Evening star., 1941-12-04
Fleet at Singapore
To Curb Japanese
And Halt Nazi Raids
A. B. 6. D. Powers Take
Action to Protect
Pacific Conveys
BY ROYAL ARCH GUNNISON.

MANILA, p. l., Dec. by Wire
less to NANAD.-Two reasons are
given by high British source here.
and confirmed by American naval
authorities, for the appearance Of
British battleships and auxiliary
craft at Singapore.
First since it is now realized that
the Far East crisis is near the
breaking point, Britain is showing
the Japanese that any move from
French Indo-China toward Thai
land would be viewed as serious
enough to be met by the British
navy along the Indo-China coast
Secondly, the increased number
Of German raiders based on the
Japanese Pacific inundated islands
must be met by an enlarged British
patrol The larger raiders. such as
the Steiermark. sunk by the Aus
tralian cruiser Sydney in an action
that also destroyed the cruiser, must
have heavier armed and speedier
opposition.
loss of the Sydney, it may be re-
vealed that the Netherlands East
Indies are receiving an added num-
Der of American Catalina flying
boats-several of them just passed
through here. These craft, with
the British squadrons of Catalinas
based at Singapore and Ceylon. are
CT RI in n,te
the Indian Ocean.
First Stop at CeylOn.
The British battleShips newly ar
rived at Singapore stopped first at
Ceylon. Ceylon is being con-
structed as naval base second only
to Singapore.
AS for American naval concern
over Nazi commerce raiders in the
South Pacific and to the Middle
East, it is pointed out here that.
while there have already been some
conveys, from now on there will be
just as serious conveying across the
Pacific to Manila and other points
where American ships call as is the
case in the Atlantic These con-
voys will be combinations of Ameri-
can, Canadian, British, Australian
| and Dutch naval units, with bomber
patrol planes all along the way
where island bases and aircraft
carriers supplement the routes.
The patrol planes make it possible
TO increase the size of conveys with
out adding many more naval units.
1t is believed air conveys are more
| effective in the Pacific than in the
Atlantic, since there are more is
lands on which to base them. These
American. British and Dutch Pacific
islands are now ready and daily on
the alert for convoy duty, for which
they have been preparing for the
last II months.
The United States Navy attitude
here now is that if any one wants
to try to interfere with the trans
portation of supplies to the Far East,
he may expect the same treatment
that is meeting attempts to block !.
similar supplies being sent across
the North Atlantic to Britain.
U. S. Battleships Expected.
British authorities here view the .
arrival of British battleships at
Singapore and the official announce
ment Of it to mean that they will .
be joined by the end of the year by
at least the same number Of Ameri- |
can battleships. (There have been
other times recently when there
were two British battleships at
Singapore, but censorship cloaked
the factD 1t is felt that the pres
ence of big American naval units |
at Singapore would show the jap
anese that the Anglo-American
forces mean business in regard to
Thailand.
There is authoritative informa-
ton that American naval units may
proceed to Australia to impress upon
the enemy" that the loss of the
cruiser Sydney does not mean that
Australia will be lacking in major
patrol protection.
From Australian Prime Minister
John Curtin the correspondent to-
day received the following communi-
cation in regard to the loss of the
Sydney and the war sloop PARA
malta: In any message you may
send to the North American News
paper Alliance you may make very
clear to the people of the United
States the reality of the determina-
ton of our Labor government to de-
velop to the fullest possible extent
total war organization"
Australia is not discouraged by
the heaviest naval blow yet received
by the South Pacifics naval de-
fenses. To fill the gap left by the
loss of the Sydney. it is not unlikely |
that Australia will endeavor to pur-
chase some American destroyers or
two light cruisers. This informa-
ton does not come from Mr.. Cur
tin, but from British source,