It is believed that the report submitted by the commanding officer of the Kentucky setting forth in detail the manner in which the shipping in Baltimore Harbor was released in January, 1918, published herewith, will be of value to the service. It should be remarked that the winter of 1917-18 was an extraordinarily severe one and that the conditions described in this report are of exceedingly rare occurrence. It is entirely within the bounds of probability that similar conditions may occur again, and if so, the Navy will undoubtedly again be called upon to release the shipping in Baltimore Harbor.
File No. 1297-S U. S. S. Kentucky,
DED/F January 22, 1918.
From: Commanding Officer.
To: Commander Battleship Division One.
Subject: Operations of Kentucky—Breaking ice to release shipping in Baltimore Harbor.
- The Kentucky got under way at 6:31 p, m. January 6 and proceeded out of Base Two. Weather cold and rainy changing to sleet and snow. Anchored near Tue Marshes at 7:31 p. m. Next morning, January 7, foggy and warmer. At 10:00 a. m. cleared sufficiently to see Tue Marshes Lighthouse. Fixed position by range finder and got under way. Set course for old position of gate in inner net. Ice floes about four inches thick packed across river but apparently not drifting. Ship with revolutions for ten knots making 8 ½ knots. Tracked ship by means of observations on the Tue Marshes Lighthouse, using both forward and after range finders, taking readings every minute. From gate to inner net, set course for gate in outer net and continued to track ship by observations and range finder readings, one minute intervals. Found the eastern spar buoy marking outer net entrance to be in position—other buoys missing. Set course for Tangier Wreck buoy and continued down the river. Shortly after passing outer net, sighted York Spit Light. Tracked ship's course by observation of this light, observations every minute. Observations checked up with estimated speed and course run. Rounded York Spit with absolute confidence of ship’s position at all times, York Spit Light the only aid to navigation visible. No buoys in sight, weather still hazy but clearing. In the afternoon, with favorable sun swung ship on the courses and reverse courses needed in navigating channels of Baltimore approaches. After swinging ship, proceeded up the Bay. The ice in places was soft and of variable thickness, so it was difficult to gauge speed of ship. Sighted Wind Mill Point Light but weather was too hazy to sight San Marcos Wreck. Picked up Smith Point very much ahead of calculated time, probably due to underestimating speed of ship through ice. Was uncertain whether it was due to this or to current. Rounded Smith Point at sundown and shortly afterwards it began to snow, decreasing visibility of lights to about three miles. At same time, the ice floes became very hard, ice apparently about eight inches thick. The speed of the ship at times was reduced to 4 knots with turns for 10 knots. The weather was thick so that Point No Point was not sighted until within three miles’ distance. The ship's position continued to plot well with the courses steered, therefore we continued on. However, after rounding Cove Point the snow shut in very thick and the bay at that point was open water, clear of all ice floes. Came to anchor, but shortly afterwards snow slackened up so that Sharp’s Island Light was visible. Got underway again immediately. All lights were sighted after this at distances of about one half visibility range and no further trouble was experienced in so far as navigation was concerned. The Bay above Cove Point was for the most part open water but by means of the searchlight it could lie seen that the open space was not very extensive, being surrounded by heavy ice floes.
- January 8 was spent in steaming back and forth across the ice floes between Sandy Point and entrance to dredged channel. All open water had been closed up after we anchored and the ice measured from one foot to eighteen inches thick. The ship could make about 1 to 2 knots with turns for 10 knots. The texture of the ice was tough and elastic, not brittle and hard. At the end of the day it was observed that our efforts to cut the ice leading into the channel had apparently done more harm than good. The paths cut through the ice would be almost immediately closed up, thus increasing the thickness due to the piling up of the displaced ice by the ship pushing through the floes. For this reason it was decided not to attempt the next day, any further breaking up of the ice leading to the entrance.
- January 9 the weather was clear and the Craig Hill Ranges visible. Ship steamed in close to entrance of channel and anchored. The buoys that were visible were cut in by bearing and range finder readings. They were found to be in position. The dredged channel is about 600 feet wide and the difficulty anticipated was not so much the ability of the ship to buck through the ice but rather the ability to keep in the channel. Experience had shown that in bucking through thick ice, the ship’s bow pays off exactly in the direction of the crack, or in other words, in the line of least resistance. Some of the ice outside would not crack at all but simply curl up and turn over much as clay soil would turn before a plow. On the other hand, some ice was hard and flinty, and would crack suddenly and the ship’s head pay off rapidly in line of least resistance. In such cases it was difficult to bite into the slant of the ice surface formed by the crack to get the ship back on course. For these reasons it was anticipated that it would be very difficult to keep her in the dredged channel and it was considered essential that a tug follow the ship in readiness to pull her stern to point her fair. It was therefore decided not to attempt to enter the channel until a tug should be on hand for assistance.
