THE NAVAL SITUATION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 83, 4 May 1909, Page 3

THE NAVAL SITUATION

COMPARATIVE STRENGTH IN NORTH SEA. THE STRATEGICAL TEST IN JIU. At the beginning of this year the strength of the German High Sea Fleet was Hi latest battleships and 10 cruisers (4 nrmouivd, li small.) Recently Britain made a new naval disposition, trader which there are now a Main Fleet j and an Atlantic Fleet. The Main Fleet, the larger of the two, is of the same strength, numerically, as the . German High Sea Fleet was—Hi battleships and 10 armoured cruisers. But the present German licet umfcr Prince Henry of Prussia includes 18 battleships (an increase of two), and 10" cniisirt's (an increase of six), so it is numerically stronger than any individual British ileet. The balance of the 04 German warships will be mostly destroyers. At the beginning of the year the German High Sea Fleet had attached to it 33 fullymanned destroyers (which it was then intended to raise at an early date \o 50), and 14 reserve destroyers (to be raised to 40), which could be mobilised at -a few hours' notice ; torpedo inspection, 1' old battleship, gunnery inspection, 1 modern battleship, 1 modern armoured cruiser, 2 small cruisers j gunnery experiments, 1 armoured cruiser, 2 coast defence battleships. All these are in European waters, and no doubt all of them are now cruising under Prince Henry. It will be seen that tins list gives the German force commissioned in home waters at the beginning of the year as 23 modern battleships and armoured cruisers, omitting smaller craft. Saturday's cablegram, il will be noted, credits Prince Henry's' command with 24 armoured ships. WAli PROBLEM TRIED IN . PEACE.

In the summer of 11I0S the German High Sea Fleet carried out with great success a long-distance cruise to the Azores and back. The German policy is concentration of naval strength in home waters, and there is, in fact, only one important ship outside Europe, the armoured cruiser Bismarck. The question of whether the two British lleets could unite in the event of a war with Germany, in order to outnumber the enemy, was tested in the British naval manoeuvres last July. The conditions and results have been unofficially reported on as follows : I

| " Blue Fleet (representing the German Navy), under Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, was stationed on the Scandinavian coast. Hqd Fleet (representing the British naval forces) was in two sections, each weaker than Blue Fleet, but together stronger, one part at Rosyth. and the other part in the Irish Channel;' and the problem was for Red to effect a junction while holding Blue in check. On July Hi war began, and from that date till the 10th the Blue. Fleet was in command of the North Sea, seeing nothing of the enemy. The Red Fleet, however, succeeded in the meanwhile in effecting its junction. "Thus neither side gained a decided victory, though it v.'as surprising that a hostile fleet should have been left for 02 hours to work its will in the North Sea. The weather was exceedingly stormy, and this appears to have interfered with the scouting arrangements of either side; indeed, the manoeuvres passed without a single encounter. "An application made after the manoeuvres by the Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet (Admiral Lord Charles Beresford) to the Admiralty that the Blue and Red fleets might meet and carry" out tactical exercises, so that officers might be given experience in handling a large fleet, was refused. At the close of the manoeuvres, Rear Admiral Sir P. Scott, whose relations with his Commander-in-Chief were not of the happiest, owing to a signal which he had made in November, 1007 (to the effect that paint work was more in demand than gunnery), and which was censured by Lord C. Beresford as 'insubordinate,' was withdrawn from the First Cruiser Squadron, which forms part of the Channel Fleet, and detached with four arm-, oured cruisers to South Africa."