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How Navy Has Built Up Huge Fleet to Bring Back War Veterans fai | nq NLL LULL First authentic story of what gov- ernment did to equip fleet of transports and supply ships QDUUQINGUOQOOEQUOTEEEOEEUCOLAQ OE UONTETTELAOLOOUUOOO OOOO NEETU NOE ITH the armistice signed and peace approaching, there has been more or less curiosity as to why more ves- sels have not been returned to their owners. It requires but a brief study to determine the answer. The first of May found ap- proximately 1,000,- 000 soldiers still in France and_ the terms of peace not : ratified. In addi- tion, the United States had assumed the duty of shipping 1,000,000 tons of foodstuffs to the allies and neutrals. Then came the demand for provisioning Russia. To bring the troops back will keep all available passenger ships in service for the remainder of the present calendar year and perhaps for a longer period. So long as any American troops remain in Europe, provisions must be freighted to them and until Europe has had an opportunity to plant and harvest JUQQUNNONOCIUESNUOULANEOOLUUENATLAUA EEA UYULEUUQUUQCQQAUACUOUGE0C0UCEAUOTENEOOOAOOUAAA TOOT OALUO LL TTECATOTALULHT ON THE LEVIATHAN a crop under peace conditions, our food will be required by its inhabitants. A complete record of what was done with the merchant ships during the war, and since, would All many volumes. A Ptiet. account of the size of this fleet, which was operated under navy control, would be a notable disclosure which the censorship during the war prevented. At the outbreak of war the United States was without a transport 288 DEUUUUUUUUOQUQUUUOUAQQOQUQOOUOUOUOUUUUUEUUOUOUTELHTTTTT © Int. Film Service AEA etna DOUGHBOYS OF THE RAINBOW DIVISION TAKING LIFE EASY WHILE HOMEWARD BOUND By V. G. Iden How Merchant Ships Have Been Changed to Carry the Thousands of Troops Home- ward Bound fleet and without a merchant marine capable of furnish- one. The army had a few transports of small carrying ca- pacity but: their speed was too slow torender them suit- able for transatlan- tic work through the submarine zone. With the exception of the HENDERSON and the HANCOCK, the navy was also without. suitable transports. Al available American passenger ships were pressed into GHGTILUAUOOHUUNUOUUSTTSTTUUOUOOOOOGGQOON0NOOOOOGTOUOOOUOOOOOOOOUUOOLUUTEOUODADTAOONOTUOUOOOQOOO0NOUUOUOUCO TOOL UOOPSEEOOOTOOOOOQOQOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUOOUUUUUUUOOOUOOOETOOEEEUOOOOCOOOOOOOOUOOOOOOOOUOUUOUOUUUUEUUUUHEEEUUEHL transport service. The seized Ger- man vessels were repaired and_ used. And as rapidly as troops were sent over, a fleet of freighters was built up to supplement the service. Today the merchant fleet operated by the navy is the largest in the world under any single head. The navy's merchant fleet, however, is divided into two services. One is the cruiser and transport serv- ice, concerned with troop movement,