SEA POWER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 5

SEA POWER.

' 4— ■ " ■ GERMAN MANOEUVRES IN NORTH SEA. A POWERFUL FLEET. TWENTY-FOUR ARMOURED SHIPS. [DI TKLKCUAFIX —mess ASSOCIATION—COrYIttanT.] Borlln, April 29. Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of the Emperor, with a iieet of ninety-four warships, is carrying out naval manoeuvres ofi the island of Heligoland (in the North Sea oeded by Britain to Germany in 1890). Hii fleet includes :— '• Buttleshipj , ... ... u Armoured <cruisers'' ... ... ... 6 . : Smaller cruisers ... ... ... ... io The manoouvres are expected to be carriec on for over a month., ■ COMPARATIVE.STRENGTH IN NORTH ' . SEA. THE STRATEGICAL TEST IN JULY. ■ Ak the beginning of. this year the strength of tho German High Sea Sleet was 16 latesi Dattleships ana 10 cruisers U armoured, ( small). Recently Britain made a new naval disposition, under which there aTe now a Mair ileet and an Atlantio' Fleet, and the Alair Meet, tho larger of the two, is of the samt strength, numerically,, as the German-High Ses i'leet was--16 battleships and 10 armourec cruisers. But the present German fleet undei Prince Henry of Prussia includes 18 battleship! (an, increase of two), and 16' cruisers (an increase of six), so it is numerically strongei m? anj i ln(llT1(iui >l British fleet. ' Tho balance of the 91 German warships wil; At tho beginning of the J 1 , 0 . Q ° rm * n Hirh Sea.. Fleet had attached to it, 33 fully-manned destroyers, (which it wat then intended to raise at an" early date to 50) and 14 reserve destroyers (to bo raised to M which.; could bo. mobilised at a few hours' tico; torpedo inspection, 1 old battleship; gunnery inspection, 1 modern battleship, 1 moaerr armoured cruiser, 2 small cruisers j gunnery cx perimonts, 1 armoured cruiser, 2 coast defence battleships. All these aro in European waters, and no doubt all of them aro now cruising under Prinw Henry. It will bo seen that thif list giyes tho German force commissioned ir home waters at the beginning of tho year a: modern battleships and -armoured cruisers, omitting, smaller craft. To-day's, cablegram, ii credits Prince Henrys command with 24 armoured ships. War Probfom Tried in Peasfl. ' summer ot 1908 tho German High Sec ilejt oamed out with great success a longdistance cruise to the Arores and back. . Th< Uerman . policy is concentration .of : naval 6tr«ngth in- home waters, and thero is, in factonly ono important ship outside Europe, th< armoured cruiser Bismarck. The question oi whether the two British fleets could unito ir the event ,of a war with Germany, in order tc outnumber the enemy, was • tested in thf BncislrnaTal manoeuvres last July. .The conaition:f' and results have been unofficially rcporteo on as follew:—.. • "Bltfe Fleet (representing tlio German Navy), under ; Admir»l Lord Charles Berosford, wai itationed on the Scandinavian coast. Red Eleei (rtpre/jenting the British naval forces) was ii two stations,, each weaker than Blue Fleet, bui together «tr.onger, on* part at Hoeyth, and th( other part m th# Irish Channel; and the pro- ???• for . Ked to effeot a jnnotion while holdins Blue in check. On July 16 war began, and from that date till tho 19th the Bine Flesi was in ooramand of the North Sea, seeing no', thmr of the; enemy.' : The Rod Fleet, however, •ucceeaed in the meanwhilo m effecting its junction. . : , b Indecisive Result. • Thus.neither side gained a derided victory, it' was surprising that a hostile fleel " been left for sixty-two hours tc work its will in the North Sea. The wcathei r a ' j .this appears tc nave interfered with the scouting arrangement! of either side;, indeed, tho manoeuvres passed Without a single encounter. •" i application made-after tho manoeuvre* by the Commander-in-Chief, of the Channel Fleet (Admiral Lord Charles .Beresford), to th< Admiralty that the Blue and-Red'fleets mirhi meet • and. carrr • out tactical 1 exercises, so thai officers might be given experience in handliris a.largo fleet, was refused.' At the close of tile manoeuvres,; Rear ; Admiral,Sir - P.. Scott, whoK relations with his Commander-in-Chief wer« not of the happiest, owing' to a signal which h< had made in.November, 1907 ; (to tho effect, thai paint, work was more in demand than gunnerv) which, was wnsured. by .lord C. BoresforJ as " insubordinate,; was withdrawn from" thi bruiser Squadron, which forms nar^'o< tho Channel Fleet# aiid detached with four arm. pured oruisdrs to South Africa." AUSTRALIAN LOCAL FLOTILLA. NO SUBSIDY WITHOUT CONTROL. ' • Perth, April 30. ' Tho Federal Minister for' Homo Affairs, Mr. Mahon, defending, the naval, defence proposals of tho Commonwealth Prime Minister, advocated abandoning a naval subsidy to the Imperial Government, by Australia, njid initiher own, defence on t.ho ooean. A spirit of self-reliance, said the speaker, cannot coexist .with a spirit of dopondenee. Under the. subsidy system Australia. could have no control bver tho ehijis subsidised, and m the event of war the Australian squadror would lcavo our seas unprotected. Tho payment of a subsidy, Mr; Mahon added, would bleod,Australia of millions, and yet leave, her" unprotected - in the. hour :of danger. ■