CAB9-1_PT1 — Page 190

Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. January 1894. Page 190 of 425

CONFIDENTIAL.

73-R

MAURITIUS.

MAURITIUS.

No. 40.

Report of Local Joint Naval and Military Committee, September 1893.

Remarks by Colonial Defence Committee.

Part I.

THE Colonial Defence Committee have considered the Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee of Mauritius, and offer the following remarks :—

are :-

1. The natures of attack to which the harbour of Port Louis is liable

(a.) Attack by a small force of cruisers, undertaken most probably in co-operation with a land attack on the town, in which case its object would be to divert attention from the landing force, and keep a portion of the garrison in the forts and batteries rather than to force its way into the harbour by silencing the batteries.

(b.) A raiding attack, with the object of destroying the docks, stores, and vessels lying in the harbour, made by a light cruiser or gun-boats attempting to enter by force or stratagem, or by the smaller nature of torpedo-boats ("torpilleurs embarqués ") or launches, such as are carried on board many cruisers. In all probability this class of attack would only be made by night or under favourable atmospheric conditions.

Attack by torpedo-boats, properly so-called, may be dismissed from present consideration, as the only probable hostile base within torpedo-boat radius of action of Mauritius is Réunion, and at present the French have no torpedo-boats, either first or second class, there or in adjacent waters.

2. The modifications of the Defence Scheme recommended by the Local Committee to bring the arrangements for the defence of the harbour of Port Louis into accord with the guiding principles require reconsideration in respect of the following points :-

Page 3: 6-in. Q.-F. Gun for Signal Mountain.-It is difficult to under- stand how a gun on Signal Mountain "would prevent any hostile vessel coming to close quarters with the forts." It would be over 2,000 yards inland of the nearest of the batteries, and if the batteries themselves, which are fairly powerfully armed, cannot prevent the hostile vessel from coming to close quarters, it is not quite evident how this gun on Signal Mountain will do so. In fact, considering the vulnerable nature of a cruiser, which is the most formidable class of ship likely to be encountered, it might even be preferable, from the defence point of view, that the hostile vessel should attempt to come to close quarters with the batteries, as this would insure her being all the more rapidly disabled or sunk.

[90]

B

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