The Crisis of the Naval War

by John Rushworth Jellicoe

The table on the following page would not be complete were no reference made to the heavy losses which were experienced during the year amongst ships which were unescorted through the danger zones, owing to the fact that no escorting vessels were available for the work.

LOSSES IN HOMEWARD BOUND CONVOYS, 1917.
PORTS OF DEPARTURE OF CONVOYS.
|------------------------------------------------------------------
| | No. of | No. lost | Percentage |
| Particulars | Ships | in | of |
| of Convoys. | convoyed | convoys | losses |
| | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| NEW YORK AND | of | 447 | 5 | 1 |
| HAMPTON ROADS | Aug. | | | |
| Started in May. |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 1,000 | 11 | 1 |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 1,280 | 11 | .93 |
| | Nov. | | | |
|------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| GIBRALTAR | of | 122 | 2 | 1.6 |
| Started in July | Aug. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 359 | 8 | 2.2 |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 484 | 12 | 2.5 |
| | Nov. | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| SCANDINAVIAN. | of | 3,372 | 42 | 1.2 |
| Started in April.| Aug. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 4,800 | 6 | 1.3 |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 5,560 | 3.63 | 1.1 |
| | Nov. | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| FRENCH COAL | of | 8,871 | 16 | .18 |
| TRADE | Aug. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 12,446 | 20 | .16 |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 14,416 | 24 | .16 |
| | Nov. | | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Dakar convoy at the end of November and in the Halifax convoy 150 ships had been brought home without loss, whilst in the Sierra Leone convoy 1 ship had been lost out of 90 convoyed.

LOSSES IN OUTWARD BOUND CONVOYS STARTED IN AUGUST
PORTS OF COLLECTION OF CONVOYS.
|------------------------------------------------------------------
| | No. of | No. lost | Percentage |
| Particulars | Ships | in | of |
| of Convoys. | convoyed | convoys | losses |
| | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| MILFORD | of | 86 | Nil. | Nil. |
| HAVEN. | Aug. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 360 | Nil. | Nil. |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 535 | 3 | .56 |
| | Nov. | | | |
|------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| LAMLASH. | of | 35 | 1 | 2.8 |
| | Aug. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 175 | 2 | 1.1 |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 284 | 2 | .7 |
| | Nov. | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| PLYMOUTH. | of | 42 | Nil. | Nil. |
| | Aug. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 246 | Nil. | Nil. |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 414 | 1 | .23 |
| | Nov. | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| FALMOUTH. | of | 14 | Nil. | Nil. |
| | Aug. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 146 | Nil. | Nil. |
| | Oct. | | | |
| |----------------------------------------------|
| | To end | | | |
| | of | 185 | Nil. | Nil. |
| | Nov. | | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

In the convoys starting from Queenstown 180 ships had been sent out up to the end of November without loss.

There were naturally loud complaints of these losses, but these were inevitable in the absence of escorting vessels, and no one realized the dangers run more than those responsible for finding protection; every available vessel was not only working at highest possible pressure, but, as has been mentioned, breakdowns from overwork amongst escorting craft were causing very considerable anxiety.

The following figures show the dangers which were run by unescorted vessels:

Losses amongst British merchant
steamships in 1917 by submarine
attack, under separate escort, under
Period convoy or unescorted.
Ships under Ships Ships
separate under unescorted.
escort. convoy.
Quarter ending June 30 ... 17 26 158
Quarter ending September 30 ... 14 29 148
October and November ... 12 23 90

In considering the above table it should be pointed out that a large proportion of the losses shown under the heading "Ships unescorted" took place amongst ships which had either dispersed from a convoy or which were on their way to join up with a convoy at the port of assembly. It was unfortunately quite impossible to provide escorts for all ships either to their ports of discharge or from their loading ports to the ports of assembly for the convoy, as we had so few vessels available for this work. Thus, in the month of November, 1917, out of 13 vessels engaged in the main oversea trade that were lost, 6 were in convoy, 5 had left or had not joined their convoy, and 2 were not joining a convoy and were unescorted.

November was the month of smallest British losses during the period of unrestricted warfare in 1917, and it is of interest to examine the losses for that month. The total number of ships lost was 51. As many as 1,197 vessels entered or left home waters in overseas trade exclusive of the Mediterranean trade. Of this aggregate 87.5 per cent, were in convoy, and the total number of these vessels sunk (13) was divided amongst the following trades: North America, 1; Gibraltar, 5; West Africa and South America, 1; the Bay of Biscay, Portugal and Spanish ports west of Gibraltar, 5; Scandinavian, 1. In the same month there were 2,159 cross-Channel sailings and ten losses, nine of these vessels being unescorted.