Minesweepers And Trawlers

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32349, 15 July 1970, Page 16

Minesweepers And Trawlers

Sir,—When the 1914-1918 war broke out hundreds of fishing vessels and their crews were commandeered for minesweeping and patrol and what a splendid job they performed! Instead of building expensive minesweepers.

as I notice the Government is proposing, why not give a group or several groups the chance, and assistance with money and manning, to build trawlers with a double pur-pose-fishing and minesweeping? The crews from master to the lower ratings could be the nucleus of a reserve. Like the Naval Reserve, they would do periods of training in minesweeping, and be paid by the Government for such periods. For the remainder of the time, deep-sea fishing on terms similar to the Japanese with up-todate trawlers. Groups could arrange conditions of charter so that the trawler-minesweeper idea could be of monetary value to export and all concerned. I am too old to sort the idea out, but suggest it should be thrashed out by interested parties.—Yours, etc., OLD BARNACLE. July 1, 1970. 7 [The Minister of Defence (Mr Thomson) replies: “The statements by your correspondent in relation to the 1914-18 war, and incidentally the 1939-1945 war, are of course correct; and 1 recognise fully the outstanding work that the fishing vessels and their crews did in both wars. Unfortunately, in mining as in ail other spheres of warfare, present-day techniques are very much more