CAB80-32 — Page 222

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(vi) The provision of ongines for 1,000 T.L.C's is less of a bottleneck than hull construction and fitting out, subject to the following. An attempt to provide Diesel engines from United Kingdom sources would result in a large reduction in the supply of tank engines and submarine engines. Possibilities exist of obtaining a considerable supply of engines. from U.S.A. but these would require to be largely petrol driven as fitted in oarlier ToJo C'So This would result in a reduction of speed of T.L.C's of about 2 knots and increased fitting out and subsequent maintenance difficulties.

As

Summary. To sum up, we have reached a point where additional construction of T.L.C's both in the United Kingdom or Dominions can only be done at the expense of other shipbuilding, probably mainly merchant tonnage. an indication, a preliminary estimate shows that to increase the United Kingdom programme by 200 TL.'s, from 300 to 500, would result in a fall in the gross merchant tonnage under construction of one fifth.

(b) Invited the Admiralty to investigate the possibility of meeting the requirements of special craft for Combined Operations in the Middle East from the shipbuilding resources in India.

(i) On the 16th September, 1941, in reply to a previous Admiralty enquiry, India reported they could not build T.L.C's. On the 8th October, 1941, India were asked to reconsider this decision, Construction of 17 T.L.C's was asked for, this being the balance of Middle East requirements when the existing shipping programme from U.K. of 49 T.L.C's is completed. India has now replied to this second request, saying again that T.L.C's cannot be constructed.

(ii) It has been found possible to place orders for 10 T.L.C's in Malaya, engines being provided frcin U.K. or U.S.A.

(c) Invited the Admiralty to report whether it was possible to augment the production of TLC's by utilising resources in Canada.

(i) T.L.C's are not at present being built in Canada, primarily because of the restrictions on shipping space to transport the existing type to this country. The problem appears similar to that now being investigated by the Combined Operations Mission in U.S.A., namely the construction of TLC's capable of crossing the Atlantic.

(ii) A full appreciation of the capacity available in Canada to build T.L.C's can only be obtained by reference to B.A.T.M. A recent study of Canadian Shipbuilding made on the spot points to the fact that T.L.C. hulls can only be constructed at the expense of something else, probably Merchant vossols.

(iii) The supply of engines would have to bo arranged from U.S.A.

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