§ 22. Mr. MACMASTERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the length, breadth, and depth of the Kiel (Kaiser Wilhelm) Canal; whether it is adaptable for the transit of merchant ships; and, if so, would it be a better entrance to and exit from the Baltic than the ordinary passage through the narrow and shallow waters separating Sweden and Denmark?
§ Mr. LONGThe reply to the first part of my hon. Friend's question is as follows:
Length of canal—52⅔ nautical miles.
Surface width—334 ft.
Bottom width—144 ft.
Depth—supposed to be 36 ft.
The reply to the second part of the question is in the affirmative, the canal having been used by merchant ships continually before the War, and by German merchant ships during the War. As regards the last part of the question, navigationally, I am advised, the Kiel Canal is preferable to the passage through the Sound, Great, or Little Belt, and subsequently through the Skaggerack. But whether a ship would prefer to use the Kiel Canal must depend on a variety of considerations, the most important of which are the relative distances to or from her port of arrival or departure outside the Baltic, and the relative value of the extra coal consumed in making the longer passage as compared with the Canal dues.