THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



95 



TAKING ABOARD A CARGO 01? CANNED VOLCANOES 



• The flotilla of American warships which laid the North Sea mine barrage was appropriately 



called the "Suicide Squadron." 



This and other appropriate exercises, 

 together with many and varied tasks and 

 experiments given us to do, produced a 

 set of working principles, a well-seasoned 

 skill, a self-reliant spirit, and a united, 

 resolute confidence, all based on actual 

 accomplishment, which made this small 

 mine force an invaluable nucleus for the 

 project in hand. It was the more valu- 

 able because a substitute was nowhere 

 else obtainable. 



The Allies had done considerable mine- 

 laying, but not on the scale nor in such 

 a way as to be of much use as a guide in 

 the gigantic operation ahead. In fact, 



when the Baltimore was sent over, early 

 in March, 19 18, in advance of the others, 

 in response to an urgent request for a 

 vessel to help lay a field of British mines 

 in the North Irish Channel, she was 

 ready to do it immediately on arrival, and 

 as soon as the mines were received she 

 proceeded to lay the whole field alone, 

 without any assistance or preliminary 

 trials. 



This was a good sample of our quality, 

 which strengthened the confidence of our 

 British colleagues. 



The great task of the whole prepara- 

 tion was to expand this small force into 



