BATTLESHIP QUALITIES
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR]
Stu,—The analogy and facts given by Mr. Woosnam-Jones in support of his claim that high battleship speeds are desirable in our Navy do nothing on examination to justify his thesis.
High speed did, it is true, hunt down the Scharnhorst ' and other ships, but the true cause of their destruction was the fact that in every case our pursuing vessels were larger and heavier, with superior armaments.
More relevant to this discussion are the two clashes between the British and German battle-cruisers during the War. Our high speed enabled us to catch the enemy, but at the Dogger Bank he beat us off and crippled our flagship, while at Jut- land we again caught the enemy, only to blow up under his guns. And high speed has even no strategical value, for our Battle Fleet at Jutland was, as Commander Bowles pointed out, faster than the enemy's,_ but we were not able to contain him.
Wheie battleships are built to a standard displacement there is less excuse than ever for sacrificing guns and armour to speed, for we deliberately weaken ourselves for the major purpose in view—the protection of our food supplies from abroad.
The analogy of the smash-and-grab raiders operating in London does not fit our situation. We have not one huge convoy protected by a few vessels open to attack at many points, but many slow-moving merchant vessels. We can form these merchant vessels into suitable convoys to compel the enemy to attack at one point. There the relatively lightly armoured swift raider will face the heavy pins of 'the escort, and woe betide the former if they come within range. We do not care if the Venetos ' scamper round the Mediter- ranean at 33 knots, for if they attack our convoys they will find the bulldog's teeth more than a match for the greyhound's speed. Has Mr. Woosnam-Jones forgotten the history of the Scandi- navian convoy during 1918? We first protected it with de- stroyers. The enemy sent swifter ones and destroyed the convoy. We sent more modern boats as escort, so the enemy sent swift cruisers, and again sank the convoy. Finally we decided to escort with battleships, and completely frustrated the enemy's design to damage us, for only one other attempt was made, quite unsuccessfully, to damage the convoy, and that attempt had to be made with the enemy's entire battle fleet.
Our battleships have not only commerce raiders to face, but may have to form line of battle against the Japanese. Our new 30-knotters will look small beer against the slow, well-armed Mutsus,' and were better advised to use their 3o knots to run away, for there can,be little doubt of the result if they stay. As to the 'Richelieu ' class, their specific purpose is to protect France's Mediterranean link with her African colonies. Black troops must be swiftly conveyed to France in view of the need for rapid mobilisation—hence the Richelieus" speed.
I cannot conceive how the French Admiralty have a problem akin to our own.—Yours faithfully, P. G. LIBBY. 84 Chelverton Road, Putney, S.W. 15.
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