DAILY STRONGER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23338, 5 May 1939, Page 10

DAILY STRONGER

THE BRITISH NAVY "MEET ANY COMBINATION" IMPRESSIVE FIGURES GIVEN PROGRESS OF CONSTRUCTION By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received May 4, 7.15 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, May 3 Speaking at Liverpool, Mr. G. 11. Shakespeare, Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, said it must be a constant source of comfort, not only to people at Home, but in the Dominions and colonies as well, to feel that the British Navy was growing stronger every day. The Navy was now strong enough to meet a threat by any probable combination of foes. When this year's programme had been ordered, Britain would have in the course of a year under construction nine battleships, six aircraft-car-riers, 25 cruisers, 39 destroyers, 19 submarines and a large number of smaller vessels. During the present calender year there had been launched four battleships, four aircraft-carriers, seven 8000-ton cruisers, seven 5000-ton cruisers, 10 destroyers, six submarines and a number of auxiliary vessels. A Note had been sent to Germany acknowledging receipt of the German Note denouncing the Anglo-German Naval Agreements of 1935 and 1937 and Mr. Chamberlain had said in the House that the British Government was considering the recent German announcement on the agreements. Mr. Shakespeare added that the Government did not regard the assurances recently given to Poland as in any way inconsistent with the provisions of the Anglo-German Naval Agreements, and that there was no provision in the agreements which permitted either Government to denounce their validity. Colonel J. J. Llewellyn, Civil Lord of the Admiralty, also stated that the implications of the denunciation of the treaty wero being carefully considered, but no decision had yet been readied whether to scrap two battleships of the Royal Sovereign class in 1912.

NEW BATTLESHIP LAUNCHING BY PRINCESS CEREMONY AT BIRKENHEAD LONDON. May 3 The Princess Royal launched the battleship Prince of" Wales, a sister ship to the King George V., from the yard of Qammell Laird, at Birkenhead. At the launching Mr. R. Johnson, managing director of Cammell Laird, said: "If I were in Herr Hitler's shoes and heard of the wonderful speed with which we are turning out ships, I would turn, on my axis. I don't believe Herr Hitler is such a fool as to attack us." The King George V. was launched on February 21, the first of five 35,000-ton battleships. Her speed is unofficially estimated at 30 knots, seven knots faster than the Rodney or the Nelson.