Britain’s Naval Strength

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 65, 18 March 1938, Page 8

Britain’s Naval Strength

BIG MARGIN OVER ITALY United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph —Copyright. LONDON, March 10. Britain in 1941 will have completed her current naval programme, bringing her competent strength to about 1,750,000 tons. Italy’s fleet will then romp rise four modern 35,000-ton battleships and four older reconstructed ves scls, as compircd with Britain’s nine modern batt.ehips of 35,009 tons and 13 older capital ships, most of whicli have been brought up to date. Italy will ,'iavc 19 modern cruisers as compared with Britain's 56. Britain will also posse s a numerical superiority in destroyers, whose aggregate tonnage will considerably exceed that ot the Italian flotillas. It is believed that Italy's submarine strength exceeds Britain’s. ITALY’S AIR STRENGTH ROME, March 16. The Chamber of Deputies approved the Air Budget of £13,000.000. General Valle (Under-Secretary; claimed that Italy, in 1937, captured 4b international records and also holds 39 out of 64 military records. Italy, during the last three years, has built 29 air ports, and 26 mobilisation depots. General Valle added: “The victories in Spain are largely due to aviation in which Italians are most prominent.”