U-BOAT MENACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 109, 11 May 1939, Page 9

U-BOAT MENACE.

REPLY BY BRITAIN. ANTI-SUBMARINE FORCES. i I BIG INCREASE AUTHORISED. , One of flip most notnhie features ofj the White Paper on Defence is that it : contains a swift and strong reply to the! rapid jrrowth of submarine forces in other navies", writes the naval correspondent of the "Sunday Times," London. The White Paper stated that the! naval building programme for the coming financial year would include two! flotillas of destroyers and 20 escort Vessels of a new and fast typo. The fact that in last year's naval building programme not one destroyer was authorised, and no provision was Wade for the building of escort vessel*, was freely criticised both in Parliament and in naval circle*, as it was felt that euhmarinu activity abroad called for forgo increases in tho anti-submarine forces of the llovitl Navy. Tim two flotillas of destroyers— amounting to Iβ ships—and the 20 newtypo escort vessels will not, it is underHlood, be tlie only anti-submarine craft! to l»e luid down during the coming financial year. Additional craft will include motor torpedo boats, which are potential iiiiti-Hiibmarine craft, since they cany depth-charge*, and special motor anti-submarine craft. What We Are Doing. A It <>jjot Ikt the naval forces, specially "iited fur nut i-Milimariiie work, or which could perform anti-submarine duties in war. lire being rapidly inileased. Tho present position is as fnllrm ~,: — There me at present in service f»3 post-war flotilla leaders and destroyers, while another 28 are building, and IK authr.ris.efl but not yet laid down. In addition to 79 older "flotilla leaders andj destroyers of wartime design, between

."iO and 40 have been earmarked for conversion into a special type of escort vessel carrying a large anti-submarine armament. Some of these ships are already in hand for conversion, but only cine—H..M.S. Whitley—has so far been completed. Of specially built escort vessels there are '.VI in service. Five are new and heavily armed. There are 24 of a [slightly smaller type, which, although of modern design and construction, are lightly armed. Some of these are being altered to provide them with a more tor mid able armament. I There are utill in service three of the jold wartime "sloops." now classed as escort vessels. There are three heavily in lined escort vessels under construction, land the new programme provides for 20 escort vessel* of a new fast type. Six modern patrol vessels are in serivice, a n<l three under construction. These are ships of between .">OO and fIOO lons, armed with a single 4in gun and idepth charges, specially designed for coastal convoy ( work and offshore patrols. More of these ships are likely to be lai<l down during the coming financial year. Trawlers Taken Over. The Royal Xavy has, during the paet two and a. half years, increased its potential anti-submarine strength by taking over a large number of fishing trawlers and fitting them for minesweeping and patrol duties. There are now 44 of these craft in the Royal Xavy. There are also 21 drifters, which, it has been officially stated, would become available for anti-sub-marine patrol work in the event of war. .MinesweefK?rs. though anti-submarine work is not their main function, must also be counted as. potential antisubmarine craft, for they are armed with guns and would in war. undoubtedly, carry depth charges. There are 17 new minesweepers in the Koval N'avy. each aimed with two 4-inch giins ,iiis well as machine-guns, and 23 of tiie jold war-time twin-screw minesweepers imoiintiiig a single 4-inch gun. I Since they carry depth charges, motor torpedo-boat* must also be classed a* anti-submarine craft. There are at present lti of these vessels in service. but a further eighteen units will come service in the near future. The (Admiralty has also been developing a jnew type of motor craft designed epeei-, ally for-anti-submarine work.

Mercantile Marine Reserve. Two other vessels of the Royal Xavy have special anti-submarine capabilities. These are H.M.S. (iuardian ami 11.M.5. Protector, ships specially designed for the laying of anti-submarine, nets. Though of a purely defensive character. the large number of boom defence vessels which have been built and are beinjj built must be considered as strengthening the aiiti-eubmarine position of the JKoyal Navy. It will be seen that, although the position is far below that of ISIIH. when there were .'{Blo vessels of all types engaged upon trade protection, antisubmarine work, and coast defence, th. , position of the Royal Xavy in antisubmarine" strength i.s improving rapidly. Moreover, it must Ik? remembered that the . Admiralty would take over a large number of other vessels for auxiliary patrol duties in the event of war, while 'modern anti-submarine development[have made the operations of the .submarine far more difficult and hazardous than they were during the Great War.