THE TOLL ON SHIPPING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 147, 3 April 1941, Page 6

THE TOLL ON SHIPPING

BRITAIN'S' POSITION SURVEYED

•i LONDON, April I. Although mercantile losses from enemy action in the week ended mid-

night on March 23, which totalled 59,141 tons, are considerably less than those of the preceding three weeks since the battle of the Atlantic started, naval circles emphasise that it must not he assumed that this great menace to the coming British victory is yet mastered.

It is freely recognised that losses in the. coming weeks may be he.avv. This prospect, however, is not regarded as a cause for despondency and it is emphasised in naval circles that the proper method to assess losses is to study the average weekly figures of losses over a period or months rather than those of individual weeks’ The weekly average in August was 84,000 tons, in September 103,000 tons, in October 86,000 tons, in November 86,000 tons, in December 70,000 tons, in January 55,000 tens, and in February 74,000 tons. • For the three weeks of March the average weekly losses were 84,000 tons. The average weekly loss from the beginning of the war, excluding the Dunkirk period, is 65,000 tons. An interesting neutral comment on Britain's shipping position appeared in the Swedish newspaper “Alorgonposten>,” on Alareh 27. It said : “If the losses remain as they are now, they can be entirely replaced bv new ships built in Britain or the United States.”

Commenting on Britain’s losses, Commander R. T. H. Fletcher, Parliamentary private secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, said: “W© can say definitely that at present the sinkings do not appear to be on; a scale sufficiently high to give Hitler victory.”