U-BOAT MENACE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1943, Page 4

U-BOAT MENACE

ADMIRALTY CRITICISED IN COMMONS ACCUSED OF COMPLACENCY. DENIAL BY FIRST LORD. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received'This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 17. During a House of Commons debate on the Navy Estimates, Mr Clement Davies, after a bitter personal attack on Mi’ A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty) in which he accused him of possessing characteristics' of vanity, complacency and fretful resentment of any inquiry, or even advice, said it had never been suggested that we were sinking more U-boats than were being created. The present Üboats were capable of voyaging over longer distances, at higher speeds, of refuelling at sea and operating in places where we had never thought they would get. The Admiralty’s attitude just before the war was that the U-boat menace was not as serious as in the last war. “What is our position today?” asked Mr Davies. “What are our losses? A whole mighty fleet has gone and with them irreplaceable losses. Why can’t we be told our losses in cargo ships. Our people have never been afraid of the truth.” Mr J. J. Tinker asked whether Mr E. Shinwell’s allegations were true—that three of our best 20,000 tonners had been sunk owing to having to reduce their speed to save fuel. Mr Alexander, replying, denied that there was any complacency at the Admiralty about the U-boat menace. “The situation,” he said, “is much too serious. The Admiralty is fully seized of the urgency of this, great job. There is not a single thing/we can do which we won’t try to meet the situation.” Replying to Mr Shinwell’s allegation, Mr Alexander said that in no circumstances would vessels be instructed to reduce speed in order to save fuel merely for the sake of saving fuel. DEFENCE OF CONVOY AT LEAST THREE U-BOATS PROBABLY SUNK. GALLANT WORK OF BRITISH DESTROYER. . (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) RUGBY, March 17. At least three U-boats were destroyed or probably destroyed, and many others must have been seriously damaged last month, in one of the greatest battles of the winter between the naval^ escorts of a convoy and U-boats. '’Our forces consisted of British, American, and Free French ships, assisted by Liberators and Sunderlands. First blood was drawn by the destroyer Vimy, commanded by LieutenantCommander R. S. Stannard, V.C., aged 25. It was the Vimy’s first Atlantic convoy. She took 49 prisoners from Üboats during an incessant battle raging over three days and nights. The convoy suffered some losses and the Vimy, which was under Lieutenant-Comman-der Stannard’s command for the first time, also rescued 88 survivors from ships sunk.