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Biological Science, 2nd
Chapter 1
2) Recall Pasteur's experiment on spontaneous generation. If he had just warmed the nutrient-
rich broth, rather than boiled it, what would have been the likely outcome of his experiment?
Cells would .
A) not have appeared in either flask
B) have appeared in both flasks
C) have appeared in the swan-neck, but not the straight-neck flask
D) have appeared in the straight-neck, but not the swan-neck flask
Answer: B
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.2
3) Spontaneous generation .
A) was demonstrated to occur under normal laboratory conditions by Pasteur
B) apparently occurred at least once—when life on Earth began
C) occurs every time a new species evolves from a preexisting species
D) addresses the formation of new cells from existing cells
Answer: B
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.2
1
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
5) What is the pattern component of the theory of chemical evolution?
A) Heat and electrical discharges were required for chemical evolution to occur.
B) Most chemical evolution occurred at black smokers.
C) The process occurred at black smokers, in the atmosphere and oceans, or in outer space.
D) Increasingly complex carbon-containing molecules formed early in Earth history.
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.3
8) Cells are .
A) only found in pairs, because single cells cannot exist independently
B) limited in size to 200 and 500 micrometers in diameter
C) characteristic of eukaryotic but not prokaryotic organisms
D) characteristic of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.4
2
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
10) Prokaryotes are classified as belonging to two different domains. What are the domains?
A) Bacteria and Eukarya
B) Archaea and Monera
C) Eukarya and Monera
D) Bacteria and Protista
E) Bacteria and Archaea
Answer: E
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.4
11) A water sample from a hot thermal vent contained a single-celled organism that had a cell
wall but lacked a nucleus. What is its most likely classification?
A) Eukarya
B) Archaea
C) Animalia
D) Protista
E) Fungi
Answer: B
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.4
12) You have isolated and purified a new species of cells from the rain forest and you want to
place this new species in the appropriate branch of the tree of life. You sequence the ribosomal
RNA genes from these cells and discover that for one particular region of the ribosomal gene
(the rRNA) the RNA sequence is AAUGAAGG.
You have sequences from the same region of the ribosomal genes (the rRNA) from each of these
species: bacteria, eukaryote and archaea, which are listed below.
bacteria AUAGAUGG
eukaryote AAAGAAGG
archaea AAUGGAGU
Based on these sequence results to which branch of the tree of life should you assign this new
species?
A) archaea
B) bacteria
C) eukaryote
D) bacteria and archaea
E) there is not enough information
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.4
3
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
The following experiment is used for the corresponding question(s).
A researcher discovered a species of moth that lays its eggs on oak trees. Eggs are laid at two
distinct times of the year: early in spring when the oak trees are flowering and in midsummer
when flowering is past. Caterpillars from eggs that hatch in spring feed on oak flowers and look
like oak flowers. But caterpillars that hatch in summer feed on oak leaves and look like oak
twigs.
How does the same population of moths produce such different-looking caterpillars on the same
trees? To answer this question, the biologist caught many female moths from the same
population and collected their eggs. He put at least one egg from each female into eight identical
cups. The eggs hatched, and at least two larvae from each female were maintained in one of the
four temperature and light conditions listed below.
In each of the four environments, one of the caterpillars was fed oak flowers, the other oak
leaves. Thus, there were a total of eight treatment groups (4 environments × 2 diets).
13) Refer to the accompanying figure. Which one of the following is NOT a plausible hypothesis
to explain the differences in caterpillar appearance observed in this population?
A) The longer day lengths of summer trigger the development of twig-like caterpillars.
B) The cooler temperatures of spring trigger the development of flowerlike caterpillars.
C) Differences in air pressure, due to differences in elevation, trigger the development of
different types of caterpillars.
D) Differences in diet trigger the development of different types of caterpillars.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
4
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
14) Refer to the accompanying figure. In every case, caterpillars that feed on oak flowers look
like oak flowers. In every case, caterpillars that were raised on oak leaves looked like twigs.
