MUST BE KEPT SECURE

Chronicle (Levin), 9 March 1946, Page 5

MUST BE KEPT SECURE

BRITAIN'S DEPENBENCE C>N SEA LANES FUTURE OF NAVY Received Friday, 8.15 p.m. LONDON, March 8. The First Lord of the Admiraity, Rt. Hoh. A. v. Alexander, mdving the j TJ a /y Estimates ih ihe Hcuse of C'om- i uions, e^ipnasisecl that the war at sea ! ceg.vii on the first mgfit of the war with j the SiiiKiiig oi the Athania. Tv/entyseven British merchantmen, totailing xbijUuO tons, were destroyecl in tiie ..rs c fortnight. A total oi 996 German, Italian and : J apaneMe coinniissioned U-boats were : cijscroyed during the war, of which 600 i v.rere clestroycit by tne British iorces 1 and Alixed i'orces undei British control. j. llYti U-Loats which the Germans eonu.u.3Sioiied after tney began re ouiiduig uifcix fioct be-xore the war, 781 were de^treyed. Tne intensity of tiie U-boat „on^cnomtions agamst Britain was iiiascraceu oy the i'act that ndarly oriebUiru ox tne U-c0ats stinx tnrougfiout —o v/or.d Wexe destrcyed withiu 50U .u.i-33 01 Britain. x\eariy oiwud members of ihe Royal x^avy, ojxcivituiig uiijse rrom tne Doinin- ' .v.iis ^iul ixruy^i lviax-ine: were kiiied or inio^xAxg auxihg the wa-r. This ,.a0 ovo. tj,uuo xuoxe than the numoer .xxx.o.i xxi u-x3 x^Xtc-is wai; Tne dwaxcis : niwudea xia Viccoria Oross'es and 19 GcLrge' Crosses. Lhxp losses totaliei xnoxita_n£, three oattxesnips aua ....bL-j-cruisexj (ccmpris.nj •jiie-third o. tne pre.var cupx^ai sliip strength) 11 ve Leo carriers, 23 cruisers, 134 destroy- j cxs and 77 submarines. ■ ivir. ixiexaiiher said it was planhfed to ! recli.ice tne inavy personnel iTo'm 77o, OOo ,vnen tne xjU.opean war ended to _0u,Uu0 by tna end oi' 194o. The biuicini^ ox 'i £i veo Sois fiad been cancelled — e vxi j- >xj i^ivUig a ilbc sa /ing v^i ~--^.j,^Oo,^oj. xiie new coiiycr un,.on xbXun nxxi^ compxxsed mainiy iacger 1 vcooeis 01 uew types, such as light ue'et c.w.ixxt.x's xox tne poscwar fleet. uaiicenations uei 01 3 VB-uay amount3d to £bi,0jb,uu0. Only one oattlesiiip, tne Vauguam, vas under cohstruction. ! ox.e was oi 42,o00 tonS and carried e-giit i^-iuch gaiis. Tne estimated cust was no,uoU,uuu, exciuciing the cOSt oi' uio..nt.ng tne guns. at was tleaiuna early iii the year not to i.-i'uCCba v.j.tn tne OttiitLng Oi tne xOvix o'lUoi* uatui.esnxps px-oviuecl in tne x»oo-o9 iJ.og-a.-mms. Tne risn Was tnat tne Navy's umjiency lmgnt be lowe'rea oy atcemptxiig i-jO giUat a reduction m too siioit a cime, uut he beiievea it SLiiwive succesJi'uiiy, even with uno- ...p.a xT^iiot.on goxng on. Mr. aer saxa tne xiamiralty ihtenaoa to ciovo ue a CvJiiSxcteraoiy xarge. l..,j1jjxtion ox tne idavy Votes to scientmc xeodarcn u.e v eiopnient hian oeiore tno v. a.. r.ie oxpcrxence ox the wa. anu sc.entiuc ctevei^pments wouid m> vtoaot a.iect futnre neets, and siims wi.ib.y spenc on researcn deveiOpmeM migin save tne xarger Sams wnicn iingxi. ,.e spcnt in inaning warships. -uo woverinneuc had adoplted Admiraity and Tr.niopwrt ..xin.stiy pruposaii to set up an advisory oommxttee dn .nactors ahecting tne emcieiicy anu jxiou-cy 01 the shipbaildihg iiidustry, -njiUCL.u6 salegaardmg its war potenual.

ADVENT OF ATOMIC BOMB "We do not yet knbw the limit of j the atomic bomb's efl'ectiveness against j jii.ps at sea, ' ne continued. "The iesu. 0 01 tne iortnco.umg t-sist^ ihay idad | to uig cnangcs 111 methods df haval de- 1 ience and the i'orxii of ships, b'ut it is j - piemature to afctempt td say whai; the changes may ue. Tnere are vt >?y stroiig re...;onj for refusir'g to act how as thoagh tne povsibilicy oi atdnxie energy de ;troying the neod for riawes is a cextaxnty. Possime means ef deience have y3t to be dovised and appiied td this new weapon, wiiich may tax tne: resources of the defence more than any weapon pievioifsly knbwfi,- biti' a . owerful defence in the past has beeii provided agamst any weapoh which at 1 -irst seenied in Ancible.' ' i Mr. Alexander, after rMerrihg td i Britain' s dependerice on sda ddiriiiiiiiiications, said: "If W-e'eVdr negiedt tiie ; security of our. cdhlhifcinicatiohs, wfe | shjiiicl oe at ar. aggressdr 'S ifierdy. ile ! wculd not need to' inoiti tiie* fiaisaMs bf i nsing atomic bombsj hg cbiild siixijily ! and sureiy swiftiy destrdy us by ctit- | ting our sea ar teries. . Wd fidjie' wb will ! n-aver again hake. -fcd exlgdgd iii a 1 struggle for liberty, bitt We lfiiist be I able and ready fo play olir ftiil p'Si t j wifchin United Natidns for hiaiiitaihliig ! psace and, if necSssary, t'd defeiid oiif- ! selves. We niust hevdi agairi dar§ id ! risk unprepar'ednSss; t Wd iiiay lidpb | United Nations will bdddffig so friifltid ' that thc forces reauired for its suppor'c may b-3 steadily reducible, But 111 aanj while the House of CommonS owes the i Navy'the duty of vigiiahce ndw ahd in ! the years to conie, so that we may never j again be unprepared."