TASK OF NAVY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 168, 15 October 1941, Page 6

TASK OF NAVY

STRETCHED TO THE LIMITS

STRATEGY OF PRESENT WAR

The tasks of the present war have stretched the British Navy almost to its limits, though the position today is very much better than it was a year ago," said Admiral Sir Ragnar Golvin, K.8.E., C.8., C.8.E., who has been chief of the Naval Staff in Australia for the past four years, to a press representative recently in some general observations on the war situation.

"The strategy of the present war," he said, "so far as land operations tire concerned, is very like that of the Napoleonic war, with the drive to the Middle East and into Russia. It differs greatly, however, from that of the Great War, in which the Allies had the assistance of five navies, And in the Pacific sea lines of communications were not menaced, except by a few raiders." Whereas in the last Avar the Pacific was comparatively free, said Admiral Colvin, and England stood as Ii bulwark across the Atlantic, at the present time there was a menace in the Pacific, and in the Atlantic England had to watch the waters from the far north of Norway to the south of the French Atlantic coast, and to some extent the west coast of Africa. Admiral Colvin paid, a tribute to the shipbuilding industry in its great task in producing ships to help make up for losses through enemy action, and also to the help received from tht; great Western democracy of America in supplying tlie 50 additional destroyers for the nayv. Bismarck Germany'si Big Loss On the actual position in the Pacific, Admiral Colvin considered it Wise for him not to comment in detail, especially as he had to confer with the Government in Wellington, tie said, however, that the Australian and New Zealand divisions ol the Navy had played their full part up to the present and could continue to do so whatever might happen.

He emphasised the importance in naval warfare of the destruction of the Bismarck, which Avas more than the loss of ship for ship. In proportion to the number of capital ships In the two navies the loss of the German battleship was a far heavier blow to the Nazis than the loss of the Hood was to Britain, much as the loss of a fine ship and her personnel were regretted.

Admiral Colvin said he had a look, from a little distance, at the port of New Plymouth that morning and from what he saw he judged the harbour was quite a good one, and he was interested to know the size fmd tonnage of vessels trading to the port and the amount of dairy produce and frozen meat shipped through the port.

He also remarked that if the shipping of powdered meat to England proved successful it would mean 3 great change in the shipping business, as far greater quantities of produce could be carricd in that form, which would ease the demand for shipping space and it would obviate the need for refrigerated ships.