THE CHANNEL GUARD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 180, 29 July 1916, Page 4

THE CHANNEL GUARD.

The dispatch of Admiral Bacon cover-

ing naval operations in the narro.f waters between England and France records a manifestation of naval power i none the leas remarkable because we have grown accustomed to it. During bi.\ months 21,000 merchant ships passed the patrol, of which the enemy sank or damaged 21; only four per cent of the patrol vessels were sunk; several enemy submarines and one surface vessel were doitroyed; and not a single life was lost in transporting troops. This wonderful record is part of the greatest display of naval supremacy that history has wit ncssed. When the original Expeditionary Force crossed to France, an operation that was hailed as a wonderful result of this power, the Admiralty took elaborate precautions to guard against an attack on the transports by the Geri . man fleet. As time went on, and no attempt, in force was made to interfere, v.ith traffic between the two couny tries, interest in the command of the Channel waned, until people took it as a matter of course. But this command has only been maintained -by great skill, the improvement of defences, and unceasing vigilance. It is advisable to remind oneself from time to time of what a wonderful thing the Navy has achieved in these waters. It has obtained and held such a grip on them that in tho face of tiie second strongest navy in the world, Britain has concentrated in France and Flanders an immense army, with all its vast stores, just as though there were a Channel tunnel. When we mention the Channel tunnel we refer only to safety of transport in the present war, and do not suggest that it would be expedient hereafter to link our "tight little island" with the Continent by the construction of such a work, it would, of course, be a great saving if there were a railway from Britain to France. We have previously emphasised the disadvantage Britain is under as compare"3 with Germany, in having to move men and stores to the front by sea and over two railway systems instead of over railways only. It is a disadvantage which is not nearly sufficiently taken into account. The safe and speedy delivery of hundreds of thousands of men and millions of tons of stores has been possible only by the skill and watchfulness of the Navy. The enemy, moreover, has submarine and destroyer, bases in the waters that Aye' nave to j guard. When there was a possibility .of the Germans netting to Calais, there was much alarm in England as to the effect of such a success on traffic in the Chan-1 nel. But the enemy has held Ostend and Zeebrugge for nearly two years, and very little good has it done him from the naval point of view. Further, the Ad-1 miral commanding the forces operating | against the bases lias been handicapped I by regard for the civilian population. |

"In all cases," said Admiral Bacon, iv bis previous dispatch, " great care has been taken to confine the fire of the guns to objectives of military and naval importance, so as to inflict the minimum of less of life and distress on the civil population, the larger number of whom are our allies. In order to carry this principle into cfTect. it has at times been necessary to modify and even postpone projected attacks. The results, therefore have been effective rather than sensational." If the Germans were similarly placed, would they display a similar regard for non-combatants? The success of the patrol in combating submarines from German and Belgian bases has been extraordinary, and after the] war there will be a wonderful story to tell of tbe means adopted to allow not only of the safe passage of shrps to and from France, but of the unceasing line of ships carrying cargo to and from London. No transport has been lost by mine or torpedo, the nearest to such a loss being when a hospital ship was sunk by a mine, and tbe toll in six months from enemy attack of merchant shipping that has passed the patrol was .1 per cent. j Yet there have been people who have wked how we could be said to command I the sea when the German Navy was still intact.