The Force to which the U. S. S. Imperator belongs and with which she
has operated since being taken over by the U. S. Navy is the greatest
force of vessels ever operated under any nation's flag. At the time the
Cruiser and Transport Force was first commissioned, early in April,
1917, there were only a handfull of vessels ready to carry the
thousands of soldiers who were then being assembled all over the
country, to France. However, by the time the first sailing date
arrived--June 14th, 1917--we had equipped and ready to sail thirty odd
vessels.
The Force has been, and is to-day, under the command of Vice-Admiral
Albert Gleaves, U. S. Navy, who commanded all of our troopships,
transports and cruisers during our two years of war against the Central
Powers of Germany; the untiring efforts of Admiral Gleaves, his staff
of officers and enlisted men is now known to the world. Before the
armistice was signed, and before the Force begun to diminish, there
were one hundred and thirty-nine vessels in commission and extending
their efforts in bringing our soldiers back to their homeland.
There are ships operating in six different divisions, the largest of
which is the New York Division, with headquarters at Hoboken, N. J. To
transport safely approximately 1,750,000 troops to France and England,
together with their fighting equipment, their food and supplies and
food for our Allies, who had been three years at war, was no small
undertaking--it required hundreds of ships and thousands of officers
and enlisted men to accomplish the feat, but it HAS BEEN DONE!
Not too much praise can be given to the officers and men of the Navy
and especially those of the Cruiser and Transport Force, whether they
made one trip or a dozen. Every man who had his shoulder to the great
wheel which was pushed ahead until that spoke arrived which had
inscribed upon it VICTORY, deserves a like amount of credit for the
glorious accomplishments in the world's greatest struggle for humanity,
justice and the final eradication of militarism and autocracy.
[Illustration: _The "Y" gun, one of the valuable developments during
the war._]