SLOW SPEED SHIPS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20493, 1 March 1941, Page 9

SLOW SPEED SHIPS

BUILDING CRITICISED FAST CRAFT REQUIRED LESS RISK OF ATTACK (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Feb. 28, 2 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 27. The Government's policy of building slow-speed ships was criticised by Lord Rotherwick, the president of the Chamber of Shipping, at the chamber’s annual meeting. He said that the policy had only just been abandoned after 18 months of war. It was appreciated that the need for the maximum new tonnage impelled the Government to order a large number of ships of slow speed, but there was little use in building ships if lack of speed exposed them to enemy attack. Fast ships would do two voyages for every one by those with slow speeds and would greatly reduce the strain on the already overworked destroyers because they did not require convoying.

The slow-speed ships should be diverted to less dangerous routes. Much must be done to speed up the handling of vessels at the ports. Lord Rotherwick claimed that the Government policy was moving nearer to the complete nationalisation of shipping.