MASTERY OF THE SEAS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 41, 12 November 1917, Page 5

MASTERY OF THE SEAS

ADMIRAL HALSEY ON THE WORK OF THE NAVY A lecture on the work of the Navy was recently delivered by Rear-Admiral Halsey at tha National Economy Exhibition, in tho courso of which he said that when ho first went to sea, over thirty years ago, the majority of ships vere far distant from the waters round tho British Isles, and tho officers and men of the Fleet, serving nominally on a. three years' commission, seldom returned heme for four and sometimes five years. In 1887 the only really active Fleet in homo waters was tho old Channel Fleet, consisting of six of tho original ironclactf. Thoso were capable of steaming twelve knots, but with auxiliary sail oould travel at their best speed of fot)itoen knots. At the Jubilee Eoview, hgjil in that year at Spithead, the Fleet assisted of about forty ships. In thirty years tho Grand Fleet alono had groyn to more than six times that num.b'er. In 1902 it was realised that there be very little parleying on a declaijiifloji of war, and that it was necessary tct eg;)centrato the Fleet in such a positiy&iyas to prevent any hostile fleet from gottinsr the mastery of the seas and depmluir the British Empiro of its vital heritage. Tho strategio spot was the neighbourhood of tho British Isles. There was aagiSat divergence of opinion at the timfc,'x;but tho policy had proved to be tho oartfect one, for, when tho bolt from thou blue camo in 1911, tha whole naval fifthling force of the Empire, fully jnannodrund efficient, was ready—before tho dtclftrtttion of war—to take chargo of the''North Sea. It had taken chargo evorlisinoe. (Cheers.) Only onco had tho Gciifiian High Seas Fleet dared to proceed cxntsidb their; own waters. The naval workn of tho Dominions had been Gplendidji Tto years ngo Australia had decided th' have her own Navy, modelled .on tho (British Navy, but with ships, bffioiifs, and men of her own. Tho • Mtttecrui6er Australia, built in ':h-Enj/-land, was manned by Australian officers and men, while the Commonwealth had also built light cruisers of tho ern type. When -war was declared Australia possessed a battle cruiser and three light cruisers,'which helped tojeonvoy the splendid troops of Australia and New Zealand to tho fighting line, t

Splendid Help of the They had given great assistancßy,lin. hoisting tho British flag oyer the '$P - man possessions in tho South Seas,isSl they had finished off tho Emden, wnMj for months had preyed on the tho Empire, Now they were all working with tho Grand Fleet in the North Soa. In 1909, little New Zealand, after givifijr many money contributions to tho Wavy, bad offered to supply to tho Empire ono Dreadnought, and, if necessary, two. Ho had visited every Dominion in the New Zealand, which was commissioned in 1912, and never had his eyes been opened more to tho spontaneous and hearty cooperation of tho whole Empire in the defence of tho Empire. The Navy League in tho Dominions did better work than it did in the Mother Country. In New Zealand they lot tho older peoplo alono and taught the ohildren, and so catered for the generation which was crowing up lo make tho Empire bigger, better, and stronger than it was to-day. (Cheors.) Ho would liko to see the Government mako that form of education compulsory in every > school. At the start of the war enemy light cruisers were in every sea, but they had dispensed with them all, and now they could carry on their communication's all over the world, witli practically no hindrance at all. This had been rendered possible bv the work of a certain squadron of armed merchantmen, who, in all weathers, had patched tho exits from tho North Sea to soma offcct. But for that work, they could not havo been supplied with the necessities essential for keeping the country going. Every child should be taught the grace which his own small daughter said daily: "Thank God and the British Navy for my dinner. Amen." The growth of the Navy duriug tho war had brought the strength of tho R.N.R. to 11,000 officers aud 65,000 men; whilo the R.N.V. Reserve, volunteers in every senso of the word, some of- whom had never before seen tho sea, now contained 5000 officers and 28,000 men. All thoso men would bo looked upon as gallant gentlemen of the sea for nil time. (Cheers.) For 6bvious reasons, he could not say muoli about tho main Fleet, but tho meD were in absolutely full health and/ vigour, largely due to the work of the public in providing them with green food since the start of tho war. Thoso who had been unfortunate enough to lose their ships and savo their lives had invariably ask'' ed to go again io another ship and get their own back. They asked, if tho Battle of Jutland had been a German victory, as the Germans said it was, why was it that tho German Fleet would not come, ont again? They were ready for thorn. If tho Fleet wero defeated the Empire must go, and everyone should do all in his power to help the Navy. By dwelling on the necessity for keeping tho Fleet strong, the individual could givfi great aid to the Empire.