THE NAVAL SITUATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1012, 3 November 1917, Page 5

THE NAVAL SITUATION.

COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW. ! GERMANY’S SUBMARINE LOSSES. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. LONDON, Nov. 1. In the House of Commons, Sir Eric Geddes reviewed the naval situation. Ho explained the measure which had been taken to increase the power and strengthen the control of the naval staff. He anticipated a great advantage from the fact that the naval staff would be in increasing personal touch with the Grand Fleet and other naval commands. Ho justified the non-publica-tion of the British tonnage sunk, because it would afford the enemy information which the enemy would very, much like to obtain. Ho was able, however, to supplement Mr Lloyd George’s information showing we were inakinjg reasonably satisfactory progress in overcoming the submarine menace. Since the* beginning of the war, 40 to 60 per cent of the enemy submarines operating in the North Sea and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans had been sunk . Tluyenerny last quarter lout as many submarines as during the whole of 1915. THE LOST CONVOY. Sir Eric Geddes continued: As* regards criticism of the Admiralty on two recent occasions, 1 believe the criticism is; based upon and caused by incomplete information. Taking the first Scandinavian convoy on the 16th October: The destroyers Strongbow and Mary Rose with three small ai tiled vessels, only one of wlwch was fitted with wireless, escorted a convoy of twelve skips bound from the SJnetlands to Norway. I haring the night one of the smaller armed vessels which was fitted with wireless dropped back to screen onw ship of the* convoy which stopped owing to shifting ctirgo. The convoy was then accompanied by tbo Strongbow and Mary Rose, both of which were fitted with wireless, as well as by the two other small craft .not fitted with wire- 1 less. About six in the morning of the 16th when day was breaking, the Strongbow sighted two ships sointhwa,rd which were closing in fast. The Visibility was about two miles. The Strongbow challenged and received an nnsatisfacitory answer. The destroyers were immediately ordered into action. The enemy’s first Aiot wrecked the wireless room and did other damage. Despite the great gallantry of tie? captain, (officers and crew she was sunk. 'J A; Mary Those was immediately attacked by -die two Germans. She was blown up by a shot iu the magazine. The enemy vessels, winch worts of a very fast cruiser clast, then, attacked the convoy, winking nine. Owing to the last escort vessel which was fitted Willi wirokvss having been detached to screen the* ship whose cargo had shifted, and owing to* the M ary Rose having- been sunk innne tuatoly and the Stroiighow’s wireless havin V been placed out of action at the first shot. no message reached the> Admiral command in<r the Orkneys, the conumaiuler-in-chief of (ho Grandl Fleet, or (he Admiralty that tile convoy* was attacked until the surviving I ships arrived at Berwick, The Admiralty 'die! not receive information until 7 in the 'evening. Sir Erie Geddes asked the House to .recollect that the area of the North Sea was ! 140,000 (square miles. Besides, the coast ;subject to attack covered 666 miles, whereas J the area vision of a light cruiser .squadron j might bo* under five square miles. Tim I .Scandinavian convoy system was started m April, 19171 More than 4500 vessels have Pm! convoyed. This was the first occasion 'that a single ship had been lost by a snrI {„ co attack on a Scandinavian convoy. This ro.Koy was mentioned particularly, but wir otlikir convoys are continually passing up aiufi down aiid iicross the North Sea. The enc my had made the passage at flight tune Owing to the circumstances mentioned they (veni” unmolested in the day time and slipped back again in the night time. Alter the Dullest consultation wo are satisfied that Jrhe best dispositions wore made by (lie comi nander-in-chief having regard to other dutiiis and operations. Sir Eric Geddes

paid a tribute to the gallantry and dcvo- i Ron of the officers and men escorting the j oonvov. THE MERCHANT SERVICE. Referring to the output of merchant tonnage, he said that clur- ' ing the first nine months of 1917 it was 125 per cent higher than in the corresponding period of last year, and very considerably higher than the output for the whole of 1515. The .standard vessels now i ordered represented nearly a. million gross J.011.S of shipping. Over half these were a'readv being constructed. The remainder , would be taken in hand as soon as the vessels, now in stocks had been launched. A limited number of standard vessels had been completed, but the whole of the yards suitable for building standard ships could not - vet be entirely devoted thereto, because the stocks were already occupied by other craft. , The programme of warship construction row in hand was infinitely larger than ever undertaken before in war history. The output of naval craft during the last twelve mounts has been three to four times as great as the annual average output for a few yearn preceding the war. GERMAN CLAIMS SHATTERED. CON VIAXING FIG U R ES. Received November 3, 9.20 a.m. LONDON, Oct 2. Continuing, Sir Erie Deckles .saul that the Germans claimed to have sunk 808,000 tons of all nationalities last August, but they have sunk little more than one-third of that amount, and British tonnage was a little lew than half of all nationalities. The German department figures were 662,000 tons, but they sank far less tnan onethird of that amount, and the British comprised less than hall of all I^tlo,^ I"‘'p 1 "‘' p The net reduction m tonnage in the last Dm months was to-day thirty per centum than that estimated early in July. .A total net reduction since the beginning of the war from all causes, in Bn'*jh »»D over 1600 tons was under 2,500,000 tons gross, or fourteen per centum. THE SUBMARINE PERIL. After summarising the progress made m combating the submarines Sir Eric Gcddcs re for red to the fact that the Germans worn bwilcling submarines faster than hitheito. They had not yet attained their maximum strength in the submarine warfare therefore iff was becoming a tost of determination, gnit and ingenuity between the two contending forces. ~ “CONFIDENCE IN' THE IUTLRE. Ho concluded by stating that the submarine warfare at present was going well for us. “One.- is justified in regarding the future with courage, and confidence,” lie .said, and iwcalled that the German rnercam tile marine before the war totalled 5,000,000 tons. To-day, nearly half had been sunk or was in Entente hands. —■ A MAD ENTERPRISE. CONVEY SYSTEM EFFECTIVE. & uArm 1 ian-New Zealand Cable Association. Received November 5, 1.15 p.m. LONDON, Nov. 2. In the House of Commons Sir Erie (><aides <eplving to criticism, said it was ■ in id ness fo" the British Heet to pass into tin 11. if. 11,\> Germans would occupy and Mrtifv neutral* Elluls in their rear. One ofi tin? Gemini*’ objectors was the com n«-ml ot the Gut," of Riga, m order to gam facilities to attack Koval and advance on Phirograd. No r. naval oil,cor supported such an ei’iei pnse as an atiai ' oit. the Germans’ Baltic ~ Healing with submitriii. ' s - he aid the meas'll re s taken were elective. . tu , m’ndty per cent of the total '''"'‘‘‘s fai 1 V the Atlantic trade routes w, LOn ,i ( ?t ’ 1 j and: 1 since the convoy system w:. s ( |, a tot.R loss was five per thousand. 1014Wu pla cement tonnage of the navy in " ''‘' 2,4( |3,000 tens; to-day 11 was sew. .- per cent greater. The personnel ot -. (let t before the war was 146.000, to d i - w a s'-399,000.