BATTLE FLEET

Evening Post, Issue 11, 13 July 1936, Page 10

BATTLE FLEET

SHIPS OUT OF SERVICE

According to the May. issue of the "Navy List," only seven British capital ships are now in full commission writes Hector Bywater in the "Daily Telegraph." With the Home Fleet are the battleships Nelson and Rodney and the battle-cruiser Hood, while the battleships Barham,' Queen Elizabeth, and Valiant, with the battle-cruiser Renown, are serving in the Mediterranean. • An eighth ship, the battle-cruiser Repulse, has just been fully commissioned, and is leaving for the Mediterranean. Never before has the British battle fleet shrunk to such small dimensions. Its present weakness is due in part to the necessity of modernising our old ships, which is a lengthy process, and in part to shortage of personnel, aggravated by the special measures we have taken in the Mediterranean. The battleships Warspite, Malaya, and Royal Oak are all undergoing big refits, and will not be available for.a considerable time. They are being equipped with special protection against air attack and with stronger anti-aircraft batteries. Four other battleships have had to be virtually laid up, presumably because there are not enough officers and ratings to man them. The Royal Sovereign has been reduced to "special complement," but is still carrying out training duties. EFFICIENCY DECLINE. The Revenge is at Portsmouth with a crew of only 230 on board instead of the normal 1140. The Resolution, at Portsmouth, and the Ramillics, at Sheerness, have greatly reduced complements. None of these ships would jbe available immediately for active | service in a sudden emergency. An undermanned warship speedily | declines in efficiency, owing to the impossibility of carrying out the normal training routine. Nor does such a ship at once become fully effective if her complement is restored to normal. In that event it takes several weeks, if not months, to "work up" to the requisite standard of efficiency. The truth appears to be that the Mediterranean crisis placed such a strain on our depleted manning resources that the new flotilla of destroyers and minesweepers which were urgently needed could only be manned by practically immobilising half our battle fleet. Twelve months ago the Home and Mediterranean Fleets had between them 54 destroyers. The present total is 78, and there has also been a large increase in the number of minesweepers and other auxiliaries. For years past the country had been warned that a sudden crisis would find the Navy so short of man-power that it could mobilise only a part of its strength. Recent events have fully justified that warning.

It is well known in naval circles that the authorised increase of the personnel by about ,6000 falls far "hoii of what is required.