(a) United States Naval Aviation in England is carried on by cooperation in two British commands.

[Sidenote:  Seaplanes at Killingholme.]

(b) The United States Seaplane Station, Killingholme, Commander K. Whiting, is under the vice admiral commanding on the east coast of England.  It has been in operation for some time and does escort of coastal convoys, escort of mine layers in the southern part of the North Sea, and some reconnaissance work in the direction of the Dutch coast.

[Sidenote:  Day and night bombing squadrons.]

(c) The Northern Bombing Group, Captain D.C.  Hanrahan, is under the vice admiral commanding at Dover, whose jurisdiction extends to naval aviation units in northern France in the vicinity of Calais and Dunkerque.  The day bombing squadrons are manned by marines; the night bombing squadrons by the Navy.  There has been some delay in the acquisition of suitable night bombing planes, but their delivery will find all in readiness to go immediately to work.  The British prescribe the objectives and designate the available free flying time; the operations themselves are carried out by our own personnel.  The seaplane station at Dunkerque has operated successfully under the handicap of limited and difficult water area in which to take off and to land.

[Sidenote:  The base at Eastleigh.]

(d) The Assembly, Repair, and Supply Station at Eastleigh was brought into being primarily for the Northern Bombing Group because of the difficulties of transportation to and from the general aviation base at Pauillac.  It also does necessary work for Killingholme and for the air stations in Ireland.  This base, when visited, was in process of completion and gave every evidence of purpose and capacity to meet all requirements likely to be made of it.

III. Activities in Cooperation with the French.

[Sidenote:  Vice Admiral Wilson’s command.]

Aside from the cooperation effected by the force commander with the French Ministry of Marine through the naval staff representative in Paris on matters of general policy, actual cooperation is carried on by Vice Admiral H.B.  Wilson, commander United States naval forces in France, whose headquarters are maintained in Brest.

[Sidenote:  The coastal convoy system.]

It is deemed worthy of special remark that whereas practically all cooperation with the British is effected by operating as units under British control, cooperation with the French is arranged on a basis that leaves to the United States naval forces a very large measure of initiative.  This is particularly true in regard to troopships destined to French ports, which are provided with escort and routed in and out wholly from the Brest headquarters which is kept fully informed as to routes and positions of British-controlled convoys