NAVAL DISARMAMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 3610, 22 May 1923, Page 21

NAVAL DISARMAMENT

WHAT BRITAIN HAS DONE. LONDON, May 18. F igurcs relating to the world’s navies issued by the Admiralty show that Britain has reduced the greatest navy in the world’s history to give effect to the Washington Treaty. The figures for ships built, building, or projected are as follow : Battleships.—Britain, 30 ; America, 40 , Japan, 15: France, 9; Italy, 12; Germany, 8. Battle-cruisers.—Britain, 4 ; America, 4 ; Japan, 9; France, 0; Italy, 0; Germany, 0. Cruisers.—Britain, 2; America, 10; Japan, 0; France 6; Italy, 3; Germany, 0. Light Cruisers.-—Britain, 52; America, 19; Japan, 29; France, 8; Italy, 13; Germany, 3. Torpedo-boat Destroyers.—Britain, 189 ; America, 318; Japan, 110; F’rance, 62; Italy, 56; Germany, 16. Submarines.—Britain', 74 ; America, 131; Japan, 79; France, 60; Italy, 47; Germany 0. Britain is the only Power that has scrapped all the ships promised under the Washington Treaty. Since the war she has scrapped 44 battleships and battlecruisers, 86 cruisers, 286 torpedo-boats, and over 100 submarines. France has not yet ratified the Washington Treaty, and the United States and Japan are holding back until she docs. Among the ships scrapped by Great Britain in accordance with the Washington Treaty are the following, the ages >[ the vessels being given in brackets Common wealth (16), (Dreadnought (15), Bellerophon (12), St. Vincent (11), Inflexible (13), Hercules (10), Indomitable (13), Temeraire (12), Neptune (10), Orion (9), New Zealand (9), Agincourt (7), Monarch (9), Conqueror (9), Princess Royal (9), Erin (7). The two-Power standard has been definitely abandoned, and of the capital ships now on the active list only one, the Hood, is partially post-Jutland, while the United States possesses three and Japan two ships of this type. Of ships over 30,000 tons, Britain has one only, compared with 10 in the American and six in the Japanese navies. The per

sonnel of the Navy has been reduced to a point at which it becomes difficult o man fully even the reduced number of vessels on the active list. The number oi officers and men is actually 17,000 behind that maintained bv America.