These results support which of the following hypotheses?
A) The longer day lengths of summer trigger the development of twig-like caterpillars.
B) Differences in air pressure, due to elevation, trigger the development of different types of
caterpillars.
C) Differences in diet trigger the development of different types of caterpillars.
D) The differences are genetic. A female will either produce all flowerlike caterpillars or all
twig-like caterpillars.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
15) Refer to the accompanying figure. Recall that eggs from the same female were exposed to
each of the eight treatments used. This aspect of the experimental design tested which of the
following hypotheses?
A) The longer day lengths of summer trigger the development of twig-like caterpillars.
B) Differences in air pressure, due to elevation, trigger the development of different types of
caterpillars.
C) Differences in diet trigger the development of different types of caterpillars.
D) The differences are genetic. A female will either produce all flowerlike caterpillars or all
twig-like caterpillars.
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
16) Recall the caterpillar experiment in which caterpillars born in the spring looked like flowers,
and caterpillars born in the summer looked like twigs. What is the most likely selective
advantage for this difference in body shape?
A) Looking like their food sources allows the caterpillars to move through their environment
more efficiently.
B) Development into the adult moth form is faster for caterpillars shaped like twigs than like
flowers.
C) Looking like their food source lets the caterpillars blend into their surroundings, reducing
predation.
D) Looking like their food source will increase the caterpillars' feeding efficiency; this would
increase their growth rate and survival rate.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
5
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
17) How does a scientific theory differ from a scientific hypothesis?
A) Theories are proposed to test scientific hypotheses.
B) Theories are usually an explanation for a more general phenomenon; hypotheses typically
address more specific issues.
C) Hypotheses are usually an explanation for a more general phenomenon; theories typically
address more specific issues.
D) Confirmed theories become scientific laws; hypotheses become theories.
Answer: B
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.5
19) Recall the experiment on ant navigation. To run a controlled experiment, what parameters
were held constant for the test group of 75 ants?
A) stride number
B) leg length
C) stride number, leg length, and environmental temperature
D) all variables except leg length
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.5
20) Your colleague proposes to test the mechanism of ant navigation by placing a food source 7
meters (m) from the nest. She then takes ants from the nest and places them in a spot that is 4 m
from the nest and 3 m from the food source. Based on the previous data, where do you expect the
ants to start searching for their nest on their return trip?
A) after they have traveled 3 m from the food source
B) after they have traveled 4 m from the food source
C) after they have traveled 7 m from the food source
D) as soon as they leave the food source
Answer: A
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
6
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
21) For many years, no one bothered to test the food-competition hypothesis for why giraffes
have long necks. Why?
A) It had been much too difficult to test.
B) The hypothesis was so plausible that no one thought to question it.
C) They tried, but the results were inconclusive.
D) The hypothesis did not make clear predictions that could be tested.
Answer: B
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.5
22) A friend of yours calls to say that his car would not start this morning. He asks for your help.
You say that you think the battery must be dead. If so, then jump-starting the car from a good
battery will solve the problem. In doing so, you are .
A) testing a theory for why the car will not start
B) making observations to inspire a theory for why the car will not start
C) stating a hypothesis and using that hypothesis to make a testable prediction
D) comparing multiple hypotheses for why the car will not start
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
23) Agrobacterium infects plants and causes them to form tumors. You are asked to determine
how long a plant must be exposed to these bacteria to become infected. Which of the following
experiments will provide the best data to address that question?
A) Determine the survival rate of Agrobacterium when exposed to different concentrations of an
antibiotic.
B) Measure the number of tumors formed on a plant when exposed to various concentrations of
Agrobacterium.
C) Measure the concentration of Agrobacterium in different soil environments where the plants
grow.
D) Measure the number of tumors formed on plants, which are exposed to Agrobacterium for
different lengths of time.
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
7
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
24) Agrobacterium infects plants and causes them to form tumors. You determine that tumor
formation requires a large amount of the plant's energy for tissue formation. How might this
change the number of offspring a plant produces, and what is the most likely explanation for this
change?
