to defend the harbor, and nets and
other torpedo defenses were stretched across the entrance.
The First Marine Aeronautic Company, 12 officers and 133 men, operated
an anti-submarine patrol of ten R-6 and two N-9 seaplanes, and six
HS-2-L flying boats. Major Francis T. Evans was in command to July 18,
1918, when he was succeeded by Major David L. S. Brewster, who was in
command of these Marines until they were ordered home January 20, 1919.
Submarines and destroyers as well as aircraft, operated from Ponta
Delgada. The establishment of a hospital afforded treatment and comfort
not only to the personnel on duty there, but alike to men and officers
passing through, and to the people on the islands, who suffered greatly
during the influenza epidemic. Large warehouses, filled with stores,
furnished supplies to ships stopping at Ponta Delgada.
In addition to the value of this base to our own operations,
its potential value is seen from the fact that never after its
establishment did German submarines appear off the island. Several
operated in that region but were careful not to approach within reach
of our guns.
"The occupation of the Azores," said Admiral Dunn, "was of great
strategic value from the mere fact that had it been in possession of
the enemy, it would have formed an ideal base for submarines, and as
our convoy routes passed north and south of the islands an enemy base
would have been a very serious obstacle for the successful transport
across the ocean of troops and supplies."
All our submarine chasers, tugs and small craft sent to Europe stopped
at the Azores for fuel, provisions and repairs. Our repair ship and
station were found invaluable, particularly during the stormy winter
when many merchant vessels broke down in the vicinity. Tugs were sent
out to tow them in, repairs were promptly made, and they were sent
on their way. In several instances, merchant vessels were rescued at
distances of 400 to 500 miles from the islands. The relations between
the American naval officers and Portuguese authorities in the Azores
were most cordial, and this coöperation strengthened the ties between
the United States and Portugal.
If Portugal had not been in the war as an ally, it would have been a
tremendously difficult problem to have gotten across any of the yachts
and sub-chasers, and a large portion of our destroyers, because they
did not have the steaming radius to cover the more than 3,000 miles
of ocean between us and the coast of Europe. But for the base in the
Azores and Portugal's coöperation, we would have lacked a place to
re-fuel in mid-ocean. Before the Azores was open to us we were forced
to establish a mobile oil base at sea, moving the oilers secretly to
fuel our destroyers as they went across. Discovery of such an oil base
by the Germans would have been fatal to us, as sinking tankers and
oilers was a task at which their U-boats were most proficient.
On May 20, 1919, the people of Ponta Delgada again did honor to men of
the American Navy. On that day ships in the harbor were dressed, the
town decked in flags, and there was general rejoicing at the arrival
of the aviators on the first trans-Atlantic flight. A salute of
twenty-one guns was fired by the Portuguese battery, and the Governor
of the Azores and the Mayor of Ponta Delgada gave official welcome to
Commander J. H. Towers and the officers and crews of the "Nancys," as
those famous planes were called.
The Azores formed the central point in the flight from the United
States to Europe. It was the evening of May 16, 1919, when the three
giant planes swung out from Trepassy, Newfoundland, on the long "jump"
to the Azores, a distance of 1,380 miles. When the goal appeared to be
near, the worst foe of navigation appeared. A dense fog all but blinded
the pilots, endangering the success of the flight and putting the lives
of the flyers in peril. The NC-4 managed to ascend above the fog, and
15 hours and 13 minutes after leaving Newfoundland arrived at Horta,
the emergency stop in the Azores, and after a delay of three days, due
to bad weather, flew to Ponta Delgada. The NC-1 was forced to descend
to the water 45 miles from the island of Flores, and half an hour later
the NC-3 also descended not far from Fayal. Disabled by heavy seas, the
NC-1 sank. Nothing was heard from the NC-3 for more than two days. Many
people feared that she was lost, and there was general rejoicing when,
after fifty-three hours on the water, drifting and taxiing 209 miles,
she reached Ponta Delgada.
Early in the morning of May 26th, Commander Albert C. Read and his crew
departed on the NC-4 for the 891-miles flight for Lisbon, carrying
the good wishes of the people of the islands. Lisbon did honor to the
fliers, who had made a new world record. Bells rang, whistles blew, and
the guns of the shore batteries boomed as the thousands lined the water
front to welcome the aerial voyagers. Portuguese in Lisbon as well as
in the Azores took the deepest pride in the achievement of the great
adventure.