The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-05-20

NCOuGlIlueQ fTOIQ rage U Heading the foreign line was the veteran U. s. battleship New York built in 1912 and next to it was the last word in fighting ships the French battelship Dunkerque, fresh from it's trials, with 10000 tons of armor, nearly two-fifths of its total displacement. Russia's old battleship Marat, Japan's crack cruiser Asigara, Germany's Admiral Graf Spec, and ships-ranging from battleships to sloops-of the other nations were in the line.
 Two powers were not represented. Italy boycotted the review because Premier Benito Mussolini is dis pleased with Great Britain. Loyalist Spain designated a destroyer but explained att he last moment that it could not attend because of the exigencies of the situation"- civil war.
 Royalty on Board
 King George, Queen Elizabeth and their daughter Princess Elizabeth, II, the imperious heir prasumptive to the throne who most likely some day will attend a review on the occasion of her own coronation, spent the night aboard the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, their reviewing ship.
 They woke to find the morning gray and misty with patches of clue sky showing through But at break fast time when little Princess Elizabeth, her blue eyes round with wonder, appeared on deck and peered out toward the fleet, she saw a most beautiful sight with a bright sun in clean blue sky, shin ing on the ships.
 King George came out to join her and together they took a brisk walk about the quarter deck, at the rear of the yacht, the Princess almost trotting to keep up with the kings long strides.
 Thousands on Beach
 On the beach the sands were blackened by the thousands of peo- pie who waited for the old Victoria and Albert, with its brass tunnels, to fuss out into Spithead to re- view the assemblage of crack fight ing ships.
 I could see through binoculars the seamen on the Warshirs giving final polish to metal work as the crowd on shore, after a cold night huddled on the beach in over. coats or raincoats, walked or did setting up exercises to loosen up their. stiff limbs. Every minute they were joined by more people who hurried from train, motor car or bus to await the review. There were other crowds opposite on the green slopes of the Isle of Wight.
 In these crowds, it is reported and I have no reason to doubt it. were secret service men of many nations, counter-spies looking for spies. There are some mystery" ships here including Frances Dun kerque.
 Old Victory There
 In Portsmouth 'harbor, dwarfted in its dry dock by the ships of to- day, was the old Victory, the man O1 WdI III W1l4CIl 1NClOOll the fleet at Trafalgar and whose blood reddened it's deck when he was mortally wounded at the hour ot victory over the fleet whose Dun kerque is the star now.
 In the review fleet was the Ger man Graf Spec immortalizing the name of the German admiral who destroyed British squadron off Coronel, on the Chilean coast, in 1914, and whose own squadron was destroyed later at the baJsle of Falkland on the Atlantic side of South America.
 It was something to note that in the half dozen ships which fol- lowed the royal yacht today there were some 5000 invited British tax payers. Legally the king has the right to sell his navy, but really the fleet is theirs and they have paid dearly for this steel-Wall suc- cessor to then one-time wooden wall of ships that guarded Britain.
 There are 165 British warships in this review in addition to 50 select ed merchantmen and 10 fishing trawlers. There are 670OO0 tons of the British warships. They cost about $675,000,000, part of $6,OOO,- 100000 which has been spent on the navy since the World war. Another $525, 100000 is being spent this year on new ships, and by the end of the year there will be 148 under con- Struction.