history · 19 March 1918 · 106 years ago
Admiral William S. Sims, commander of the US Naval forces in European waters, asked Washington to provide a warship to join the British and French naval force assembling at Murmansk, Russia. After consultation with the State Department, Admiral Benson, the Chief of Naval Operations, signaled back that no American ship could be spared to operate in north Russian water. Sims however continued to press for a reversal of the decision and after a few days Benson relented and ordered the cruiser USS Olympia to proceed to Murmansk.
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