NAVY’S PART

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 March 1941, Page 6

NAVY’S PART

REVIEW BY MR ALEXANDER BENEFITS OF BUILDING PROGRAMME. MANY IMPORTANT SUCCESSES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 1 p.m.) RUGBY, March 5. Introducing the Navy Estimates in the House of Commons, Mr. A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty) dealt with problems which faced the Navy on the fall of France. Since then, he said, we had immeasurably improved our position and the Italian fleet had been not only cooped up in the Mediterranean by forces initially much inferior but had been neutralised in waters which Italy specially claimed as her own. In every encounter, added Mr. Alexander, British superiority both in fighting and morale had been so marked that the Italian Navy could now scarcely venture to dispute waters around its own bases.

Mr Alexander added that the British Navy during the past six months had suffered losses, especially in light forces, but these were not excessive considering the magnitude of the task performed. In spite of this and necessary returns for refitting a number of ships, most- classes, especially destroyers now at sea or instantly ready for sea, we were greater than at any time since the war began. In addition, the benefits of the large building programme put in hand since the outbreak were beginning to be felt.

Mr. Alexander also outlined the activities of the Fleet Air Arm, mentioning the feat at Taranto and the destruction of a number of enemy warships. British submaries also had not been idle and had destroyed something like a hundred enemy warships and supply ships. Enemy surface raiders, too, had not- got away without suffering damage, and. in fact, not every raider met had lived to raid another day.