A) The number of offspring should increase, because in general, illness increases the
reproductive output of organisms.
B) The number of offspring should increase, because the bacteria will provide energy for the
plant.
C) The number of offspring should decrease, because the plant will divert energy from
reproduction to tumor formation.
D) There should be no effect of infection on offspring production because energy for
reproduction is independent of infection.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
25) Refer to the paragraph on Redi's experiments. What hypothesis was being tested in the initial
experiment with open versus sealed jars?
A) Spontaneous generation is more likely during the long days of summer.
B) The type of meat used affects the likelihood of spontaneous generation.
C) Maggots do not arise spontaneously, but from eggs laid by adult flies.
D) Spontaneous generation can occur only if meat is exposed to air.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
26) Refer to the paragraph on Redi's experiments. In both experiments, flies appeared in all of
the open jars and only in the open jars. Which one of the following statements is correct?
A) The experiment was inconclusive because Redi used only one kind of meat.
B) The experiment was inconclusive because it did not run long enough.
C) The experiment supports the hypothesis that spontaneous generation occurs in rotting meat.
D) The experiment supports the hypothesis that maggots arise only from eggs laid by adult flies.
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
8
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
27) The best experimental design .
A) includes a large sample size for each condition
B) includes a control
C) alters only one condition between the controls and the experimental condition
D) includes a large sample size and a control, and alters only one condition between the controls
and the experimental condition
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.5
30) Which of the following are qualities of any good scientific hypothesis?
I. It is testable.
II. It is falsifiable.
III. It produces quantitative data.
IV. It produces results that can be replicated.
A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) I and II
E) III and IV
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.5
9
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
31) In presenting data that result from an experiment, a group of students show that most of their
measurements fall on a straight diagonal line on their graph. However, two of their data points
are "outliers" and fall far to one side of the expected relationship. What should they do?
A) Do not show these points because clearly something went wrong in the experiment.
B) Average several trials, rule out the improbable results, and do not show them in the final
work.
C) Show all results obtained and then try to explore the reason(s) for these outliers.
D) Do not report this set of data and do the research again.
E) Change the details of the experiment until they can obtain the expected results.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Synthesis/Evaluation
Section: 1.5
32) Which of the following is the best description of a control for an experiment?
A) The control group is kept in an unchanging environment.
B) The control group is left alone by the experimenters.
C) The control group is matched with the experimental group except for one experimental
variable.
D) The control group is exposed to only one variable rather than several.
E) Only the experimental group is tested or measured.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.5
33) Why is a scientific topic best discussed by people of varying points of view, from different
subdisciplines, and representing diverse cultures?
A) They can correct each other's approach to make it scientific.
B) Robust and critical discussion between diverse groups improves scientific thinking.
C) Scientists can coordinate with others to conduct experiments in similar ways.
D) This is a way of ensuring that everyone gets the same results.
E) People need to exchange their ideas with other disciplines and cultures because everyone has
a right to an opinion in science.
Answer: B
Bloom's Taxonomy: Synthesis/Evaluation
Section: 1.5
10
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
35) Which of the following statements best distinguishes scientific hypotheses from scientific
theories?
A) Hypotheses describe and theories explain.
B) Hypotheses explain and theories describe.
C) Hypotheses are usually narrower in scope; theories have broader explanatory power.
D) Hypotheses are used in experiments. Theories are not tested.
E) Hypotheses are generally supported by more evidence than theories.
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
Section: 1.5
36) Which of the following best describes the logic of scientific inquiry?
A) If I generate a testable hypothesis, tests and observations will support it.
B) If my prediction is correct, it will lead to a testable hypothesis.
C) If my observations are accurate, they will support my hypothesis.
D) If my hypothesis is correct, I can expect certain test results.
E) If my experiments are set up right, they will lead to a testable hypothesis.
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
37) The formulation of a model for a structure or for a process serves which of the following
purposes?
