AMERICA IN DEADLY EARNEST

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21371, 15 March 1941, Page 8

AMERICA IN DEADLY EARNEST

Britain’s need of small fighting ships to meet the submarine menace will be supplied to some extent by the reported decision of the. United States to transfer 99 vessels in the current year. It is authoritatively stated that the transfer will include 17 over-age destroyers, 18 mosquito torpedo-boats, 55 submarine-chasing patrol boats and nine over-age submarines. These will be a most welcome addition to the Royal Navy at a time when the world is expecting Germany to put forth its greatest effort to cripple the British Mercantile Marine and so force Britain to capitulate.

Destroyers are wanted particularly for escort work, the importance of which will increase rapidly as American supplies begin to move across the Atlantic in greater quantities. The 55 submarinechaser patrol boats have already demonstrated their efficacy in searching for submarines‘and attacking them with depth charges and other means. Most of these vessels are described as over-age, but that does not mean that they are decrepit. The 50 destroyers recently transferred to Britain have been proved to be exceedingly useful and fast ships which, because they have not been over-worked, still have years of good service before them. The chasers and patrol boats are, of course, of much more recent design and, because of their great speed and the damaging weapons they carry, are a source of constant terror to submarine crews.

The ships will not all be available at once, apparently, but will be transferred gradually as new construction comes in sight, so that there will not be gaps in the United States’ own defences for an undue length of time. But the programme can no doubt be made elastic to meet changing conditions as the war develops. The United States is in deadly earnest to back the efforts of Britain to smash Hitlerism, as is shown by Mr Roosevelt’s request for an appropriation of £1,400,000,000 for the production of the implements of war. The announcement of this policy shows that the United States has faith in Britain—a faith that must cause all Germans to think deeply. They must ask themselves why this great independent nation is prepared to stake 7,000,000,000 dollars on Britain’s prospects of winning the war and why, indeed, it is thought necessary and wise to pour out that flood of wealth to ensure that Hitlerism shall not prevail.