NAVAL SECRECY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 November 1939, Page 5

NAVAL SECRECY

DEFENCE OF PRESENT BRITISH POLICY IMPORTANCE OF WITHHOLDING INFORMATION. KEEPING GERMAN ADMIRALTY BLINDFOLDED. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. November 15. The public is coming' tn realise dial die strict and possibly irksome censorship of naval news is not imposed without good reason. A report of quite innocent events may convey valuable information Io the enemv.

For instance, though the fishing fleets are carrying out their usual operations and plentiful supplies of fish are being landed, no mention of their exploits will be found -in the newspapers.

Fish are found on certain grounds at certain seasons, and if particulars of ports, the number of vessels or even catches were published, the enemy from this information could discover which ground was being used, and it would be profitable to subject it to a quick raid. By reason of the might of the Allied navies, German sea activities are almost confined to submarine operations. It is of the greatest importance to keep the German Admiralty as blindfolded as possible, because, for instance. one of the main causes of the collapse of the German submarine campaign in the last war was a breakdown of the morale of the U-boat crows. DESTRUCTION OF U-BOATS. This was largely attributable to the censorship, as the result of which the Germans were seldom able to find out how, when or where U-boats were destroyed. The Germans only knew that submarines left their bases and that many never returned. Successes against U-boats are. therefore. not announced. These craft operate according to a prearranged plan. If an announcement of the destruction of the U-boat were made, giving the position or some other.clue, the gap in the scheme would at once be filled by another submarine—or if others had disappeared in tlie same locality a safer beat might be selected next time.

The news of the capture or sinking of tankers or other supply ships is also withheld. It is easy to imagine the consternation of a U-boat or surface raider, short of fuel and a -thousand miles from home, when the supply ship fails to arrive at the appointed rendezvous. The release of such a story might well prevent the U-boat or raider eventually being caught—at the same rendezvous perhaps. Reports of gunfire or explosions off the coasts are usually censored. These otten indicate anti-submarine operations.

LOSSES ALWAYS ANNOUNCED. The Admiralty’s communique are necessarily brief, being designed to tell the enemy no more iiian they saw for themselves. When an operation is over and the ships are back in harbour. fuller Press accounts may be released and British losses are always announced. It should be realised that wireless silence when at sea is imperative, or the enemy will learn where ships are. The names of officers are omitted from the accounts of naval operations, as their inclusion would enable the enemy to learn the disposition of forces from pre-war navy lists giving the names of officers in each British ship. Warships look much alike from the air, and naval actions are fought at ranges that make identification of individual ships impossible. Neither is the name of the commander of a merchant ship which may distinguish herself released. Many will remember that Captain Fryatt of the s.s. Brussels was marked down and eventually murdered by the Germans in the late war. In certain cases even the knowledge of what naval news is withhold may be of use to the enemy.