LIGHT CRUISER PROGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 154, 1 July 1924, Page 5

LIGHT CRUISER PROGRESS.

BRITISH NAVY'S NEEDS. AND FOREIGN ACTIVITY. When the Atlantic Fleet leaves its lome ports in the South of England i or the usual summer cruise to the \orthern exercise bases at Cromarty : ■'irth and Scapa Flow, in the course of vliich it is to visit a larger number '. if coast towns and holiday resorts than ■ ver before, it will not be accompanied ; >y any light cruisers (says the Naval :orrespondent of the "Times"). The i Light Cruiser Squadron is away >n the Empire cruise, and the vessels >f the Second Squadron, which are not ■cutting are ordered lo Portland. That this, the principal British fleet, hould start on its annual summer cruise vithout any units of a type which was iroved to be so important in the war s significant of the shortage of up-to-late light cruisers which now prevails md of the need for the putting in hand >f the first part of the replacement >rogramme, as represented by the conracts just placed. So far attention has •hiefly been directed to the five new ight cruisers now about to be laid down iccause of the relief they will afford .o unemployment in the shipyards and ■ngine factories, and as the five ships viil cost altogether about ten millions, >r nearly as much as the two battleihips now building, the amount of work provided will be substantial and widespread. It is natural mat the help riven to our home industries by these lew contracts should be emphasised, because from the naval standpoint no :hange will be made in the relative strength of this country when they are •ompleted. The programme is purely 3ne of replacement of vessels long ago scrapped. In some quarters there is a tendency to regard it as one which will augment our sea strength, but an axamination of the facts proves otherwise. Ten years ago we had. 115 cruisers, md although during and since the war ne have completed 53 more, the number removed is no fewer than 120, so that our total is now down to 4S. America and Japan had 32 and 20 cruisers respectively in 1914. They have since added seven and 13, and have scrapped only 10 and 11 respectively, leaving them with 29 and 28 at present. In no other country has the voluntary scrapping of obsolete or semi-obsolete ships been carried to such lengths as in Great Britain - ' .iiiiJiijii Cruisers and the Treaty. From references to the Washington Treaty it does not appear to be generally realised that this pact places no limitation upon the number of cruisers which may be built. Battleship tonnage may be regulated on the 5—5—3 ratio for Britain, America, and Japan, but nothing of the kind obtains in regard to cruisers, the only restrictions upon which are in regard to individual size (10,000 tons) and calibre of principal gun (Sin). Hence Japan is quite within her rights in providing for an increase of her cruisers from 28 to 40 by 1929, in which year, unless further ships are voted, the British and American figures will have dwindled to 32 and 10 respectively owing to the heavy proportion of obsolete vessels in their navies. In contrast to s—a—3, the ratio in this class of 6hip will then be something like 6—2—S, the Japanese cruiser fleet having a numerical equality with those of England and America combined. The British total may be slightly higher if the Australian proposal to build two new cruisers is carried out. The fact that this proposal has been made is indicative of the importance attached in the Dominions to the protection of the oversea trade routes. In New Zealand there is evidence of the same kind in the statement of Mr. Massey that if Singapore is not proceeded with the Dominion Government will offer to maintain a second light cruiser in addition to the Dunedin, which is now transferred to the New Zealand service in place of the older cruiser Chatham. But this is not the same as building a cruiser. Australia nas facilities for a construction job of this kind in her dockyard at Sydney, and has already built there the Brisbane and Adelaide. But New Zealand, although she has docking and repair facilities lor cruisers, has never contemplated the building of such a vessel. The burden of maintaining even our limited Navy must continue to fall principally upon the Mother Country, and, since Admiralty spokesmen have stated that we need about 50 cruisers to be built within the next ten years, it is well that our resources for their production have not been allowed entirely to disappear. During the present month details of the two new French cruisers to be laid down this year have been published, the main feature being that, with the same speed as the three vessels of the DuguayTrouin type (34 knots), the calibre of their eight neavy guns is increased from 0.1 in to Sin, tlie weapons being twinmounled.