Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-10
The War at Seq

1t is becoming increasingly evident
that the Axis powers, turned back in
their attempted conquest of Britain
by aerial assault and invasion, are
making a major effort to win the war
by driving British shipping from the
seas.
This is deadly menace to Britain.
The first World War was almost won
for Germany by the efforts of her
undersea fleet, and the NaziS, in this
conflict, have facilities far more
favorable to successful U-boat opera
tons. twenty-five years ago the Ger
mans had few submarine bases, and
these we're relatively far removed
from the shipping routes. But today
the NaziS are in control OF bases on
the Atlantic from Norway to Spain,
q factor which adds hundreds OF
miles to the cruising range of their
submarines and permits the effective
use of numerous small underSea
craft. When to these considerations
are added the tremendous increase
in efficiency of bombing planes and
the wider use of mines, it is easy to
credit reports that the trend of the
war at sea is causing grave concern
in London.
The Germans claim to have de-
stroyed by naval action of all kinds
total of 7,162,200 tons of Allied and
neutral shipping since the start of
the war. This claim probably is eX-
aggerated, but there is no blinking
the fact that the British admit the
loss to submarine action alone of
3,547,000 tons of their own, Allied and
neutral shipping. And the break
down of these figures is of even
greater significance, since the British
say that enemy submarines sank
100000 tons of shipping during the
first nine months Of the war, and
1,951,000 tons during the following
five-month period. In other words,
the rate of losses has approximately
doubled since the fall of France.
For the most part, submarines,
bomberS and mines are used by the
Nazis to blockade Britain at the
home ports of her cargo ships. But
there is strong evidence that some
thing in the nature of remote
blockade also is being set up. This
latter form of blockade, probably
carried on by few merchantmen
converted into commerce raiders and
possibly one or two pocket battle
ships is apt to be particularly effec-
tive in Britain's present situation.
The British at this time have but
three ships, the Hood, the RepulSe
and the RenoWn, which are rated as
being capable of overtaking and out
cunning the Nazi pocket battleShipS.
But the demands on these ships, as
we'll as on all other British naval
vessels, are heavy in both the Medl-
terranean and in home waters. And
yet Britain cannot afford to expose
her merchant ships to attack, for
these vessels form the lifeline of the
Empire. Merchantmen operating
across the Atlantic are grouped in
large numbers and given some naval
protection. but the reported attack
on one of the conveys last week,
which the Germans claim resulted
in the loss of $4,000 tons of British
shipping, suggests that even greater
protection will have to be provided.
This is especially true if reports that
a pocket battleship is operating in
mid-Atlantic are correct.
From our standpoint, it is just as
important to keep the British mer-
chant marine in operation as it is
to supply Britain with planes and
other implements for repelling as
saults on London. And there is at
least one means to this end which
is readily at hand. Tied up at our
docks are approximately 100000
tons of American shipping. These
vessels are not being used by us, but
If they were to be sold or leased to
the British they could help mate
rally in offsetting the strangling
effect of the Nazi counter blockade.
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