BRITAIN SCRAPPING FIVE MORE OUT-OFDATE BATTLESHIPS

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 January 1948, Page 5

BRITAIN SCRAPPING FIVE MORE OUT-OF-DATE BATTLESHIPS

London, Jan. 22. “The Times” naval correspondent writes: “The scrapping of the battleships Queen Elizabeth, Valiant, Rodney, and Nelson and the battle qruiser Renown must evoke regret, but no astonishment. If the ships are not fit to stand up against their successors, there is no practicable alternative to their scrapping and there can be little valid criticism of the Admiralty's decision. “But there may well be a complaint of undue reticence about the action that is being taken in respect of other ships. Seven cruisers are also to be scrapped, but the public are not allowed to know their names, and a number of the lesser ships are also to disappear from time to time under a similar veil. “Parliament and the public are not allowed to know the composition of the Royal Navy today, though it doubtless is well known to any foreign intelligence service that thinks it worth whole-to find out the facts. “More is likely to be heard of this one-sided, inexplicable reticence when the naval estimates are laid before Parliament.” Explaining the decision to scrap live capital ships, Admiral Lord Hall, in the House of Lords, said the possibility of maintaining them in reserve was considered, but they would be costly to maintain In that state, both in money and manpower. Moreover, if they were to be of any value in a future emergency, they would need extensive refits and modernisation, and the heavy cost of this could no: be justified. Even if the work was done the ships would fall considerably short of modern construction standards, and, in particular, their speed could not be increased to such an extent as to render them capable of taking their place in a modern fleet. The decision to scrap the ships did not represent any new departure, but was a continuance of the process which had been going on since hostilities ceased, under which redundant and outdated warships were to be scrapped or sold if a market could be found. He added that the Admiralty was satisfied that these reductions did not reduce the effective strength of the navy below that required to meet any emergency which was likely to arise in the foreseeable future.