NAVAL STRENGTH

Grey River Argus, 12 March 1940, Page 5

NAVAL STRENGTH

-o— — • SUPERIORITY OF ALLIES. With the end of the year in sight the time has arrived to take stock of the relative strengths of the British and German Navies after four months of war, wrote the naval correspondent of the London “Daily Telegraph” on December 30. Unquestionably the disparity which existed on September 3 has increased to the disadvantage of the enemy. Though this country has lost one capital ship, the Royal, Oak, she was only one out of 15; while the Admiral Graf Spee represents a fifth of Germany’s capital ship strength. At the moment the two fleets compare as follows: British, fourteen capital ships and nine building; Germany, four capital ships (two of which, Admiral Scheer and Deutschland, are only capital ships by courtesy), and four building. There arc six British aircraft carriers and six more building, so the loss of the Courageous has made little difference io this category. Germany has no vessels of this kind in service, though two are under construction. British cruisers number 58, but as the result of the torpedoing of the Leipzig and another ship by British submar-, ines, the enemy, can muster only six. We have 23 cruisers building, Germany only seven, DESTROYER STRENGTH. In destroyers, in spite of three; having been lost (two more • have | been sunk), the Royal. Navy is stronger than at the outbreak of war This is partly owing to the completion of vessels which were in hand.

Probably .the present total is not less than 380, with an unknown number building, since it is reasonable to conclude that the 24 in hand when war began are no longer the only ones on the stocks.

Gsrmanv still has the 22 with which she began’ the war, unless any have been lost through striking mines; she had eight more under construction,

and may have laid down others. In submarines it is more difficult to form an estimate. It may be assumed that the British total, after deducting the lost Qxley, is about 60. (Three others .have now been lost). Giving the Germans credit for having completed all the U-boats building at the outbreak of hostilities, and allowing no ' more than 40 to have been destroyed, the corresponding figure would be 61. ;How many are being built by the enemy no one can say. / PROBLEM OF MAN-POWER. Undoubtedly the number is a large one, but the manning of these vessels as they pass into commission is bound to present a most difficult problem, since it takes a long time to train efficient crews. !. ’ At least a dozen British submarines are under constructiQn. To give a complete picture, similar statistics concerning the French Fleet are required. These figures are: Seven capital' ships (four more building) ; one aircraft carrier (two building); 18 cruisers (three building); 59 destroyers (29 building); 77 submarines (25 building)./ It will be seen,,. therefore, that the prospects of the enemyV winning a straightforward battle at sea are poor in the extreme.