THE BRITISH FLEET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 13 April 1939, Page 5

THE BRITISH FLEET

WHAT MOBILISATION MEANS j (By Capt. E. G. Roberts) Ever since the Abyssinian crisis. British newspapers have been full of stories of flip glaring deficiencies m Britain’s preparations for war. This is part of a campaign for a speed-up of re-armament. It also serves to cover up one thing—that one of the three fighting services is ready. In the dockyards the commissioning, storing and ammunitioning of ships of the Reserve Fleet are hastened by day and night work. Within a few hours the Home Fleet is reinforced by a battle cruiser, a special anti-aircraft cruiser, and other craft. Tn the creeks and river estuaries all round Great Britain, merchant ships which have been laid up. begin to show signs of life. Smoke curls from their funnels, and they leave for unknown destinations as soon as they have steam. If it is to be war, every vessel has its place in the vast machine. Liners as well known on the American side of the Atlantic as in Europe suddenly take up duties assigned to them for

war. Fishing trawlers stand by to become mine sweepers and the hundred-and-one other types of small vessels which the British Navy lumps together under the title of the Auxiliary Patrol.

All the time the men to man all these craft come pouring into the naval manning depots. In three days before the “stand still” order comes through, 30.000 men can be dealt with at the three manning ports.

Immediately on arrival, every man is given a “mobilisation card.” marked out in squares. As he is medicall examined a rubber stamp appears in one square. As he is fitted with his gas mask another square is filled by a rubber stamp. Another stamp recoi'ds that tlie man and his respirator have passed the test of the gas chamber. Dental examinations follow, also the serving out of articles of uniform to bring the man's kit up to the full amount required for war; then eye tests and orders and arrangements for him to proceed at once to his appointed war station. All these are ticked off on 1 each man's mobilisation card as they | are carried out. Every man who joins I up takes his place in a queue, and he j does not leave the queue until every- j thing has been done, his mobilisation j card is covered completely with rubber |

stamps and initials, and he is ready in every respect to go straight to his ship.

Naturally, it takes time to work ' through the whole schedule. The stream of men passing through the mobilisa- | lion machine is long, and is moved ; steadily 24 hours a day. For that reason coffee stalls and snack bars are : established at intervals along the ■ queue. The time for a man to pass : through the whole gamut of examina--1 tions, tests, and fitting out varies, but 1 it is about 50 minutes per man. Financial experts have assessed the cost of Britain’s hurried preparations for war at more than £40,000.000. Not until the bill comes in—in the form of : Supplementary Estimates—shall we know whether this is an accurate estimate. Certainly the bill for air raid precautions, sandbags, etc., will be very heavy. So far as the Navy is concerned, the cost of the mobilisation and other special measures taken to prepare for immediate war is certainly not likelv to be below £12.000,000. An enormous amount of extra oil fuel is used, and < j every ship in the Navy has all her tanks filled to the brim. Every ship. I too, has on board a full wartime com- i plement of stores and ammunition,! while oil tankers and store ships stand by. loading for the replenishment of j ships as soon as they should \ War heads have to be supplied for: all the torpedoes instead of the practice' heads carried in peace time. Live I mines have to be served out to all the mine layers. Boom and anti-submarine : net defences are made ready for the! harbours and bases. The total reserves of the Royal Navy j number 68,500 officers and men. j