BRITISH PACIFIC FLEET

Evening Star, Issue 25461, 17 April 1945, Page 6

BRITISH PACIFIC FLEET

THE SUPPLY PR&BLEII LEARNING FROM AMERICANS NEW YORK. April 16. "There are obvious indications that the British Navy is in the Pacific to stay a long time," says the ' New York Times ' correspondent on board King George V. " They are gathering together shipping, material, and resources of the Empire to keep the fleet self-sufficient in supplies. The officers admit that the British havo a lot to learn about maintaining the fleet so far from the naval bases of Sydney and Ceylon, but they are learning the hard way in enemy waters. In addition, they are learning the American system of communications, reversing the procedure in the Mediterranean when American warships operated with the British.

" The two fleets are not operating as single units in the Pacific. They dovetail closely without seeing each other. Vice-Admiral Rawlings and RearAdmiral Vian are manoeuvring the fleet superbly.

"The British Air Fleet in the Pacific must hold the record for the number of different types of aircraft flown from the same carrier. They have done this through necessity rather than choice', taking what aircraft they could get, because until recently, preference has been shown to the land bases of the R.A.F. Even now the planes flown by this fleet are old, and many which Tire patched when damaged would be heaved over the side on an American carrier."