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on the part of the Admiralty that additional defences are not required to deter unarmoured cruiser attack, the Committee consider that the importance of Swansea from a naval point of view is not sufficient to justify the cost of providing and maintaining additional defences for the sole purpose of preventing attempts to block the harbour. Consequently they do not recommend the establishment of an Examination Service at Swansea in time of war.
Barry, and Cardiff and Penarth.
14. In their Report XIII, dated the 2nd November, 1894, the Joint Naval and Military Committee on Defence recommended that an Examination Service for all ports of the Bristol Channel east of, and including, Barry, should be established in the approaches to Barry. Subsequently, separate Examination Services were approved for Barry and for Cardiff and Penarth, and the arrangements for establishing them in time of war remained in force until 1906. In that year, however, the Joint Naval and Military Conference on the question of the Examination Service, which has already been referred to in paragraph 7, recommended that no Examination Service was necessary at these ports, the reasons for this recommendation being the same those mentioned in paragraph 7. It is clear, therefore, that in the case of Barry, Cardiff, and Penarth, as in the case of Swansea, the danger of blocking vessels was not taken into consideration.
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15. As pointed out in the Admiralty letter referring this question to the Home Ports Defence Committee (Appendix I), "the effective blocking of the exits from Cardiff, Barry, and Penarth, would disorganise the whole coal supply of the fleet in
war.
16. Although the defences of Cardiff and Barry were not specially designed to deal with attempts to block the entrance, this form of attack not having been laid down by the Admiralty for the guidance of General Sir John Owen's Committee on Arma- ments in 1906, the addition of this form of attack to the scale of defence to be provided against, and the establishment of an Examination Service do not involve the provision of additional batteries. In the case of Barry, the additional expense involved is estimated at a capital expenditure of 5,7001. for the provision of searchlights, and an annual charge of 3,8601. for additional personnel. The estimate for the additional expense involved in the case of Cardiff (with Penarth) iš identical. (Appendix II.)
Conclusion.
17. Having regard to the vital importance to the Royal Navy of maintaining uninterrupted the supply of coal from Barry and Cardiff (including Penarth), and to the relatively small expenditure involved, the Home Ports Defence Committee recommend that an Examination Service under military responsibility should be established in time of war at both these ports.
(Signed)
2, Whitehall Gardens, S.W.,
January 17, 1913.
BARRY DOMVILE, Secretary,
Home Ports Defence Committee.
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