The _Jupiter_ is nearly as large as a
battleship, and stands out of the water like a church. Nevertheless, the
collier, completely armed and well able to take care of herself, made
the trip without convoy. She was the first electrically propelled vessel
of large size ever built, and her performance was so good that it led to
the adoption of the electric drive for all our new battleships and
cruisers.

In the meantime, with our destroyers working valiantly in the fight
against the submarines, Admiral Sims, their commander, had made himself
indispensable to the British Admiralty, whose high regard was manifested
on June 19, when, as already noted, he was appointed to take charge of
operations of the Allied naval forces in Irish waters while the British
commander-in-chief was absent for a short period. Washington had given
wide powers to Admiral Sims to the end that he might be in a position to
meet any emergency that might arise. While much of his time was spent in
Paris and London, his home was at the Irish base, a fine old mansion 300
feet above the town, with beautiful lawns and gardens, having been
turned over to him.

In June of 1917, June 4, it was announced in Washington that an American
squadron had arrived in South American waters in accordance with the
plan of relieving British and French cruisers of patrol duty in waters
of the western hemisphere, merely one more instance of the scope of the
plans which the Navy Department had formulated when we entered the war.

On June 25 came word that the first American convoy (transports with
American troops), under direction of Rear-Admiral Albert M. Gleaves,
commander of our convoy system, had arrived safely at a port in France.
On July 3 the last units of ships with supplies and horses reached its
destination. The expedition was divided into contingents, each
contingent including troop-ships and an escort of sea-fighters. An ocean
rendezvous with American destroyers operating in European waters was
arranged, and carried out in minutest detail.

The convoy did not cross the seas without incident. In the newspapers of
July 4 the country was electrified by a statement issued by the Creel
bureau of a rather thrilling combat between war-ships attached to the
convoy and German submarines, in which the U-boat was badly worsted.
Details were given, and all in all the whole affair as presented was
calculated to give the utmost unction to American pride. Next day,
however, ca