§ 70. Mr. GOULDasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller whether he can state the number and gross tonnage of passenger liners and the number and deadweight tonnage of cargo vessels lost through enemy action by Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of SHIPPING (Colonel Leslie Wilson)As the full reply contains a large number of figures, I am circulating in the Official Report a statement showing the number and gross tonnage of Allied merchant vessels (steam and motor) lost through enemy action, and the number and gross tonnage of British passenger vessels so lost.
Information is not available as to the deadweight tonnage of the vessels or as to the proportion of passenger tonnage other than British.
§ The following in the statement referred to:
§ Merchant vessels (steam and motor) lost through enemy action have been as follows:—
| No. | Gross tonnage. | |
| Great Britain | 2,197 | 7,638,020 |
| France | 238 | 696,845 |
| Italy | 230 | 742,365 |
| Japan | 29 | 120,176 |
| United States | 80 | 341,512 |
§ The losses of British merchant vessels include 236 vessels, totalling 1,387,359 gross tons, which held Board of Trade passenger certificates prior to or at the time when lost. In addition to these figures twenty vessels, totalling 95,292 gross tons, which at one time held Board of Trade passenger certificates, were lost through enemy action whilst on Admiralty service as commissioned vessels.
§ It is not possible to state the deadweight tonnage lost or to distinguish passenger from cargo vessels except in the case of British vessels.
§ Sir C. HENRYCould the hon. Gentleman in that statement include to-day's value, at to-day's rates, of that tonnage that has been lost?
§ Colonel WILSONIf my hon. Friend will put down a question, I will endeavour to have a statement circulated in the Official Report dealing with that question.