THE CONVOY SYSTEM

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 107, 2 November 1939, Page 13

THE CONVOY SYSTEM

ONLY EIGHT SHIPS

ONE IN 300

(British Official W.reless.)

(Received November 2, 11.20 a.m.)

RUGBY, November 1

The extent to which the British convoy system has already heen developed is shown by the fact that already nearly 2500 Allied merchant ships have voyaged under convoy. The efficiency of the system is proved by the reduction in the loss of merchant ships over those incurred in the first week of the war, before the system was in operation, and by the fact that up to date only eight ships in convoy have been lost. Three of these losses were inflicted on the same convoy. The loss of one ship in 300, although regrettable, cannot be regarded as serious. One satisfactory deduction which can 'be made from the efficient working of the convoy system is that there is no shortage of escorting craft and patrol vessels. No navy can keep up in peacetime a sufficient force of escort and patrol craft to enable all maritime trade to be made instantaneously 100 per cent, secure in the event of war. EFFICIENCY OF ANTI-SUBMARINE FORCES. The British Navy did, however, possess a large force of escort and patrol craft < at the outbreak of the war, and this force had already been enormously increased. The best and only completely efficacious method of defence for maritime trade is destruction of enemy forces operating against that trade. In this connection it is significant that the j British anti-submarine forces, which t were the most efficient in the world j before the war, have already been; trebled in strength. Their efficiency j has been proved not only by the heavy j submarine losses incurred by Germany, but by the fact that the Greman submarines operating against maritime trade have been forced to cruise further and further away from local, areas of trade. This means that their j opportunities for doing serious damage \ have been greatly reduced. ]