NAVAL STRENGTH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 April 1940, Page 5

NAVAL STRENGTH

SURVEY OF GERMAN LOSSES FLEET NOW OF SMALL PROPORTIONS. AUTHORITATIVE OPINION IN LONDON (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. April 15. Now lliiif more detailed reports are available of the naval action in Norwegian walers, i( is possible Io give a fair estimate of what vessels of the-German fleet as it existed at the beginning of the war are now loft capable of action. Authoritative naval circles in London express the opinion that the effective strength of the German fleet consists of one battle-cruiser, possibly one pocket-battleship, one light cruiser, 11 destroyers, and half the number of Üboats. Of German’s two battle-cruisers, the Gneisenau has been claimed as sunk by the Norwegians and the Scharnhorst as seriously damaged by H.M.S. Renown. With the-Admiral Graf Spec scuttled and the Admiral Scheer torpedoed, there is only the Deutschland left of the pocket-battleships, and she has suddenly become theLutzow, leaving the former name to be given to one of the new battleships recently launched. Al. the time of the announcement the German practice of handing on the names of sunken ships to new vessels was recalled. Of the two heavy cruisers, one later 1 announced by the German command as the- Blucher, has been sunk, but. it. is thought that, this announcement was probably made to cover the loss of the Gneisenau, and the Blucher or some other Hipper-class vessel has been sunk as well. One light cruiser was sunk by 11.M.5. Ursula in December, one was hit. by a torpedo from I-I.M.S. Salmon in the same month in circumstances which raise a strong presumption that she sank, one was sunk by a submarine on April 9, one was hit by a bomb off Bergen on April 9, the Karlsruhe was sunk on April 10. and one was hit by three bombs on April 10. leaving probably one of this type still serviceable. ELEVEN DESTROYERS SUNK. Germany had 22 destroyers, of which 11 have definitely been sunk, with a strong probability of two or three more. In the week April 8 to 14. 19 German transport supply ships were destroyed, and one. of 8514 tons, and three trawlers have been captured, Other transports have been bombed, and at least two convoys torpedoed, but precise details are as yet lacking. It is probable that certain Nazi ships which wore building at the beginning of the war are now in commission, but such naval strength as Germany had is gravely impaired. The German wireless claims that . four British battleships, eight cruisers, ; and 11 destroyers were sunk in the North Sea since operations began on April 8. The British losses since the new : phase of the war began have already been announced. They consist of four destroyers only, one of which, the Gurkha, was sunk by a bombing attack. The battleship Rodney was hit by a bomb but sustained no substantial damage and remained at her station. GERMAN CLAIMS BRITISH CRUISER BOMBED AND SUNK. AND FLYING BOAT DESTROYED. (Received This Day. 9.50 a.m.) BERLIN, April 16. A High Command communique claims that German planes bombed and sank a British cruiser oil' the Nor-1 wegian coast yesterday and that a Sun- : derland flying boat was destroyed ini the same action.