HERCULEAN TASK OF THE NAVY
URGENT
Mr. A. V. Alexander Wants More Ships And Men Reveals Growing British Strength In New Destroyers
THE HERCULEAN TASK OF THE BRITISH FLEET IN MODERN CONDITIONS PERFORMING THE TASK OF FIVE FLEETS IN THE LAST WAR - WAS OUTLINED BY MR. A. V. ALEXANDER, FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY, IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS YES- TERDAY.
The House was debating the token estimate for the Fleet, but Mr. Alexander declared: "The British Fleet itself is no token fleet nor are our ships phantom ships, though they may be a nightmare to our enemies."
Hence Mr. Alexander had no hesitationį in asking for "many more ships, very good ships, greater numbers of men, very fine men, and great quantities of stores of the most sub stantial kind.”
The task of the Fleet had been magnified by the collapse of France, which altered the whole fabric of British strategy. NEW LAIRS FOR PIRACY
The collapse of France gave the Germans a new naval ally in Italy, numerically stronger at sea than the Germans themselves.
It did more than turn Mussolini into an accom- plice to a pirate it gave the pirate himself new lairs whence to sally forth.
When the threat first loomed up that the great body of the Fleet
a in August, 1939, remains intact. the Navy had just completed vast series of operations from the mist-shrouded cliffs of Narvik to the sun-bathed beaches
St. of Jean-de-Luz, of which history has probably never segn a parallel
The Navy bore its part with the Merchant Navy and civilian volunteers in extricating hun- dreds of thousands of our troops from Norway and France.
It was not a task for which our ships were designed. Consider- able losses were expected and ac- cepted, especially in damage to destroyers, but by skill of sea- manship and devotion, the Navy deprived the enemy of anything like the toll he confidently un- ticipated, but it was seriously de- pleted at the very moment when the whole problem had become mure complex with the exit France and the entry of Italy.
Improved Position
of
By swinging strides, however, we immeasurably improved our position.
With forces initially much In- ferior, Admirals Cunningham and Somerville not only kept
The Challenge
bring sown in many waters, Mr.
Alexander said the Navy's quali by Admiral Cunningham's recent operations against the Italians,
ties of resource were exemplified.
With limited forces, Admiral Cunningham's staff had to pro vide the movement of supplies to Greece, Malta and the main
bases in Egypt.
STAFFORD CRIPPS BACK IN MOSCOW
Sir Stafford Cripps, British Ambassador to Russia, arrived back in Moscow from Tur- key by 'plane yester- day afternoon.-Reu-
ter.
TOKYO MEETING
Prince Konoye, the Ja- panese Premier, has de- cided to call an urgent Cabinet meeting to-day as the French again failed to mine, the powerful raider, air hand in a reply yesterday craft, stealthy E-boats and sub to the Japanese compro- Comter-measures 10 Jong-mise formula for settle- range aircraft attacks are being developed reveal their nature.
marines.
though he would not ment of the Franco-Thai dispute, says an official opportunities Japanese report.
Ag our renourcen grew. SO would raiders' become fewer,
THE REPORT ADDS THAT As for U-boat attacks, the ex- THE FRENCH FAILURE IS AT- patsion of aerial reconnaissance
TRIBUTED BY POLITICAL OB- will beeune progressively more
SERVERS TO DELAYED DIS- difficult for the enemy to avoid, CUSSIONS AMONG THE while the RAF will continue to FRENCH DELEGATES IN dislocate the organisation of U-
TOKYO AND NOT TO DELI - boir patrols by attacks upon | BERATE INTENTIONS ON THE
Convoy Protection
In addition, they had to dove-¡ tait into their offensive operations their buses. against the enemy tank in Libya the business of a veritable world transport agency, carrying troopi and stores to newly-conquered beaches and harbours, transport great crowds of Italian visi hore, to thirsty troops.
Merchant Shipping
tors
a
and even pumping water
Losses
Up to May, 1940, the losses of British, Allied and neutral chips from enemy action aver aged 40,000 tons weck.
a
Al sea the increased number of escorts will enable us to pro- vide greater protection for con-
voys, and to these advantages will be added improvements in anti-submarine tactics.
In the meantime, we continue to infiel losses upon enemy sub- marine Botillas.
To give the German naval staff their due, they change U-boat tactics when they be come too costly and new tactics demand changes in our own measures, which take time to perfect.
PART OF FRANCE TO POST- PONE OR BREAK UP THE MEDIATION CONFERENCE.
Since the French have clearly expressed a desire for a satis- factory conclusion, the Japanese
authorities are said to be calin.- Reuter.
the tonnage of British ships lost by enemy action.
Admiralty Salvage
In addition, we had the advant- age of chartering ships of States overrun by the enemy.
over
In the next seven months they re- mained obstinately at an aven-
The defensive arming of mer- age of just under 90,000 tons.
On the other hand, the enemy Mr. Alexander would say to During the last 11 weeks, losses chant ships has been justified by
the timely use of guns which, en- had lost over 2,000,000 tons sunk, the German navy: "We are quite averaged about 51,000 tons, prepared to take you on with all The First Lord did not attri-abled merchant seamen to pre-captured or scuttled, and the ships alone which you pro-bute the diminution entirely to serve themselves and turn the one million tons were lying use-
improved ineasures of protection tables on the enemy. but thought they were justified in as at least one counting them certain reason, among other pos- sibilities.
fess to have sunk."
