A
CONFIDENTIAL
MERCHANT SHIPPING AND DEFENCE IN TIME
OR TENSION dunn
Ju
1 This paper deals with defence and civil needs for civil
shipping, merchant and other, in times of tension and war and how
those needs would be met.
Defence Needs
Defence planning for the use of merchant ships in times of
tension and war covers four main areas:
2
a.
reinforcement of central Europe and the flanks of NATO from
the UK;
b.
resupply of central Europe and the flanks from depots in
the UK;
C.
trans-Atlantic reinforcement and re-supply;
d. auxiliary naval operational and support shipping.
UK-Europe Reinforcement
3
One shipping task (with which a major air move would be
associated) would be to move men, vehicles and equipment from the UK
to Europe and its flanks, with the bulk going to Denmark, the
Netherlands and Belgium. Associated, for planning purposes, with
this reinforcement task would be the evacuation of dependents and
hospital patients from Europe to UK. The aim is that the bulk of
these tasks would be completed within 10 days.
UK-Europe Resupply
4 Stocks of US vehicles, munitions and other equipment would be
moved from depots in the UK to Europe and the flanks. Some of these
movements would coincide with UK reinforcement (paragraph 4 above),
CONFIDENTIAL