NAVAL EXPANSION

Evening Star, Issue 23817, 22 February 1941, Page 12

NAVAL EXPANSION

BRITAIN'S GREAT EFFORT BIG CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME (British Oflicial Wireless.) BUG BY, February 21. (Received February 22, at 11 a.in.) A natal estimate before the war made it clear that Britain lias been rapidly expanding the Royal Navy from 1933-1)9 onwards. It is now possible to state that a very large programme of ships, especially smaller ships, bus been already built during this war. Including many ships built in the dominions, the naval building programme to-day is at a higher rate than at the peak period of the last war. It has been said that if a British Admiral could sail forthwith all the ships Britain has completed since the beginning of the war bo would think ho was sailing out “ a considerable llect.” Regarding merchant ship construction, comparisons suggest that Britain is doing bettor than in the last war. In 1915 the whole tonnage built was about 050,000, and in 1910 the figure was 550,000. The rate of construction is now much higher than either figure quoted. Some idea of the magnified shipbuilding effort is gathered from the fact that the country’s labour forces have risen by about 60 per cent, since the beginning of the war. When a comparison is made between the limited resources of the present time and naval forces operated by the Allies in the last war in the five fleets then available the strength of the effort to-day can be well appreciated.