HC Deb 27 January 1937 vol 319 cc922-3
16. Captain Plugge

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the approximate number of aircraft now under the control of the British, Japanese, American, and Italian navies, respectively?

Lord Stanley

The figure for the Royal Navy is 204 aircraft. I understand that the figure for the Japanese Navy is 245 embarked, and 216 shore-based, aircraft; for the American Navy, 475 embarked, and 184 shore-based; for the Italian Navy, 60 embarked, plus a certain number of shore-based reconnaissance aircraft. The Japanese, American and Italian Navies differ from the Royal Navy in that they have control of flying boats and shore-based naval aircraft, whereas the Royal Navy has under its control only the embarked aircraft, the number of which I have already given.