The number of ships in most classes, especially the destroyer class, now at Bca or instantly ready for zea, is greater than at any time since war began. Ships coming into service this year will of themselves moke up a formidable force, judged almost any other naval power's standards.
by
Even in the face of enemy bombing, the efforts of workers In shipyarde and the untiring persistence от the aki!! of managements have maintained naval production In a remark. able manner.
programmes of construction are maturing and a high output of short-term com- struction has been reached.
Our long-term
Naval Bombardments
It may not be appreciated how frequently our ships, though not
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Must Be Prepared We must expect the enemy to make heavy attacks and we may receive grievous blows.
The enemy used every con ceivable means to attack us in this vital spot the lurking
New Shipping
less in neutral harbours.
sal-
Thanks to the Admiralty vage organisation, total tonnage
1,000,000
The claims of official enemy rescued and saved up to the end
about
over merchant of last year was communiques tonnage sunk amount to double tons. our actual losses, even though some of these losses cannot be Of the 50 destroyers which the known to the Germans.
to United States had transferred New ships delivered from Brius, some have already delivered tish yards, plus those abroad and attacks on enemy submarines, and volume of captured enemy Jothers, in the course of their escort ships now in our service, has re-duties, have shared in the rescue placed more than two-thirds of of victims of enemy attack.
the
GERMAN U-BOAT
SUICIDE SQUADS
"DEATH OR GLORY" crews, manning
the Italian fleet cooped In the designed for the Gle of bombing "Suicide“ U-boats and destined only to reach Mediterranean but neutralised artillery, have carried the war
It even in waters which Italy specially claimed as hers.
In every encounter our crews had shown such superiority that units of the Italian navy scarcely venture to dispute even the waters around their bases.
Winter Gales During the winter gales, British convoy escort forces paid the price of all navies whose tradition to keep the seas regardless weather if there is duty to done.
into the enemy's ports as well as nents in support of the army in
carrying out incessant bombard-
Libya.
THE FLEET AIR
The peoples of the British Com- nonwealth have given unstinted support in the war at sea.
Great Distinction
Canadian destroyers have taken a share of the destroyers' task of protecting seaborne trade across the Atlantic.
Australian cruisers and destroy- ers and New Zealand cruisers' participated with great distinction and success in operations in the
Middle Mediterranean and
East and in the protection of import-
the British coast, not being expected to re- turn, were mentioned in the Commons de-ant convoys, bate on the Naval Estimates yesterday by BECOME A NOTABLE Capt. A. S. Cunningham-Reid, Conservative THE PRESENT WAR THEY Member for Marylebone.
ALSO WEAPON
ARM HAS
OF OFFENCE.
HAVE DESTROYED ONE EN- EMY BATTLESHIP, ONE CRUI- SER, THREE DESTROYERS,
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South African naval units were also making a very welcome contribution in the Mediterranean, and the small but highly efficient Royal Indian Navy is doing valu
and Indian Ocean,
He said an American informant in Por-able patrol work in the Persian
FOUR SUBMARINES, OTHER tugal described this submarine as one Hitler NAVAL VESSELS AND 15 SUP- SPLY SHIPS, IN ADDITION TO referred to in his last speech as being a sim- of DAMAGING AT LEAST TWO
BATTLESHIPS, TWO CRUISERS, plified type on which the Germans concen- FOUR DESTROYERS, FOUR trated naval construction after the beginning MISCELLANEOUS CRÁFT AND 20 TRANSPORT OR SUPPLY of the war.
be
Enemy communique claims would seem to show we had lost roughly twice the number of capital ships, aircraft-car- riers and cruisers with which We entered the war and mord
SHIPS.
Allied Aid
Mr. Alexander did not betray
tingents of Free France, Poland,
the strengths of the naval con-
Holland and Norway, but they
were most useful reinforcements and were steadily expanding.
The Belgians having no yes= - sels of their own have come forward to help man other -ships and he was glad there-in- now a Belgian section of the “Hayal: Navy,
In addition to disturbing the Quick and cheap to build and they close in at short range, tor enemy's possession of his own equipped with only essential ma-pedoing before escorting cruft have coastal routes, British submar- chinery, safety devices are practi- an opportunity of dealing with Ines have destroyed something|cally non-existent. Such simplicity them. 'Their subsequent : chance than all the submarines (laugh-like-100-enemy warships and meant simplifted and shorter to escape, provided the convoy is ter).
supply ships.
Itraining of crews, ・
#dequate, is negligible...... Each submarine could be man- Captain Cunningham-Reld said ned by a third of the normal that provided the enemy-had-en- In conclusion, Mr. Alexander crews, all because the new ves-ough craft the menace was grave, paid a special" tribute to the Royal, which has many times After a tribute to the Navy's sels have a very small fuel capa- and he urged consideration of "gallant fight of the small but answered German questions con- assiduous and successful clearing city.
means other than by sea for heroic and efficient Greek Navy." cerning her whereabouts, provel of mines, which are constantly Having sighted their victim bringing food to Britain.-Router. Reuter.
In fact, the daily work of the Flect and such outstanding Qualities Of Resource achievements those of Ark
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