Bayly's War: The Battle for the Western Approaches in the First World War

by Steve R Dunn

Overview

Baylys War is the story of the Royal Navys Coast of Ireland Command (later named Western Approaches Command) during World War One.Britain was particularly vulnerable to the disruption of trade in the Western Approaches through which food and munitions (and later soldiers) from North America and the Caribbean and ores and raw materials from the Southern Americas, all passed on their way to Liverpool or the Channel ports and London. After the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 and the introduction of unrestricted submarine warfare by the Germans, Britain found herself engaged in a fight for survival as U-boats targeted all incoming trade in an attempt to drive her into submission. Britains naval forces, based in Queenstown on the southern Irish coast, fought a long and arduous battle to keep the seaways open, and it was only one they began to master after American naval forces joined in 1917.Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly was the man appointed to the Coast of Ireland Command. A fierce disciplinarian with a mania for efficiency, and thought by some of his colleagues to be more than a little mad, Bayly took the fight to the enemy. Utilising any vessel he could muster trawlers, tugs, yachts as well as the few naval craft at his disposal, he set out to hunt down the enemy submarines. The command also swept for mines, escorted merchantmen and fought endlessly against the harsh Atlantic weather. Relief came When America sent destroyers to Queenstown to serve under him, and Bayly, to the surprise of many, integrated the command into a homogenous fighting force.Along the way, the Command had to deal with the ambivalent attitude of the Irish population, the 1916 Easter Rising, the attempt to land arms on Irelands west coast and the resurgence of Irish nationalism in 1917.Baylys War is a vivid account of this vigorous defence of Britains trade and brings to life the U-boat battles, Q-ship actions, merchant ship sinkings and rescues as well as the tireless Bayly, the commander at the centre.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526701251
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/24/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Steve Dunn is an author with a special interest in the Royal Navy of the late nineteenth century and the First World War. He has written biographies and narrative histories, most recently Blockade and Securing the Narrow Sea, both published by Seaforth. Steve lives in Worcestershire and southwest France.

Table of Contents

List of Plates 7

A Note on the Structure and Intent of this Book 11

Preface 13

Prologue 16

Part 1 The Coast of Ireland Command until April 1917 19

1 The Western Approaches and Queenstown 21

2 War, 1914 28

3 'It was just murder', January - July 1915 40

4 A New Broom, 1915 53

5 New Ships, New Tactics, July and August 1915 60

6 Bad Blood and First Blood, August and September 1915 69

7 The U-boats Return: January - April 1916 81

8 'A Terrible Beauty is Born', April 1916 89

9 The Calm Before the Storm, May - December 1916 102

10 Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, 1917 116

11 April is the Cruellest Month, 1917 129

Part 2 The Royal Navy and United States Navy under Bayly's Command 141

12 The Americans Arrive, 1917 143

13 'Pull Together': Joint Operations Commence, 1917 155

14 U-Boot-Falle, 1917 164

15 The Fight Continues, 1917 175

16 The Americans are Blooded, 1917 189

17 A Strange Sort of Life 197

18 Difficult Times, December 1917 206

19 The Turning Tide, January - June 1918 214

20 The War from the Air 235

21 A Hard Road, July - September 1918 240

22 Victory, 1918 251

Part 3 Bayly's Leaving and Achievements 257

23 Pain and Pleasure: An Admiral Takes His Leave 259

24 Considertaions and Conclusions 267

25 Envoi 275

Appendices

1 The Principal Queenstown Sloops and their Commanders 278

2 The Queenstown VCs 279

3 Why Was It So Hard to Find a U-boat? 280

4 U-boats Sunk in the Western Approaches by Vessels under Bayly's Direct Orders 283

5 Auxiliary Vessels based on the Coast of Ireland and Irish Sea, 1 January 1918 284

6 Principal German U-boat Types 285

Author's Note 286

Notes 287

Bibliography 293

Index 296

Editorial Reviews

"A well and very excitingly written description of the intense and cital activity of the Royal and, later, United States navies in the 'Western Approaches' to England during World War I, this important book reminds us of an important but mostly forgotten aspect of naval history…. An excellent biography." —Ausmarine


"This book addresses one of the less explored aspects of the First World War, the British response to the U-boat offensives around the coasts of Ireland and in the waters off the southwest of Great Britain. Drawing on printed and documentary sources from Britain, Ireland, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, Steve Dunn describes how the Royal Navy used aggressive patrolling by sloops and auxiliaries, armed merchantmen and fishing vessels, to deter attacks on shipping and developed decoys, known as Q-ships, to lure U-boats to their destruction.... Dunn's work is a fine piece of historical writing." —Australian Naval Institute


"Bayly's War is an easy-to-read, fascinating account of sacrifice and bravery, shedding new light on the remarkable Bayly." —Warships: International Fleet Review


This is an excellent book, looking at one of the key battles of the First World War, making it clear just how hard fought and costly it was, and how Bayly s men helped win this difficult and dangerous campaign. History of War


"Bayly's War is a vivid account of this vigorous defense of Britain's trade and brings to life the U-boat battles, Q-ship actions, merchant ship sinkings, and rescues as well as the tireless Bayly, the commander at the center. An impressively researched and deftly written history that is extraordinarily well organized and presented, Bayly's War: The Battle for the Western Approaches in the First World War is an invaluable and enduringly important contribution to the growing library of World War I histories and memoirs. Nicely illustrated with a series of plate illustrations, and featuring six Appendices, six pages of Notes, a three page Bibliography, and an eight page Index, Bayly's War is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of military history buffs, as well as both community and academic library World War I Military & Naval History collections and supplemental studies reading lists." —Midwest Book Review


"This new book gives a comprehensive coverage to the subject of the WWI anti-submarine warfare with fresh insight - Strongly Recommended." —FIRE Reviews


"We highly recommend Bayly's War on many levels. It brilliantly addresses an aspect of the First World War that has received little coverage; namely, the demanding struggle to keep a critical supply line open, and introduces the reader to a fascinating British Admiral who has largely been forgotten with the passage of time." —The Northern Mariner


"Bayly's War succeeds admirably as a theater study. The reader gets the full story of the Western Approaches. The evolution of tactics, the way the theater fit into the war effort as a whole, the experiences of personnel on the station, and especially the impact of the commander and his relations with those above and below on the chain-of-command all receive due attention." —Real Clear Defense


"Bayly's War is very well written…. The lessons in this book include the importance of not underestimating the enemy, and understanding and mastering new technology." —Marine Technology

From the Publisher