- The Tavernilla arrived about 3:00 p. m. January 9, and the Kentucky started in at once, with the Tavernilla following. There were three steamers stuck in the ice at the very entrance to the channel—one a big collier, the Cubore, loaded with coal for the Bethlehem Steel Company at Sparrow's Point. The Cubore was lying directly athwartship the entrance to the channel with the twenty-two foot shoal spot, showing on the chart, directly astern of her—distance about 100 feet.
- Two other ships were stuck in the ice just inside of her but fortunately near the eastern edge of the channel and pointed fair up the channel. The Kentucky first broke up the ice ahead of the Cubore and then under her starboard quarter allowing her first to steam ahead and then back down, allowing room enough for the Kentucky to push across her bow. This had to be done very cautiously as the more broken the ice became around the Cubore, the more danger there was in the Kentucky taking a slant toward her in bucking through. Later on it became quite easy to cut around a steamer stuck in the ice but the first operation of the kind was very alarming. After passing across the bow of the Cubore the Kentucky entered the dredged channel just to the westward of the second steamer stuck in the ice on the extreme eastern edge of the channel—a British steamer in ballast. After passing these steamers and loosening up the ice around them they were enabled, with the assistance of the Tavernilla, to get pointed fair in our wake and the three followed us in. The ice at the entrance was very difficult to buck. A little lead of clear water to the westward, outside of the channel, caused the ship’s head to pay off suddenly toward the western bank in every attempt to make headway. However, by repeated trials, backing and ramming, using the engines constantly, the ship finally was worked into the middle of the channel, the range lights dead on. It probably required one hour for this operation and another hour to advance the first half mile. By this time it became evident that it was possible to cut her way in any direction desired even though the cracks did run slanting across the channel. The worst conditions were where the ice was rotten on one side and hard on the other. This simply required patience to work into the hard ice and get pointed fair into it, then back and ram the hard side with both engines full speed ahead. Some times the cracks would lead fair right up middle of channel. In these cracks the ship would often make a full ship’s length ahead before finally coming to the stop. For the most part, however, in backing off and ramming, she would make about fifty feet before coming to a stop. After the first few hours a great deal was learned with experience so that with every mile, the speed increased. To cut through Craig Hill Channel required nearly six hours from 2:30 p. m. to 8:00 p. m., but a large part of this time was required in cutting around the steamers in the entrance. Another delay was caused by having to dig out another steamer stuck in the ice about half way up Craig Hill Channel. Shortly after entering the Cut Off Channel we encountered some very thin ice and for part of this channel there was actually open water. At the entrance to Brewerton Channel the ice became solid as rock. We were nearly an hour going a hundred yards. The whole way through Brewerton Channel the ice was hard and solid. In some places the ice was four or five feet thick, apparently due to floes being jammed and piled together in drifting and then freezing into a solid mass. The ship stuck fast several times, the engines being unable to back her out, but, by going ahead on one engine and backing on the other, full ahead and suddenly reversing, she generally managed to get out. Only once in the whole trip was it necessary to have the Tavernilla get a line out to pull her stern around. This was to get her out of a jam. It was found practicable to keep her in the channel and on the range by use of her own power. The tug was never required to point her, as had been thought would be necessary. It will be seen from the foregoing that bucking through the ice was not so difficult as might be imagined and not so dangerous as it appeared before actually doing it. So long as the ice was solid and homogeneous it could be bucked with perfect safety. Where the ice was rotten in spots or unequal in thickness there was danger. Cautiousness in not attempting to make headway too fast was the remedy for this. The steersman could not anticipate nor help at all as is the case ordinarily in open water. The conning had to be done by judging the ice by its looks and estimating the direction of its line of least resistance. The rebound of the bow was often used in steering. If it was desired to make headway to the left it was often advantageous to put the rudder hard right and back full speed starboard engine, thus throwing her bow violently to right, then on the rebound to drive full speed ahead on starboard engine with rudder hard left. This trick often succeeded hut it was necessary to judge well the ice because it might not work; the ice on the starboard bow might crush in and in that case there would be no rebound but a positive advance in the wrong direction, but one rapidly learns to judge the quality of resistance the ice will offer. Before starting in, the life boats had been rigged in and guns run in, thus clearing the sides to allow tugs or steamers to come alongside. The jackstaff was lowered and a searchlight mounted in the eyes of the ship. This proved to be of great value not only in picking up buoys but in lighting up the ice ahead. The nature of the ice could be seen and also the cracks and the direction the cracks had taken.
- After turning into McHenry Channel everything went nicely. The channel had been kept broken up during early part of the freeze and hence it was easy to keep in the channel. There was no tendency to sheer out but merely a question of crumpling up the ice. We averaged about two and one half miles an hour in this channel. Upon approaching the harbor it was found to be filled with ships stuck hard and fast in the ice, about twenty in the ice off Point Breeze and an equal number to the left of the channel. The Kentucky came to anchor at 4:00 a. m., just south of Lazarette Point. The total time in making the passage was thirteen hours and fourteen minutes—distance fifteen and one-half miles.
