Op-12-D-LED/hjw (e) Round About Route taken to reach Final Destination causes Loss of so many Ship Days that the same Result is obtained by the Axis Powers that would be reached if more Ships were sunk. Present routes, used especially by con- voys and single ships leaving Halifax, make it necessary to cover about 900 additional miles, which at the average speed of the convoys means the loss of approximately 7 ship days for each ship in a convoy, and if a convoy is composed of 60 ships the reason for the delay in getting essential material into Britain is readily seen. The Northern route to Iceland is being used by the British due to lack of adequate numbers of escort ships and planes. This route is not recommended due to the great loss of time, not only due to the dis- tance to be covered but to the slowing down of convoys incident to the continual gales in the winter months. The S.S.GEORGIC, in which travelled unescorted from New York to Liverpool, was routed to within forty miles of Iceland and almost to the Faeroe Islands in an endeavor to keep her clear of submarine waters, it took 13 days to make what would normally in peace time be a 7 day trip. (f) Weather Conditions are such on the Northern route used by the British that from 50 to 70 percent of the escort vessels have been out of com- mission during the winter months due to storm damage and other material breakdowns. The British Navy hopes to reduce the number of ships out of commission to 30% during the summer months. (g) Inadequate Repair Bases. Great Britain has never had Navy re- pair bases, as such, in the Northwest, and until the collapse of France, they were never considered neces- sary. Now it has not been possible to give this suffi- cient attention, and only makeshift repair facilities are available. The escort ships for the Northwest approaches base at Londonderry, Liverpool and Greenock, and there are no repair facilities at any of these three ports that we would consider adequate, although every effort is being made to iraprove the facilities. -2- |