A) It asks a scientific question.
B) It functions as a testable hypothesis.
C) It records observations.
D) It serves as a data point among results.
E) It can be arrived at only after years of experimentation.
Answer: B
Bloom's Taxonomy: Synthesis/Evaluation
Section: 1.5
38) Algae in the genus Caulerpa typically grow to a length of over half a meter and have
structures similar to stems, leaves, and roots. Reproduction occurs when adults produce sperm
and eggs that fuse to form offspring. Each adult Caulerpa consists of just a single cell, however.
Which of the following statements is true?
A) Caulerpa violate the pattern component of the cell theory that all organisms consist of cells.
B) Caulerpa violate the process component of the cell theory that all cells come from preexisting
cells.
C) Caulerpa violate both the pattern and process components of the cell theory.
D) The existence of Caulerpa is consistent with the cell theory.
Answer: D
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
11
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
39) Cotton-topped tamarins are small primates with tufts of long white hair on their heads. While
studying these creatures, you notice that males with longer hair get more opportunities to mate
and father more offspring. To test the hypothesis that having longer hair is adaptive in these
males, you should .
A) test whether other traits in these males are also adaptive
B) look for evidence of hair in ancestors of tamarins
C) determine if hair length is heritable
D) test whether males with shaved heads are still able to mate
Answer: C
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
40) Which of the following is not related to the five fundamental characteristics of life?
A) A bacterial cell divides to produce two cells
B) Sugars are transported on carrier proteins into cells across the plasma membrane
C) Sugars are broken down inside cells to produce energy
D) The gene that specifies skin color in frogs is expressed during its development from a tad pole
into an adult frog
E) Giraffes have longer necks so that they can reach food sources unavailable to other animals
Answer: E
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
Section: 1.5
12
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Another random document with
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(Vessels in escort.) Corsair, Aphrodite, Wakiva, Rivoli
(F).
May 13-16. (Westbound from Verdon.) Ships in convoy:
El Capitan, Munsano, Castleman, Bergdalen, Westerner,
Clara, Vaarli, Lake Placid, Gusta Vigiland, Winnebago,
Luckenbach, Joseph Cudahy, Saxolin, Robert H. Thomas,
Quincy, Thorwald Halvorson, Andre.
(Vessels in escort.) Corsair, Aphrodite, Nokomis, Rivoli
(F).
May 21-23. (Westbound from Verdon.) Ships in convoy:
Matsonia, Powhatan, Martha Washington, El Oriente,
Minnesotan.
(Vessels in escort.) Corsair, destroyers Wadsworth,
Nicholson, Monaghan, Roe.
May 27-30. (Westbound from Verdon.) Ships in convoy:
Shoshonee, Crown of Seville, Walter Munson, Tunica,
West Arrow, East Gate, Charlton Hall, Luciline, Absaroka,
Westbridge, Corozal, Lorna, Westward, Pensacola,
Millinocket, Darnholm, Admiral Neilly, Elmore, Sagua,
Tamano, Texas, New York.
(Vessels in escort.) Corsair, Aphrodite, Nokomis Aisne
(F).
Industriously employed in this service with the convoys, the
Corsair encountered no slant of misfortune until June. Then came
the loss of the fine cargo steamer Californian with holds and decks
full of several million dollars worth of supplies for the American Army
in France. This disaster was not the result of submarine attack. The
ship was unlucky enough to bump a German mine about fifty miles
off the entrance of the Gironde River while nearing port with the
convoy and escort.
The Corsair stood by and made every possible effort to save the
precious Californian endeavoring to haul her along at the end of a
tow-line, but the damage was vital and salvage hopeless. It was one
of those numerous episodes of the warfare at sea, as waged by the
enemy, which seemed so enormously wasteful, so impossible for
civilization to endure, this senseless obliteration of property on a
scale without precedent in the whole history of mankind.
