One of the stops along the way for the chasers assigned to Base 25, Corfu, was Malta. In this shot, we see a number of chasers on the coast of Malta, with the clock tower at Birgu in the background.
The three chasers in front are SC 93, under the command of my great uncle, Ens. George S. Dole; SC 227, under the command of Ens. George P. Morse (whose chaser and crew have been featured quite a bit recently, including the newly posted image of three chaser crews on the SC 227 crew photos page), and SC 80, which I think would have been under the command of Ens. Hugo W. Blumenthal at this time.
Later, after the Armistice, many chasers would again stop in Malta, this time not just for a brief stop but to spend some leisure time. This included New Year's Eve celebrations, to call in the year 1919.
Dole writes favorably about this visit: "Suffice it to say that up to the present my most pleasant recollections of the Great War will center about Malta and its people." (From Hunters of the Steel Sharks, page 117.) He was on deck duty on New Year's Eve, but gave the Americans high marks for making a lot of noise.
Best wishes for a Happy New Year, 2024!
--Todd Woofenden, editor