§ 13. Mr. FORRESTasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the reasons which induced the Ministry to refuse to allow the obsolete battleship "Monarch" to be broken up, thus providing work; and why, as the Washington Agreement leaves the method of destruction to the different Governments concerned, the Admiralty preferred to sink the vessel?
Mr. DAVIDSONIt was considered necessary to use one of the capital ships due for scrapping under the Washington Treaty for certain important experiments, and the "Monarch" was selected for the purpose. I may add that a large amount of material, the value of which justified the cost of removal, was taken out of the ship before she was sunk.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENCould this vessel not have been used to snake a harbour or a breakwater at some port where such a thing is required?