WHAT IT SHOWED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 14, 17 January 1940, Page 9

WHAT IT SHOWED.

NAVAL ENGAGEMENT. NAZI POCKET BATTLESHIPS. POOR FIRE RESISTANCE. ! (By Air Mall.) LONDON, December 20. M<x>t encouraging evidence has been obtained by the British Admiralty from the naval action against the Graf Spec uff the South American coaet, says a writer in the "Daily Herald." It is clear, in the first place, that Germany's three jKxket battleships, while in themselves marvellous feats of marine engineering, do not poesese the powers of resistance to fire that was expected of them. They cannot, moreover, effectively sustain their lire-power through an action in which they suffer only moderate damage, whereas British cruisers and capital *>hips can. Welded Plates. This ie because the German pocket battleship, of which the Graf .Spec was the latent and best, are constructed eo lightly inside their four-inch armour plating that their interiors get much more severely knocked about by sholllire than the inside of a normal warship would be. One reason may be that the hull of a pocket battleship does not contain a single rivet. Her plate* are welded for lightness. The plates of a Britieh warship are all riveted. "The interior damage suffered by the Graf Sfpec obviously knocked her "firing all to bits," said a naval authority vesterday. "A British warship can maintain fire often to the point of sinking, she is so eturdily made. "It may not be possible for a ship Hke the Graf Spee to arrange for secondary and individual fire-control points when her main fire-control room i 8 put out of action." Secret Range. Another very satisfying point which the Britifth Admiralty has observed is that cruisers' 6in and Sin guns, which have been the object of eluborate research and experiment since the last war. have fulfilled all expectations. Their range ie a secret, but the lapidity of their fire ie much greater than the llin guns of the Graf Spee. Thus it is proved that two Britieh light cruisers can probably handle any German pocket battleship, even if they cannot sink her, and the Germane are likely to take the les.son to heart.