NAVY EXPANDING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 113, 22 February 1941, Page 5

NAVY EXPANDING

MUCH BUILDING IN BRITAIN. MERCHANT VESSELS ALSO. MORE THAN IN THE LAST WEAR. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) . LONDON, February 21. A naval estimate before the war made it clear that Britain would have a rapidly-expanding navy from 1938-39 onwards. It is now possible to state that a very large programme of-ships, especially smaller ships, has already been built during this war. Including many ships built in the Dominions, the naval building .programme to-day is at a higher rate than at the peak period of the last war. It has been said that if a British admiral could sail forth with all the ships that Britain has completed since the beginning of the war he would think he was sailing out- a “considerable fleet.” Regarding the construction of merchant ships, comparisons' suggest that Britain is doing better than in the last war. In 1915 the whole tonnage built was .65,000, and in 1916 the figure was 550,000. The rate of -construction is now much higher than either of the figures quoted. Some idea of the magnified shipbuilding effort is to he gathered from the fact, that the country’s labour forces have risen by about 60 per cent, since the beginning of the war. When a comparison is made between the limited resources of the present time and the naval forces operated by the Allies in .the last way in the five fleets then available, the strength <-i the effort to-day can he well appreciated. Then there were as many as 930 destroyers, of which perhaps a round 500 would be available at : one time for protection against a raid. Because speed of output is the chief factor, Britain is very much in the position of building a standard ship to-day, the welding of the hulls being carried out as far as expert labour permits. To-day the British Navy is holding its own though facing the additional menace of powerful attacks from the air. In the whole 4£ years of the last war the country lost only 8000 tons of shipping by aircraft attacks. Not only is there a great weight of direct attack to-day, but also the sowing of mines from the air. the transferred American destroyers, it is learned that these have already rendered considerable aid to this country. Many are in regular service and at least one or‘.two have been concerned in attacks on U-hoats.—Bri-tish Official Wireless.