THE WAY OF THE NAVY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 45, 16 November 1940, Page 10

THE WAY OF THE NAVY

The spectacular manner in which British aircraft, by one swift attack, reduced materially the naval strength of the I talians, has caught the public imagination. The news came with dramatic suddenness, and its importance was recognized at once. It may affect the course of the campaigns in Africa and the Near East, but in any case it showed that the British forces could still strike, and strike hard. But when the events of the week are reviewed quietly, there is one thing that stirs the heart. It is the (bare report of how, when the convoy committed to its protection was attacked, the armed-merchant-man, Jervis Bay, at once set her course to face the enemy. The odds against her were overwhelming. She had no guns to match, in weight or range, those on the enemy craft, and all on board, from the gallant captain right down to the deck boy, must have felt that, for them, this was the end. But it is the tradition of the sea, wherever men sail under the British ensign, to discharge the duty entrusted to the ship. That is the great task, and the cost must not be reckoned. There is something really fine in the account of how the Jervis Bay. after ordering the ships in the convoy to scatter, proceeded to give them what cover she could by laying down a smoke-screen and then sought to hold off the enemy. It was not, of course, the first time in the war that similar craft had faced such odds. The Rawalpindi had preferred to go down fighting. But that does not detract in any way from the sterling worth of the Jervis Bay’s effort. It shows that the tradition is strong, and the spirit unconquerable. Thanks to the intrepidity of the commander of one of the convoy, some of the men on the Jervis Bay were saved. Ihe nation will be glad to do them honour, but, in so doing, will also honour those who will never return. There are still hard days ahead—many of them perhaps. The Empire faces a strong and ruthless enemy, but if the spirit of the nation continues firm, if duty is done with the dauntless spirit of the officers and men of the Jervis Bay, then the outcome must be victorv.