The most difficult problems which confronted the Administration in the
early part of 1917 were those which arose from the growing inadequacy of
the overseas communications of the Allies--problems which were
aggravated by the introduction of the unlimited submarine campaign on
Feb. 1. The expansion of the armies, the ever-increasing demand for
warlike material, the fall in production, especially of foodstuffs in
all allied countries through the calling of men to the colors, and the
decline in cultivation, coupled with the diversion of a large part of
the shipping of the Allies to purely military and naval transportation,
had already put a severe strain on the shipping resources of the
country. The immediate effect of the new campaign was to double the rate
of losses which had been incurred during 1916, and these losses rose
rapidly to a climax in March and April.
The countermeasures which were adopted by the navy, however, were
successful in reducing the attack to manageable proportions, though they
involved a drain upon the national resources both in man power and
material which is often not fully recognized, and which is by no means
the least important of the contributions of the British Empire to the
war. The number of men engaged either in the navy or in supplying naval
needs now exceeds a million. Unfortunately it is not possible to set
forth in detail the immense scope of the Admiralty operations. But they
include a very great addition to the armed craft in the service of the
navy from torpedo boat destroyers to mine-sweepers, airships, and
airplanes, and the organization of a vast system of patrols and
mine-sweepers. As a result of the self-sacrificing devotion on the part
of the men of the navy and the auxiliary services, and the steadfast
performance in all weathers and seasons of their monotonous and
dangerous duties, the enemy never succeeded in interfering to any vital
degree with the sea communications of the Allies.