GERMANY’S FLEET

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12903, 2 July 1936, Page 8

GERMANY’S FLEET

-—* MANY SUBMARINES BEING BUILT LONDON. May 18. Work on the construction >of a large licet of is u bin a;'i ires is l being speeded up by the Germany Government. Construction of battleships and other warships is proceeding apace, but the energies of Admiral Raodcr, the Nazi Navy Minister, are concentrating primarily on submarines. This is shown by the German Navy figures published in the official “Naval Gazette’’ in Berlin. Germany will shortly have 30 submarines in her navy. Nineteen are already afloat and 17 are under construction. Under the Anglo-German naval agreement Germany has a right to build a. submarine fleet equal in tonnage to that of the British Empire, but she‘lias agreed to limit lier submarine fleet to 45 per cent, of the British Empire’s unless a situation arises which she feels causes the ratio to be revised in lier favour. Other details of the German navy are:

Germany’s six battleships- include three modern vessels of the 10,000ton “pocket” battleship type. The other three axe old.

The two battleships now building fare of 26,000 tons. They are said to be the equal of vessels of considerably, heavier tonnage, in view of the lesson learnt by German naval construct©''® in the days when they were prepared to keep to the 10,000 tons bmit- imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.

Battleships Built Constructing . 0 2 Cruisers ... . . 0 3 Destroyers . — 16 Torpedo* boats . . 19 — Minesweeper s . 9 4 Naval tenders . . 3 - 7 Arm’d speedboat s 13 4