Singapore Must Have Battle Fleet Based On It, Says Lord Beatty

Northern Advocate, 27 June 1939, Page 7

Singapore Must Have Battle Fleet Based On It, Says Lord Beatty

(Received 1.0 p.m.)

LONDON, June 2G. WRITING IN THE “DAILY TELEGRAPH,” EARL BEATTY SAYS: “THE * V BASIS OF BRITISH DEFENCE OF THE FAR EAST, THE WESTERN PACIFIC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND RESTS ON SINGAPORE.

“We must, however, face the unpleasant fact that Singapox’o is of little value unless a strong badle squadron is based on it. Such a squadron would form the only real safeguard against the invasion of North Borneo, New Guinea, Fiji, and even Australia.

> “A threat from this squadron, based on the strongly-fortified port of Singapore, would surely be sufficient to prevent any large force from leaving Japan, because k would lie on the flank of the long Japanese line of communication.

“But, unfortunately, that battle fleet is at present lacking, and if a squadron were sent to Singapore at pi’esent it would leave us a very narrow margin of superiorly in Home and Mediterranean waters.

’ Are We Safe Till 1941? “It is perhaps not as well known in Britain as in Australia that the British Government has given an assurance that a battle squadron will go to Singapore in the event of trouble in the Far East. That promise will be far easier to fulfil by the beginning of 1942, when the five new King George V. type of battleships are commissioned. The danger period lies between now and then. What Will the United States Do?

“Much depends on the attitude of the United States, but Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, is 3300 miles from Japan. The Guam fortifications cannot be completed for some months, and it is hardly likely that the United States would be anxious to send a large proportion of her navy to Singapore, when it is realised that the distance between Singapore and San Francisco is 7350 miles, and tha: Japan and her outer defences lie between. It is also obvious that Japan will do all in her power to avoid the Philippines and not come into conflict with the United States’ interests.

“Thus once again the supreme importance of sea power comes to the fore. It is useless to be strong without being strong enough.”