NAVAL SMALL CRAFT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10298, 5 June 1919, Page 7

NAVAL SMALL CRAFT

THE WAR KLEHT OF TORPEDOBOAT DESTROYERS. .

Not the least Interesting feature of Ithe war at sea has been the enormous development which has taken place in the scope and importance of the, work performed by the torpedo-boat destroyers of the British .Navy. To the submarine activities of the enemy this development'is entirely due, and the measure of success with which the new duties were carried through was shown by the steadily declining success of the enemy submarines in their attacks ' on Allied and neutral merchant vessels.

Some idea of the value of the work performed by this class of vessel may be gained from the fact that in addition to their ordinary scouting and other duties with the fleet tho following among other new services were organised and carried through : —Patrol duties, mine-sweeping, mine-laying, submarine hunting, involving the use of the various types of submarine sweep gear which were devised as a means of coping with enemy submarines and convoy work. Multiplications of duties naturally led to an urgent demand for largo numbers of new vessels of this class, and no inconsiderable part of the enormous warship building effort of this country during the war was direoted to the building of torpedo-boat ■ destroyers to meet this demand.

So great was tlio demand for vessels oj this class that several firms with no previous experience of destroyer building were called upon to undertake the work, whilo the firms having previous experience were pressed to speed up construction and accelerate completion and delivery. Tie response of the shipyards and engine works—in spite of labour •shortage, difficulty of getting material and items of equipment, and, in some eases, lack of experience—lias been magnificent alike in regard to quantity and quality.