This was the only ship lost out of a convoy with which the Corsair
operated during the long period of this service in and out of the
Gironde, from June to November of 1918. On several occasions
steamers were attacked and sunk or damaged just before joining or
just after leaving the escort. These included the Montanan, the
Westbridge, the Westward Ho, the Cubore, and the French cruiser
Dupetit Thouars. When the S.O.S. calls came, the Corsair hurried to
stand by, but other naval vessels happened to be nearer the scene
and were able to save the survivors, or the ship managed to remain
afloat, as in the case of the Westward Ho. A cruise in August,
beginning on the ill-omened 13th, turned out to be anything but
monotonous, from start to finish. The air was full of tragic messages
from torpedoed ships. It was like a dying flurry of the German
submarine campaign.
The excitement began with this entry in the Corsair’s record:
S.S. Tivives (third ship in right-hand column) signalled
“Torpedo just passed our stern from starboard.” This ship
notified Aphrodite by radio. Went to general quarters and
searched but saw nothing except whales and porpoises.
Wind was light and sea smooth. French destroyer Aisne,
which was astern of us, apparently intercepted radio as he
was observed to be searching.
A little later in this voyage came the following tale of disaster, as
caught by the radio:
Intercepted from Marseilles, “Montanan torpedoed.”
Intercepted from Noma, “Westbridge torpedoed.”
Intercepted from Aphrodite, “Cubore torpedoed, 10 p.m.
Friday.”
The Corsair and Aphrodite had left their outward-bound convoy at
this time, according to orders, to steer for the rendezvous and make
contact with a fleet of fourteen ships bound in for France. During the
night a green Véry light flared against the cloudy sky to the
southward. The Corsair headed for it at full speed, but could find no
ship in distress and it was later conjectured that the signal might
have come from the French destroyers which had remained to pick
up the survivors of the Cubore.
Soon after this, several lights were sighted close to the water. It is
hard to realize how unusual and arresting was such a phenomenon
as this upon an ocean where ships had long shrouded themselves in
darkness, screening every ray and glimmer lest it might betray them
to a lurking enemy. The vision of officers and lookouts had so
adapted themselves to these conditions that they were able to
discern a shadow of a ship a mile away. In this instance, when
vessels’ lights, several of them, were boldly displayed, the Corsair
approached warily until it was possible to make them out as showing
aboard a little flock of Breton fishermen. It was known that a French
submarine was operating in this patrol area and the officers of the
Corsair plausibly assumed that the lights might be a decoy for Fritz,
so they concluded not to meddle with the situation.
Next morning another bevy of fishing vessels was seen, and the
French submarine was with them, while a steamer was also standing
by. Meanwhile the Corsair and Aphrodite had found the inbound
convoy which had also a destroyer escort, and one of these, the
Lamson, ran down to investigate the startling picture of a submarine
calmly loafing about. The Frenchman promptly exploded a smoke
bomb as the proper recognition signal, for he was taking no chances
with a venomous Yankee destroyer which was known to be
exceedingly quick on the trigger when a periscope or conning tower
was etched against the horizon. It was agreed that there were much
more healthy pursuits than to be ranging the Bay of Biscay in a
French submarine.
Fortune had been unkind when the Corsair tried to pull the
Californian into port, but the story was a happier one when next she
had the opportunity to snatch a good ship from the greedy maw of
the sea. How it was done is summarized in a letter written by Vice-
Admiral Wilson, after the event:
U.S. Naval Forces Operating in European Waters
Forces in France
U.S.S. Prometheus, Flagship
Brest, France, 8 October 1918
From: Commander U.S. Naval Forces in France.
To: Lieutenant Commander W. B. Porter, U.S.N.R.F.
Subject: Commendation.
The Commander U.S. Naval Forces in France takes
pleasure in commending the excellent seamanship and
judgment displayed by you in the salvage of the
Norwegian steamship Dagfin, as reported in your letter of
September 17, 1918.
