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Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1933, Page 4

Most of the ships of the 1933 naval building programme will not be laid down until well on in 1934, writes the naval correspondent of the Morning Post. This is in accordance with the custom of late years of deferrng naval replacements so that their cost may

be spread more than would otherwise lie possible. It is probable, however, that one ship of the 1933 programme will not be so long deferred. This is the “eonvov sloop,’’ a, class of ship new to the Navy. No details as to her proposed size, armament, or speed are as yet available. Nevertheless, the ship must come up to various fairly welldefined requirements if she is to carry out successfully the work implied by her description. She must, for instance, possess adequate speed 'and manoeuvreability to enable her to evade and to deal effectively with submarine attack. For this reason also she must he also fitted as to he a formidable anti-sub-marine craft. Apart from submarines, she must also be capable of dealing with a trade route raid by enemy small craft and be able to impart a large degree of risk to the enemy forces likely to he engaged in such a raid. It is by no means suggested that this ship should be able to stand up to and repulse a. cruiser raid. That would be manifestly impossible in a sloop. But her description and function demands that she should be relatively stronger and more formidable than other enemy light forces likely to he met with. The fact that such a ship is projected is in itself a sign that the Admiralty are folly alive to the seriotis shortage of trade defence vessels at their disposal.