CRISIS OF THE NAVAL WAR.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 17935, 31 July 1920, Page 5

CRISIS OF THE NAVAL WAR.

LORD JELLICOE’S BOOK. (United Service.) Received July 31, 1.30 a.m. LONDON, July 29. Evening papers feature Lord Jelliioe s J»ook. the “Crisis of the Naval " ar * and unanimouMy praise the tfraightforward narrative of facts, Y’ch are glven w j t h ous bias. It shows that Germany opened with twenty-eight submarines and enormously improved monthly until, by February . . » they numbered 130 in Home and twenty in Mediterranean stations. The turning point came in April. 1917, when Britain prevailed, slowly and gradually wanning, though in September. 1918 Germahy had 326 ofail classes. During -he war she lost 186. of which thirty-five 'ere sunk by depth charges, thirty-five tuned, nineteen sunk by British submarines, twenty by patrol craft, twelve | >y decoy ships, four by warships, four oy merchantmen, ten by nets, seven by aeropianes. and five by towed sweeps. I Meeting critics who demanded whv the | German port* were not blocked, Lord I Jelhpoe holds that the Catlegau was ! available and was used. He did not I share Lord 1 isher’s idea of forcing the I Baltic. Ihe Look contains much technical i • matter dealing with Admiralty adiuinis- ; tration. When war broke out the navy I Wiig lacking proper equipment, such as; rang<s.nEders, fire control and torpe- j d«ie-. Britain was ready for a war. but ' not this war. Under Sir Eric Geddes! the Admiralty was more costly, but not I more efficient. Lord Jellicoe quotes de- ' tailed examples of unfulfilled promises j if deliveries. Sir Eric Geddes promised ' two millions of tonnage in *9 IS. and : perhaps three millions, bur it turned j out, howe\er, only 1,163,000 tons. ■ Fhe employment of mines and submar- : ines mounting guns was unforeseen by I the authorities. Lord Jellicoe says they • could not have foreseen this. The issue I t>f the whole war was jeopardised because the enemy u-ed a weapon for | which no defence was prepared. I ord Jellicoe concludes with a tribute j to the American Navy, especially Ad- • mind Sims.