The Dagfin, a vessel of 2100 tons, loaded with general
supplies for the Italian Government, had been totally
disabled for six days with a broken shaft when sighted by
the Corsair on September 10th, in Latitude 45° 3′ North,
Longitude 8° 03′ West. The U.S.S. Corsair under your
command maintained touch with the Dagfin until the heavy
weather then prevailing had moderated, and towed her
into port, a distance of three hundred miles through the
submarine zone, arriving at Verdon on September 14th.
(Signed) Wilson
Nothing daunted, the skipper of the Corsair hauled his own ship
around to leeward and deftly placed her where the line floated so
close to the Dagfin that it was caught and hauled up by a boat-hook
as she drifted upon it. To this light line the Corsair secured one
hundred and fifty fathoms of ten-inch manila hawser, and the Dagfin
heaved it aboard with a turn about the winch. To the end of the
hawser the Norwegians bent fifty fathoms of chain, for the longer the
tow-line the easier the strain in heavy weather. The Corsair secured
her end of the hawser by means of a wire span leading to the two
after gun mounts, and then she was ready to go ahead and pull her
heart out. It is needless to remark that the yacht had not been
designed or built to yank disabled freighters through the Bay of
Biscay in the tail-end of a nasty gale of wind.
They went ahead, Corsair and Dagfin, and worked up to a speed
of five knots, reducing it a trifle when the strain seemed too great.
They slogged along in this manner until 8.30 p.m. when the chain
parted and the Dagfin went adrift. Commander Porter describes the
rest of it in his report:
We observed that the Dagfin had broken adrift, and
when attempting to haul in our tow-line I found that it was
weighted with the Dagfin’s chain which had parted in the
hawse-pipe. A six-inch line was bent and used as a
messenger to the forward capstan, but as this would hold
only four turns, which rendered, the starboard capstan
was used to assist. No lead blocks of sufficient size were
available to keep the line clear of the deck-house, and
both houses were damaged. It was difficult to stopper and
secure the messenger to the wet hawser. This was chafed
its entire length, although the ship went ahead slowly to
angle the hawser slightly and reduce the bend over the lip
of the chock.
After three hours’ work the hawser was all in and the
chain let go. Had conditions been favorable, of course the
chain could have been hove in through the hawse-pipe,
but I desired to intercept the French tug Penguin, sent out
from Brest, which was then close by. The strain had unlaid
the hawser, and releasing the chain allowed the turns to
take up again. Removing numerous kinks from a wet, ten-
inch rope is a long, tedious job.
As the tug had passed us in the night and was not in
sight at daylight, I closed in to pick up our tow. Attempting
to throw a line on board, we could not get near enough to
reach, as there was still a moderate swell and we were
both rolling and surging. A boat was lowered and our
hawser bent to the Dagfin’s cable, and at 7.45 a.m. we
went ahead at six knots. The average speed for twenty-six
and a half hours was actually six and a quarter knots.
At 8.15 the Penguin arrived and I had difficulty in
communicating, as she could not comprehend semaphore
signals nor was our language perfectly clear to them. Our
radio communication had been very good, although I was
more reluctant to use it than was the Penguin, especially
in stating latitude and longitude. To my question, “What
are your orders?” the reply was, “Bordeaux.” She also
informed me that she could tow four knots and as this
would not bring us into port before dark of the following
day, I decided to continue towing and requested that the
Penguin escort. I considered that the advantages of
greater speed and a much shorter time at sea gave us the
larger margin of safety.
In my opinion (with a very limited experience in towing)
the method adopted was by far the best way of towing a
ship. Not only is the windlass usually the strongest and
most convenient place to secure to, but in the absence of
a very long hawser the weight of chain sagging down
makes an effective spring. There was never any undue
strain and the Dagfin’s chain could not have parted if it
had been in good condition.
