NAVY'S SILENCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20097, 17 November 1939, Page 7

NAVY'S SILENCE

ENEMY BLINDFOLDED j CENSORSHIP OF NEWS I FOILING SUBMARINES BREAKING MORALE (Klee. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Heed. 9 a.m. RUGBY, Nov. 15. The public is coming to realise that strict and possibly irksome censorship o£ naval news is not imposed without good reason. A report of quite innocent events mav convey valuable information to the enemy. For instance, although the fishing fleets are carrying out their usual operations and plentiful supplies of fish are being landed, no mention of their exploits will be found in the newspapers, or of fish found on certain grounds at certain seasons, and if the particulars of ports, the number of vessels or even the catches were published, the enemy from this information could discover which ground was being used, and it would be profitable to subject it to a quick raid.

By reason of the might of the Allied navies, German sea activities are almost confined to submarine operations. It is of the greatest importance to keep the German Admiralty as blindfolded as possible, because, for instance, one of the main causes of the collapse of the German submarine campaign in the last war was the breakdown of the morale of U-boat crews. This was largely attributable to censorship, as a result of which the Germans were seldom able to find out how, when and where the U-boats were destroyed. The Germans only knew the submarines left their bases and that many never returned. Successes against the U-boats are, therefore, not announced. These craft operate according to a pre-arranged plan. When an announcement of the destruction of a U-boat is made, giving the position or other clue, the gap in the scheme would at once be filled by another submarine—or if others had disappeared in the same locality, a safer beat might be selected next time. Failure to Arrive News of the capture or sinking of tankers or other supply ships also is withheld. It is easy to imagine the consternation of a U-boat or surface raider short of fuel and 1000 miles from home, when the supply ship fails to arrive at the appointed rendezvous. The release of such a story might well prevent a U-boat or raider eventually being caught—at the same rendezvous, perhaps. Reports of gunfire or explosions off the coasts are usually censored. These often indicate anti-submarine operations. The Admiralty’s communiques are necessarily brief, being designed to tell the enemy no more than they saw for themselves. The operation over and the ships back in harbour, fuller press accounts may be released, and the British losses are always announced. It should be realised that wireless silence when at sea is imperative, or the enemy will learn where the ships are.

The names of officers are omitted from accounts of naval operations, as their inclusion would enable the enemy to learn the disposition of the forces from pre-war Navy lists giving the names of officers in each British ship. Warships look much alike from the air, and naval actions are fought at ranges that identification of individual ships is impossible. Neither is the name of the commander of a merchant ship which may have distinguished herself released. Many will remember Captain Fryatt, of the s.s. Brussels, was marked down and eventually murdered by the Germans in the late war. In certain cases, even knowledge of what naval news is withheld may be of use to the enemy.