SMALL SEA LOSSES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20185, 1 March 1940, Page 5

SMALL SEA LOSSES

BRITISH OCEAN TONNAGE SUCCESS OF CONVOYS (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 9 a.m. RUGBY, Feb. 28. Up to February 25 the Germans had lost by capture or scuttling 53 merchant ships. This represents G per cent of the total German mercantile tonnage. During the same period Britain had lost 159 merchant vessels by enemy action, representing 1.6 per cent of her ocean-going tonnage. The actual figures on which these calculations are based are from the return of the world’s merchant shipping, dated June, 1938, which is the latest obtainable and in which it is stated there were 2328 German vessels of over 100 tons which totalled 4,243,835 tons. Britain had 7203 ocean-going ships totalling 17,780,859 tons, and the Dominions 247 ships totalling 3,166,961 tons. If gains by capture and the new ships now available are included, the British proportion is even better than these figures show. Convoy losses remain very small. During the week ended February 25, 225 neutral ships were convoyed by the navy without loss, while the total ships so guarded reached 10,076 and sustained a loss equalling only one-fifth of 1 per cent.