In the early morning of September 14th the Corsair trailed into the
mouth of the Gironde, doggedly kicking along at six knots, with the
Norwegian water-bruiser dragging in her wake. There the Penguin
took hold and the yacht went on alone to a berth at Pauillac, none
the worse for the experience. It was all in the job, not so sensational
as dropping depth bombs on a submarine, but perhaps requiring
more courage, endurance, and seamanship. Commander Porter’s
description of the tussle with the hawser is highly technical, but one
catches glimpses of the hard and heavy toil of the sea and the ability
to do the right thing in time of stress which comes only with
experience. The sailors of the Corsair, many of them landlubbers
only a year before, were learning the tricks of the trade.
It was back to the convoys again, the same old round of
discomfort at sea and coaling ship in port, but the spirit of the great
adventure had not been dulled. By way of change and respite, the
Corsair was twice chosen to carry distinguished official visitors from
one French base to another. The first occasion was on August 24th
when the passengers comprised the party of members of the House
Committee on Naval Affairs who were inspecting for themselves the
American naval and military forces overseas—Chairman L. P.
Padgett, D. J. Riordan, W. L. Hensley, J. R. Connelly, W. B. Oliver,
W. W. Venable, J. C. Wilson, T. S. Butler, W. J. Browning, J. R. Farr,
S. E. Mudd. J. A. Peters, and F. C. Hicks.
They were the guests of the Corsair from Royan to the great
American aviation base at Pauillac, and their enthusiastic approval of
the work of the Navy in the war was pleasant for the crew of the
Corsair to hear. Their report, later submitted to the Secretary of the
Navy, contained this non-partisan opinion, signed by Republican and
Democratic members alike:
The committee visited and inspected the United States
naval activities at Bordeaux, Moutchic, Pauillac,
Rochefort, La Rochelle, La Pallice, Fromentine,
Paimbœuf, Saint-Nazaire, Montoir, Le Croisic, L’Orient, Île
Tudy, and Brest. The amount of money expended at these
various stations mounts into the hundreds of millions of
dollars and the activities involve the employment of
thousands upon thousands of men. They represent
activities on land and water, under the water, and in the
air. They involve transportation of troops, munitions,
equipment, food, and clothing from the United States into
France of the value of untold millions. The duties and
responsibilities of the Navy were to escort and convoy
ships transporting troops, and all manner of effort and
activity in the air, patrolling the seas against German
submarines, and safeguarding the arrival and departure of
ships, the construction of bases for the operation and the
care of the enormous aviation organization, and also at
the various bases providing first aid and hospital
accommodations for the sick and disabled and the
establishment of sanitary conditions, housing facilities,
and numerous other activities essential to the proper care
of the men, besides the many other efforts essential to the
successful prosecution of the war.
Copyright by Underwood and Underwood, N. Y.
I N this strange warfare against an enemy who fought, for the most
part, under the sea, there was no more effective agency than the
wireless telegraph or radio. It enabled the convoys to receive
warnings and to steer safe courses, it brought help to hundreds of
ships in distress, and as an offensive weapon enabled the Allied
naval forces to locate and destroy a large number of German
submarines. Without the highly developed employment of radio
communication, it would have been impossible to protect the
transportation of troops, food, and material. More than any other
factor, the radio won the war at sea.
As soon as directional wireless was perfected and used, it became
practicable to fix the position of a U-boat by means of the messages
sent from it, and, as Admiral Sims has said, “Their commanders
were particularly careless in the use of wireless. The Germanic
passion for conversation could not be suppressed, even though this
national habit might lead to the most serious consequences.
Possibly also the solitary submarine felt lonely; at any rate, as soon
as it reached the Channel or the North Sea, it started an almost
uninterrupted flow of talk. The U-boats communicated principally with
each other, and also with the Admiralty at home, and in doing this
they gave away their position to the assiduously listening Allies. The
radio direction-finder, by which we can instantaneously locate the
position from which a wireless message is sent, was the mechanism
which furnished much of this information. Of course, the Germans
knew that their messages revealed their locations, for they had
direction-finders as well as we, but the fear of discovery did not act
as a curb upon a naturally loquacious nature.”
The radio service of the Corsair was considered unusually efficient
by no less an authority than Admiral Wilson, who had occasion to
write the following commendation: