A NAVAL CRITIC

Hokitika Guardian, 28 February 1931, Page 5

A NAVAL CRITIC

PROPOSALS FOR NAVY. (Australian Press Association) (Received B,fid a,in.) LONDON, February 27, Arguments which would result in scrapping th > whole Fleet, are advanced forcibly in a book entitled “Naveis of To-day and To-morrow,’' by Captain Bernard Ackworth, D.S.O. who is the “Morning Post’s” Naval contributor and who was for four years on the staff of the Admiralty. He says the British Navy should stick to coal and fuel, because a Navy dependent for power to move on foreigners, is fantastic. The general staff should he disbanded leaving a Board of Admiralty again free to deal with the policy. No ship should be bigger than twelve thousand tons. We should scrap battle cruisers, .'freak cruisers, carriers and repair ships, which are little used at sea, and are more strictly docks, where they are perpetually 7 under repair or redesign. Ackworth thinks the ideal fleet would be twenty-five battleships of twelve thousand tons, with 150 guns, against seventeen with 1380. |

Thirty-eight armoured cruisers of 12 thousand with 228 guns, against four with twenty-eight; 112 unarmoured four thousand tons with 672 guns, against forty-nine with 126; 160 small cruisers for coastal patrol defence, sixty mine sweepers, river gunboats and surveying ships. The author argues that the war taught that gun power was infinitely more important than speed, and considers destroyers and big submarines are. a waste of money. The torpedo is a futile weapon.