Shipping Losses In First Year Of War

Northern Advocate, 15 November 1940, Page 4

Shipping Losses In First Year Of War

RUGBY, November 13

Germans claim to have sunk during the first year of war, 4.323,000 tons of British and Allied shipping. These claims were refuted in the House of Commons by the First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr A. V. Alexander), who stated that merchant ships of all tonnages, including fishing vessels, sunk during this period, and also including neutral vessels, totalled 2,855,870 tons. Of this total, 406 ships, aggregating 1.611,842 tons, were British. Allied losses were 103 ships, of 474,816 tons, and neutral losses, 253 ships of 769,212 tons. Swollen German Claims It would be noticed that the Germans had not mentioned neutral tonnage, the inclusion of which would presumably have swelled their already greatly exaggerated totals. Mr Alexander added that 3327 passengers and members of crews, had been lost from Britsh ships, 15,635 had been saved, and 1100 were prisoners of war or interned. Known enemy losses were 261 ships, of 1,269,000 tons.