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.
 
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