Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-13
BY MERRILL MUELLER
In,r New. service stan Correspondent,

NEN 1ONht Jan. IL W I'M
several of the new King George
class 35,000-ton battleships in
service or about 10 go into service
with new aircraft carriers, cruis-
ers and destroyers already al sea
replacing part Of its losses. his
Britannia majeSty'S navy today is
valiantly doing the work of five
fleets in guarding the llfestreams
of empire sea routes and assisting
the military machine.
But it needs help - larg g
amounts of help which can only
come from the one other i'm
portant fleet in the world.
Another hundred obsolete de-
stroyers from American yards;
several hundred long-range patrol
bombers (seaplanes). and smart
catapult and carrier-deck fighting
planes would be of invaluable as
sistance.
MENACE OF RAIDER
These groups of material are
needed now with the submarine
and raider menace at its height.
Five Allied fleets fought the SINH
lar World War menace.
There is no doubt the small
British Mediterranean feet con-
trolls that sea as effectively as II
the Italian navy never existed. On
every occasion when the two fleets
have come in contact, British
crews and British ships have
proved themselves superior IN
everything but speed. And when
the Italian fleet refused to come
out. a small fleet air arm went
into the bases after them.
Every contact between British
and German naval units has
shown the ability of both sides,
but the supreme traditional conn.,
dence of only the English.
The British feet at sea today is
probably heavier than 1t has ever
been in its past history, taking
into consideration the losses of
the ROYAL Oak. the Courageous,
Illustrious and over half hum
dred destroyers.
Supplementing this feet. which
Is nevertheless weak In light
scouting units. are the few units
of the Free French navy. only half
a dozen of which are important,
and the Dutch fleet, strong sec
tons of which have reinforced Ear
Eastern stations.
Behind the fighting vessels are
hundreds of auXiliarics of every
size and type mounting guns from
one-pounders to 12-lncherS ana
doing everything from coastal
patrol and mine sweeping, TO con-
voy duty and feet supply.
New to the British line are the
several score American average
destroyers which have gone into
service. They were only slightly
modified. principally TO give gun
crews turret protection on the
open decks. These vessels are see'
ing much service on the Atlantic
convoy trails because of their
range-longest in the world-but
several have chased Italian vessels
in what the latter call mare nos
trum" 1.-THE Mediterranean.
One feet section which has
proven of tremendous value never
before dreamed of is the naval air
arm.
1t has won its Iaurels at sea and
has earned its place among the tor
sections of the senior service de-
spite an appalling amount of OBJ
solete equipment. What the navys
air crews could do with modern
aeronaval equipment is beyond
conception.
MODERN FIGHTING PLANES
There are only four modern
types of navy fighting planes; the
new Fairey Fulmar eight-gun car.
rier fighter: the Roc two-seatei
dive-bomber and fighter also foI
carriers; the Skua. dive-bombeI
reconnaissance torpedo plane sis
ter-ship in design to the Roc but
lacking the power-operated foul
gun turrets, and the Bristol Beau.
fort, land-based torpedo plane anc
dive bomber.
i - L. Il.