§ 28. Mr. SMITHERSasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give an estimate of the number, if any, of ships of the Royal Navy normally employed in patrolling the main oceans which can be dispensed with owing to the services which can be rendered by the Air Force at its present strength by means of heavier-than-air craft operated from British territory?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANIt is not possible to dispense with the services of any of His Majesty's ships. I would point out 1196 that the area of the main oceans (excluding the Arctic and Antarctic regions and the Black, Baltic, White and North Seas) is roughly 129;600,000 square statute miles. Assuming the average radius of action of heavier-than-air craft to be 230 statute miles, the area inaccessible to such craft operated from all British territory, including small islands, is roughly 110,100,000 square statute miles, or 85.2 per cent. of the total area, and if 350 statute miles is taken as the radius, 99,000,000 square statute miles or 76.7 per cent. are inaccessible. My hon. Friend will also appreciate that, with the Air Force at its present strength, it would only be possible to patrol a small percentage of the areas accessible to heavier than air craft, bases would have to be formed before aircraft could operate, and all the territory referred to above would not be suitable for such bases. I would add that no allowance has been made in the above calculations for the existing limitations of aircraft during the dark hours or in bad weather.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThis discussion on decimals must be adjourned.