FEWER SHIPS LOST

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 192, 16 July 1941, Page 7

FEWER SHIPS LOST

CHEERING RETURNS. CHAGRIN TOR ENEMY. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 8 a.m.) LONDON, July 15. G.ood news about the Battle of the Atlantic was released by the Admiralty this morning-. Mercantile shipping losses for June were 79 ships of a tonnage of 329,296 —the lowest since January.

The total includes 52 British ships of 228,28-1 tans, 19 Allied of 82,7*7 tons, and eight neutral of 18,255 tons. The number of British ships sunk is less than that of any month during the past, twelve months excepting January.

The total losses show a decrease on last May of 25 ships totalling 108,551 tons gross.

After to-day the Admiralty will continue to publish only at selected intervals shipping losses due to enemy acj tion because these figures give valuable information to the enemy. From I time to time the Admiralty will coni sider the publication, of losses :as may | be required. Well-informed circles explain that I the enemy has gone farther and farther | afield in his efforts to find new hunting I grounds for our ships. "The enemy continues to make just I as fantastic claims as ever in the hope ,of finding out. what has really happened, as reports from his U-l>oat i commanders and airmen are necessarily inconclusive. Hitherto we have obliged him by giving a monthly check, and we don't intend to do so i In future. The Germans claim to have sunk during June 778,283 tons of merchant-j men and the Italians claim 95.500! tons. The total, compared with the ac-! tual losses, represent an exaggeration \ of about 165 per cent. It is estimated that the enemy ton- j nago captured, sunk, and scuttled to July 10 totals 3,391,000 tons. An authoritative spokesman, commenting oji the merchant shipping losses, said: "We can assume that Hitler cannot but be disappointed with the results so far.

"What must be the thoughts and I morale of the enemy submarine crews I and airmen engaged in the Battle of the Atlantic? The submarine crews I have to look forward to an ever-in--1 creasing attack from the sea and air escorts, increased help for us from America, and the constant replacement of the ships they sink by otners built in. our own, American, and Dominion yards. They have l>een sinking, sinking, sinking now for 20 months, but still they seo large convoys all over the Atlantic." The corrocte-: total loss for the war— British, Allied, and neutral —is now | 17-18 ships aggregating 7,118,122 tons, j The monthly average for the war i« j

321,000 tons, including the losses during the Dunkirk and Greek evacuations.