NEW FLEET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22517, 7 September 1936, Page 6

NEW FLEET

NAVAL REARMAMENT

BRITISH WORKMEN BUSY SHIPYARDS AND WORKSHOPS [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] LONDON, August 15 The Government's programme of naval rearmament, although still in its early stdge, is already giving employment to many thousands of workers in all parts of the Kingdom, states Mr. Hector C. Bywater, naval correspondent, in the Daily Telegraph. Six months from now every shipyard in the country which is qualified to undertake naval work will have warships on the stocks, ranging from 3.'],000-ton battleships to submarines and sloops. At the same time, every important engineering establishment and many smaller concerns will be hard at work making propelling engines, boilers, and auxiliary machinery for dozens of newfighting ships. G'in and armour plato factories, hitherto barely subsisting on small orders—if not closed down altogether—are assured of a big volume of work. Plant which has lain idle for years will be restarted. The Clyde, the North-Kast Coast. Barrow, and Merseyside will obtain the heaviest work, but shipyards in Southern England and Northern Ireland will not be' overlooked.

Sheffield's contribution will be most of the guns and armour plato for the new ships, including the following items: —Twenty-four 14in. guns (including reserves); 110 Gin. guns; over 200 4.7 in. and oin. guns; and 30,000 tons of the finest quality armour plate. Range-finders, fire control apparatus and periscopes make orders running into millions. A large share will go to the optical glass industry. For the first time since the war naval contractors can look forward to a steady volume of work for several years. To implement the Government's policy of rebuilding the fleet, it will bo necessary to introduce a large programme of construction every year until 1942.f

New ships authorised under tho 1935-36 programmes, many of which have already been ordered, comprise:— •Two battleships, 10 cruisers, 11 submarines, 3-1 destroyers, and 12 sloops. These vessels have a total tonnage not far short of 250,000.