NORTH SEA PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 537, 18 June 1909, Page 7

NORTH SEA PROBLEM

TO REPEL ATTACK.

SCHEME OF NAVAL MANOEUVRES.

DEFENDERS MUST JUNCTION. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Rec. June 17, 10.45 p.m.) _ London, June 17. Tho Homo Fleet, after the review at Portsmouth on Saturday lust, temporarily dispersed. It has now assembled in tho North Sea for naval manoeuvre® on an extensive scale.

In all there are 350 British warships of various classes assembled in the North Sea including— ' Battleships .... ' ti _ Armoured cruisers 27 Protected cruisers ... ... 26 Destroyers ... ... ... Torpedo boats 7g Submarines ... " n> 25 T °tal ! - ... ... ...315 Hie Blue fleet will endeavour to prevent, the junction of the White fleet with the Rod fleet, and to bring the White or the Red flept to action before tho junction can be affeefcod.

FURTHER CERMAN MANOEUVRES. .. , RESERVE SQUADRON. Borlln, June 17. Germany is mobilising a reserve squadron of eight battloshipa, to take part in naval manoeuvres in August or September. 1

THE TASK OF THE ATTACKING BLUES. a&jßiibfiieibssS rlnt.l scrm,an,5 crm , an , Navy), under ' Admiral Lord Charles Beresford. was stationed on tho Scan.BrifisW ooi ! s , (representing the British "aval forces) was m two sections, each weaker t&an Blue Fleet, bnt together stronger Irish Pa cLn Jl !i h" 1 th \? ther P art in the Irish Channel, and the problem was for Red to effect a jiinchon while holding Blue in ohedc. -On Jnly 18 war began. from that date till the 19th, the Blue Fleet , was in com> mand of tho North Sea, seeing nothing of the • I l eet '. however, succecded in in effecting its junction, t-i,™ u E 'd« gained a deoided' victory, i ws u snr ? l ', l f u l g that a hostile fleet should have been left for sixty-two hours to work its mil m tho North Sea. The weather was exceedingly stormy, and this appears to mTt. "!f h ■$5 arrant meats of either side; indeed, the manoeuvres passed without a smglQ' encounter*