- The afternoon, January 10, the representatives of the local harbor authorities (Harbor Board) came off and arrangements were made to convoy out the next day all vessels that could be gotten ready. The agreement was to have the vessels broken out from the piers, anchorages, etc., and pointed fair. The Kentucky to get underway and lead out, the vessels to follow—distance 500 yards. The Tavernilla to assist them in keeping up if possible. The Baltimore Pilot Association offered without expense to the Government the services of a pilot. Although we had come in without a pilot, this offer was gladly accepted. Mr. J. R. Thompson, the pilot furnished, proved to be a great help to us; in addition he has a very pleasing personality. Thereafter, Mr. Thompson always accompanied us on the trips in and out.
- On January 11 it the Kentucky got underway as planned. There were due to leave in the convoy, fifteen ships and possibly others. All vessels were requested to break a little of the ice from the sides of the track made by the Kentucky in order to insure that the rear vessels would not be nipped by the closing in. In the upper reaches where the ice was solid from shore to shore there was no tendency to close in but in the outer reaches where wind and tide would crack the floes, the track would gradually close in—never entirely, however. There was always left a narrow track of broken ice, even two days after we had passed through. The Kentucky headed out the channel made the previous day. The ship's head was kept up against the ice on the right side of the channel, port engine full speed ahead, starboard engine two thirds, rudder hard right. In this manner she would rip off about thirty feet, thus widening the channel by that much. To do this it was necessary, of course, to back and fill a great deal. Fine progress was made, however, the ship clearing the channel at Baltimore Light in four and a half hours, distance fifteen and one-half miles. The weather was hazy and misty and it could not be ascertained whether all vessels started as per schedule. As a matter of fact all of the vessels did start but many did not start until late in the afternoon and all the misfortune experienced by them was due to the late starts made. Nine vessels of the convoy passed out before dark and all but three of the others passed out later. Three incoming vessels were released from the ice and passed in. An attempt had been made to have all incoming vessels wait outside and follow the Kentucky in the next day but this was impracticable due to lack of any means of communication. Also events of the night of January 11 proved that to anchor out in the bay was a very dangerous procedure. After breaking up the ice as far as Sandy Point the Kentucky came to anchor off Baltimore Light. The weather became suddenly bad. Strong winds from the east set heavy ice floes down on us and the ship caught between ice floes was drifted rapidly toward the west shore. As soon as possible the anchor was weighed and the ship steamed out of danger and anchored well to windward. Shortly after the wind shifted to the south and blew with hurricane force, setting the ship and ice floes rapidly to the northward. The anchor had no effect whatsoever in checking her. It was with the greatest possible difficulty that she was finally headed up into the wind and with full power of the engines she was barely able to make headway through the ice floes. The ship steamed down the Bay to below Annapolis where clear water was found, and anchored at 4:00 a. m. The same morning the Kentucky passed in again and proceeded to Baltimore. Three of the previous day’s convoy that had started too late and caught in the ice had been blown about three miles to the northeast of Craig Hill Channel and another vessel, the S. S. Inland bound to Boston with cargo of coal had grounded on Seven Foot Knoll. This last named vessel was floated by the Tavernilla. The three other vessels managed to get back into the channel, due to the shift of wind to the northeast, blowing the ice floes and ships back toward the channel. Heavy drifting ice floes carried everything before them. To be anchored is a positive menace; the anchors are of no aid whatever. The only safety in such a case is for the ship to steam into the floes with sufficient force to split her way through faster than the floes are drifting. To split the floes it will be often necessary to back away and then go ahead full speed.
- While in Baltimore, the entire crew were given liberty in twenty- four hour details from Saturday 4:00 p. m. until Sunday 9:00 a. m. and from Sunday forenoon until 8.00 a. m. Monday. Out of the entire crew of over 700 men there were nine cases of absence overtime; seven of these returned within twenty-four hours. Officers and men displayed the greatest enthusiasm and energy in seizing the opportunity offered them for a little active, arduous duty. I am certain it is indicative of what may be expected of them in any war service that may come their way. The Tavernilla did excellent work and was always on the job. The boat was handled skillfully and effectively. She kept vessels of the convoy pointed fair and floated two steamers that had grounded: i. e., the S. S. Inland and the S. S. Cranmore. In addition to this she was always ready to do any duty ordered in the way of breaking vessels out of the ice, clearing docks and secondary channels and transporting men and stores to the Kentucky.
- Frequent inspections were made below to see that the ship was not being injured by ramming full power into the ice floes. There was not the slightest injury to the ship’s structure, the pressure against the armor and ram merely scraping off the paint. Scupper lips were of course broken off.