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LOSSES AT
SEA
Huge Enemy
Total
LONDON, March 3 (A.A.P.).
"According to latest estimates
which are conservative, the Ger
man and Italian shipping losses
have now reached the formidable
total of five million tons,' and a
further three million ions dam
aged, much of its severely."
This statement was made by
the First Lord of the Admiralty
(Mr. Alexander),- in the House
of Commons this afternoon,
when dealing with' the. navy esti
mates. -'
Mr, Alexander told the House
that during the first half of
last year . sinkings ! on the
eastern seaboard . of Africa
threw a grievous drain on the
tonnage available to". the United
Nations. Losses in that area were
sometimes as much as three-quar
ters of the total losses. f
With the adoption of the. con-,
voy system in tha! area! losses de
clined rapidly until they now re(
presented a small part of : ( the;
whole In Britain, America and
Canada. Great programmes were
in hand by the United - Nations,
this year to receive additions to
their escort fleets far . greater
than in previous years.
"There will be further ( set
backs and periods . of .serious
losses," said Mr. Alexander.
"From December 1, 1942, to Feb
ruary 28, 1943, our losses were
much less than in . the correspond
ing months of last winter. There
is still probably a larger output of
U-boats than the numbers
"killed," but the gap is being re;
duced.,
"The improvement in anti
submarine weapons has been
tremendous. We now had a new
type of corvette, faster, heavier
and ' with greater , armament:
Some of them, called frigates, are
already in use. The .corvette
fleet now numbers well over 200.
"Our convoys to Russia had
cost us two cruisers, sixteen
other w.ar ships, and many mer
chantmen, but the aid to Rus
sia had paid a great dividend."
rnnvnvc tn Dnecin
"Results of the last four
months were the most encourag
ing of the war. Last February I
believe we achieved the best re
sults. So far convoys to Russia
have cost two cruisers, ten de
stroyers, six other, war ships and
many merchant ships, and .valu
able lives, . but the sustenance
brought to Russia paid a great
dividend in the .United Nations'
cause. . .,( .-(!(!::(
"Withrthe help' 'ori two occa
sions. of 'an .Am'ericah:carrieri,:.our
alrcrlft . (carriers ; carried Calto-
getlier' 744- flgfiters ( to Malta. Al
ready more than (1,000,000 tons
of- stores had been' .(landed in
North Africa, in addition to half
a million men. . . . ,
("The fleet air -arm h'as(Showri
the Way to the rest .of the world;
It was the first to sink a (war
ship by dive-, b'ombirig— the Ber-'
gen (in 1940— -the first to sink a
battleship, , as ( it.; did at Tararito,
and! the' first to defeat. (an : air(at-
tack against ; the fleet" by.', fighter
defence. - '
x ne neer, air - arm in de
stroyed'- 100' and ' damaged 50
planes. . Our losses "in air. combat i
were, about .. quarter, of the
enemy's! The' air arm in . 1942
in' attacks on supply lines to
Africa sank 'TO supply ships - and
damaged' at least (four war' ships
and 23 merchant ( ships- ...
. '.'It was not Surprising that our
losses were' heavy, but the Fleet
was ( a , great- deal stronger now
than a' year ago. A number of
war ships . and; (trawiers had: been
completed since the outbreak in .
British1' shipyards and ( overseas.
. ' "The corvette fleet, despite our
losses, were now well over 200.
improverrienti' ln (our anti'-sub-
marine ( weapons had' been ' ori . a
tremendous . scale;, The complexity
of this equipment would astound
those ( who. knew it only in ( the
last war.
."Counting each occasion when
a war ship enters a dockyard for
repair and refit1 as/a unit," 34,000
repair units had. been (turned out
since . the outbreak of war and
8300 British and Allied merchant
ships hag ' been fitted with . gutis
and (other' devices to protect them
from 'aircraft and submarines, or
both." ((
New Corvettes
'.ivii i AicAanucr . conciuaea.—
"We have a special new,, faster
and ( heavier type . of corvette
with greater armament, .We pro
pose to , call it a 'frigate. , After
a period of grievous setbacks' and
serious (threats, the main .ten
dency. during the last . 15 months
has/. been towards . improve
ment. .(
"Nevertheless, it must be ac
cepted/that ' the risks and haz
ards Increase the price that must
be palid if we' are to 'go on carry
ing, the" war to the enemy, .'as we 1
must do and intend to do. Al
lied production of merchant ton
nage; is" (showing, an increasing
margin1 : oyer ' losses. ' , It , Is our
constant endeavor to enlarge" the
margin', by. destroying more -and
more- U-boats with our increas
ing resources.
"One preoccupationofJthe/Goj:
vernment must be 1 'to1 meet y the
navy's, defensive ,' requirements
with minimum resources . con
sistent with safety,- . while . mak
ing the remainder available for
offensive action, which alone:will .
bring about the enemy's1 uncon
ditional surrender."
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