A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 9, 6 October 1941, Page 6

A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Indomitable Spirit THE MERCHANT NAVY

The British Merchant Navy is notclassed as one of the fighting services, yet its work is vital to the winning of this war—as it was in 1914-18. It. has rightly been called the life-line of Great Britain. The attack which the enemy hoped would bring him victory in the last war, and in the present struggle, was the attack on merchant shipping at sea. This statement does not derive from mere speculation. All the world knows that any enemy who can succeed in effectually cutting off her sea communications will have Great Britain—and- the overseas Dominions—at his. mercy. The vulnerability of Britain, in war, to an effective blockade Jias been patent for more than a century, and that vulner- . ability has increased- with, her growing dependence both for food and the raw materials of industry upon overseas supplies. Merchant Navy Fights

That is why the enemy has directed his main effort at sea against Britain’s trade, and for more than two years has waged a ruthless campaign against the Merchant Navy. At any time throughout , the year some 2000 British merchant ships are at sea facing the prospect of attack by enemy raiders, U-boats, or aircraft, Merchant ships are essentially cargo-carriers; they are not built to fight. It is true that in. wartime they are provided with “defensive armament"—a single gun for use against submarines and, more recently, Ugh* anti-aircraft weapons. Their crews are not fighting men in the military sense, but invariably they have the fighting spirit and do not hesitate to defend their ships by the limited means within their power. Hundreds of British merchant ships have successfully fought off U-boats and aircraft; and in not a few instances have destroyed their attackers. Several times merchant ships have fought heavily-armed. German raiders. In the last war the New Zealand Shipping Company’s steamer Otaki fought such an action with the Moewe.

Tasman Sea Action A .little more than a year ago the same company’s steamer Turakina defended herself against a powerful raider in the Tasman Sea, She is reputed to have fought for more than two hours till her ammunition was spent and she was completely disabled rad heavily on. fire. Barely one-third of her crew survived the action to become prisoners of the raider. It may be said that Captain J. Laird, master of the Turakina, was foolhardy to have fought his ship with her single gun against a heavily-armed raider manned by a trained naval crew. But his first, and sound, instinct was to do his best to save his ship, and he doubtless hoped that he might succeed in disabling the raider, At all events, he did what he deemed to be his duty, and his decision to fight appears to have been gallantly backed by his crew, There were no quitters in the Turakina 'that August night There are few, if any, quitters in the Merchant Navy, which has lost some 1200 ships totalling around 5,000,000 tons since the war started. There are many masters, officers, engineers and hands who have had more than one ship sunk under them, yethove not hesitated to go back to sea directly they could get another ship. Decorations galore have been gained by these indomitable seamen, who go to sea as civilians on their lawful occasions with no expectation of, or desire to earn, medals or other tokens of recognition of work well and truly and often heroically performed. Heavy Death Roll A recent recipient of the 0.8. E. and of Lloyd’s War Medal for bravery at gea was Captain L. C. Church, master of a tanker which was torpedoed and set on fire. The ship was abandoned but later Captain Church called for volunteers to return to her. The fire was still raging and it was decided to wait till daylight. Tftey therefore remained alongside till dawn, when tut master and the volunteers went on board. The Are had been extinguished by the seas, and within one and a Halt hours steam was raised and they proceeded at a slow speed under escort. It was hard to bring the ship to port as she would pot steer and was under water almost to the bxlflge. The varying fortunes of what is generally known as the Battle of the Atlantic are usually referred to in terms of numbers of ships and totals ot tonnage sunk. But there is far move to it than this, The casualty list or the Merchant Navy is a loflg, grim rob of killed, wounded, missing ana prisoners of war. It is not possible to give any precise figures, but the total of killed and missing runs lulo several thousands, During the war of 1914-18 the Merchant Navy recorded some 14,000 lives lost at seu through enemy action. During the first 12 months of this war the Merchant Navy lost IXI lives and fishing vessels another 2J9 through enemy action at sea. Hm former included 70 masters, 14a deck officers, 245 engineers, 46 radio officers and 1415 z other ratings. The fishing fieet losses comprised 29 skippers, 26 second hands, 50 engineers, two radio operators and 192 hands.- In both these lists the high proportion ■of engineers will be noted. Spirit Of The Service Here is a tribute to the “devotion and self-sacrifice” of British seamen paid by a well-known shipowner, Mr. Philip Runciman, at the annual meeting iu Loudon on July 29 of the Anchor Line, Limited- • ’ , “The battle of the Mercantile Marine started in September, 1939, and has continued day in and day out in winter and summer, in all sorts ot weather, so that we may be fed and clothed and the materials required to beat the Hun brought into the country. Some of us who have the privilege or knowing these men and know the sea are able to visualize what they go through. I know one captain very well, who has been torpedoed out of three ships, and within 48 hours of landing from the third he was in my room asking for another ship. “That is only one instance of hundreds and I say—and say it in all seriousness —that it is up to everjbodv connected either directly or indirectly with the sea to be worthy ot these men. Without them God knows where we would be, and that is the plain, blunt truth which should be recognized by everyone, and, I repeat, everyone in this country. I am quite serious about this matter. I am hoping that one of these days as a result of the efforts now being made we may get the Mercantile Marine placed on the same basis as the Navy from the point of view of recognition of the marvellous things which they have done, and are doing.—-(S.D.W.)