A NEW GAME

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 48, 27 February 1933, Page 6

A NEW GAME

the navy:s mimic war

PROTECTION OF COMMERCE

SEEKING KNOWLEDGE

The Navy is playing a war game—a game of primo importance to Britain and its far-flung Empire. Out in the Bay of Biscay, where the great Atlantic rollers toss the mightiest ships like corks, two of Britain's youngest admirals are endeavouring to obtain fresh light on a problem the near failure of which to solve almost brought Britannia to her knees in the terrible years of 1914-18, writes F. W. Memory in the, "Daily Mail." They are seeking to perfect methods of defending trade routes in distant waters in time of war, in areas where submarines cannot operate, and all raiding is done by fast cruisers, regular or improvised. Officially the occasion is the spring cruise of that great Armada called the Home^ Fleet, which will be continued until April. During the whole of that time the exercises, as they are called, will be concerned with the problem of trade defence in time of war; in other words, the ensuring of the safe delivery to this country of food supplies and other necessities. For a maritime power the problem is as old as traffic on the seas itself, for in the old days when nation -was not at war with nation, there were the pirates ready to pounce on the rich trade ships of any nation. THE WAX'S PART. But it was the Great War which brought home, to Britain the supreme importance of this matter. It will be recalled that the submarine menace was ultimately -overcome by a system of convoy, but that was only possible when in 1917 the United States came into the war, providing a number of vessels suitable for escorting work. Actually the first convoy of merchantmen was from Gibraltar on May 10, 1917, but from then on the convoy system steadily expanded, and finally succeeded in overcoming the submarine menace when all • other measures had failed. ' The object in war, the authorities declare, must bo to organise the available vessels so that each one completes the maximum number of voyages. Convoy is definitely inimical either to a steady flow of shipping or to the maximum use of it. For instance, the speed of a convoy is that of its slowest sMp, which delays the faster vessels; time is also lost in assembling convoys; ports become congested, and there aro other difficulties. Therefore it is held that convoy, while of undoubted value in providing a reasonable measure of security against unrestricted war on merchant shipping, is not a system to be adopted unless it is found absoIute"EVASIVE ROUTING." In certain areas, particularly those far removed from the main seat" of war, it is thought that a much more economical use qd: tonnage may be possible by the adoption of what is called evasive routing. That theory is now being- tested out —and that is why there is mimic war in the Bay of Biscay. The Admiralty has.juggled with the map of the world. Great Britain, disguised as Redlana, has been shifted to the other side of the globo and the British Isles turned into one of Eedland's colonies. The north-west coast of Spain is also regarded as a Bedland colony, and Arosa 'Bay and the port of Vigo have been appointed as the places of assembly for a.convoy of merchantmen. Now Blueland, a great maritime power, is at war with Eedland, and has heard of this assembling of the convoy. Two fast cruisers have been detached to play havoc with the merchantmen as they stagger across the Bay of Biscay from- Eedland's colony (the British Isles) to rendezvous at Arosa Bay and Yigo. Bedland's admiral has learnt that these two Blueland cruisers—actually the Dorsetshire and Exeter, under the command of BearAdmiral P. Xi. H. Noble (of the Second Cruiser Squadron) —have fuelled with great secrecy at tho Azores. Ho divines that their purpose is to harry and capture the slow and helpless merchantmen before they can reach tho safety of Arosa Bay or Vigo, although they are making for their ports under evasiv,e routing orders. To protect them lie has sent out the "Warspite, Malay a, Adventurer, Cairo, and York, under the command of Rear-Admiral P. M. Colvin (of the Second Battle Squadron). AFTER THE QXJAKKY. It is their job to hunt down Dorsetshire and Exeter, and at all costs prevent them from capturing any of the merchantmen, which include Nelson, Rodney, Hood, .-■ Eenown, . Valiant, twelve^ destroyers, and Lucia and Snapdragon—nineteen ships in all. None of these vessels, which incidentally include some of the most powerful men-of-war in the world, is supposed to be armed; theoretically they do not possess a searchlight between them, and their speed is only ten knots. Admiral- Sir John Kelly, 0.-in-C. of the Home Fleet, is in Nelson and is acting as Chief Umpire, but, thorough as the Navy is, it is not on record that ho and his officers' are discarding their uniforms for the usual garb of tramp steamer captains and mates.' Submarines arc not being used in this particular exeTcise, for it is-pre-sumed that the particular sea area is, as already explained, not suitablo for their operations—their turn will come later on,'when the convoy has been formed and is bound Southward Ho! It is laid down that the capture of merchant ships irnist be in accordance with International law, and, to simulate the proper procedure of visit and search, a. Blue cruiser, in order to effect; capture; must remain stopped or moving at slow speed within 2000 feet of the "merchantman" for 30 minutes. Aeroplanes may be used by those ships equipped with them if the weather is suitable, and this employment of tho flying arm may be productive of important and interesting results. Tho raiders' range of vision will be materially extended for the purpose of intercepting merchant vessels, while the use of aircraft by Eedland warships increases the possibility of the detection and destruction .of tho Blue cruisers. -. • . ' But if aeroplanes are used, then the vessel using them must subjnit to tho necessary delay in re-shipping «them. As to the use of wireless by the "merchantmen" when attacked, it is recognised that in actual warfare the raiding cruiser would attempt to jam all messages from its victim, and therefore it has been arranged that the merchant skipper before he attempts to send a message shall "try his luck" at a sort of a penny dip in which the prizes are "full report," "mutilated message," "no report at all," He will be bound by what he draws from the hat. All this has been happening now, but shortly the merchantmen will be assumed to have reached Arosa Bay or have been captured. Anyhow, this particular phase of the "war" will be called off, and a new lesson in naval warfare learnt. It is hoped that valuable data will be obtained as to tho capabilities of modern cruisers in raiding trade routes, and tho necessary force required to protect such routes. The Navy is leaving nothing to. chance, if tliero is ever a next time; again it will bo Britain's "sure shield and buckler."