Official History of the War

The final volume is very much taken up with the submarine war, beginning with the introduction of the convoy system, which was strongly opposed in some naval quarters; the pros and cons are discussed. The part played by the US navy in the convoy system is also covered and U-boat activity off the American coast. Operations in Home Waters and in the Mediterranean from the end of 1917 are dealt with as well as the blocking of Zeebrugge and Ostend in the war against the U-boats. There are a number of informative appendices providing details of escort forces for convoys, statistics of volume of trade convoyed, allied and enemy shipping losses, RN and RM strengths and casualty figures.