CB648C Secret Positions for Use by Destroyer Escorts, March 1918

The following are excerpts from this Royal Navy Confidential Book, in the collection of the Admiralty Library. Unfortunately, time precluded getting all the code words, primarily those in the Mediterranean. Interestingly, the book is bilingual: French and English.

Naval Staff

Signal Division (No. 1331)

27^th March 1918

4. this method is to be employed in Home Waters, Atlantic and Mediterranean.

5. As soon as a Destroyer Escort has taken over a Convoy in Home Waters or in the Atlantic, this method is to be the only one used by such Escort for communicating or referring to positions when communicating with Ocean Escorts or with the authorities mentioned in para. 9 below [not reproduced], except in the case of Enemy Reports or Signals of Distress from Men-of-War.

6. The pamphlet is not intended for use by Destroyers on patrol.

7. It is supplied to Ocean Escorts for the sole purpose of rendering intelligible to them any such messages which they may read.

8. As regards the Mediterranean, the British Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, and S.N.O. Gibralter will issue the necessary instructions to vessels under their command as to the use of this method of signalling positions.

9. It is to be used ONLY for intercommunication between Ocean or Destroyer Escorts and/or Commodores of Convoy themselves, and for communication between any of the foregoing and the following Officers:-

[a series of various Commanders-in-Chief, eg Plymouth C-in-C, not reproduced].

10. The position, instead of being denoted by latitude and longitude or by squared chart, &c., is to be indicated by giving the True bearing and distance from one of the Secret Positions shown on page 6 onwards.

11. It is of the utmost importance that full and indiscriminate use be made of the alternative code words printed against each Position. Any attempt to save time in coding my memorizing any particular word, or by habitually using the same word, would defeat the object of the Code and rapidly compromise its secrecy.

12. The word denoting the Secret Position is to be coded by the same code or cypher as the rest of the message.

13. Bearings are always to be "True" and expressed from 0º to 360º.

14. The Course and Speed with the Convoy is making good are to be reported at the same time.

N & W of Ireland:-

	Lat.	Long.
ATHEE LAZZI GARNI MORDU GATTE	54.00 N	17.00 W
ACHAT PETRI CLATE BIGUE PALPE	56.00 N	15.00 W
FEAGE BAHUT GRIVE PETTO BOHEA	57.00 N	13.00 W
JANTE HACHE FLANS ELEVE PERLE	55.00 N	13.00 W
SAOUL DEJAD ECALE AMASS GABET	56.00 N	10.00 W
PIROL MANIE EXEAT PADOU EGIDE	56.00 N	7.00 W
LUIRE FILTR GOUGE MATOU ATREB	Tory Island
AJONC COUSU SCINE AUGER MACLE	Inishtgrahull
ROBRE SCIER AROME PERRE ANTIC	Altacarry

S & W of Ireland:-

Irish Sea:-

English Channel:-

E & W of Gibralter:-

Mediterranean - Western Basin:-

[others in the Med. not transcribed - insufficient time]

Aegean:-

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