LOSSES OF MERCHANT SHIPS

Nelson Evening Mail, 26 September 1916, Page 6

LOSSES OF MERCHANT SHIPS

The detailed returns of ship-ping losses for the last "Quarter of 1915 shp,w_ submarine to have 'been *ah almost negligible factor. The.:total losses from all causes during these: months were 331 vessels, of 600,936 tons, and of this tonnage more than two-thJrds, or 167 vessels, of 409,587 tons, were due to the war- It is a strdking fact .that the British war losses, notwithstanding that the German fleet to-day is more fully occupied than ever before ins ifsvhistory, make up in ton-nan-e only 1.12 per cent, of the total tonnage owned* art the United Emgdbm. Although most ,of the German merchant fleet is safely fockfed up, its total losses dming the three months were 16 vessels, of\ 34,036" tons, all of these being vessels of less .than- 3000 tons. The losses by war were 13 vessels, of 31,449 tons. The French losses from war equal 1.6 per cent, for the quarter, those of Italy 1.8 per cent., those of Japan just over 1 per cent, and those of Norway 0.69 iper cent. The outstanding feature is that losses of the British merchant during the three months in question are only 1.5 per cent, of the total tonnage owned, or at the rate of 6 j»er cerrf>.\*sf|er annum. The Germans losses are at"the rate of 5 per cent per annum, according to tonnage, which is ina way surprising, in view of the fact that German ships can only operate an the Baltic. ".*