NAVY—DOCK ACCOMMODATION IN THE COLONIES AND NAVAL STA TIONS. (Hansard, 23 April 1888)

§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTH ,

in rising to move for Returns of dock accommodation in the Colonies and naval stations immediately available for the use of Her Majesty's ironclad ships and other vessels of war; and inquiring whether it was the intention of the Government to acquire any naval stations in lieu of and with the same object as Port Hamilton, which was recently occupied and had since been abandoned, said, he need hardly explain to the House the importance of this question. In the Mediterranean the only dock accommodation possessed by us was at Malta, and there was nothing between that and the Channel ports. The four docks at Malta were the sole resource for the repair of our ships in the Mediterranean. Malta had always been considered impregnable, but he was present last year, when there was a sham attack upon Malta, and he thought that the result was to shake that feeling of security in the place which had previously been felt. The first act of an enemy seizing Malta by a coup de main would be to disable the works. In the Mediterranean they had Cyprus, where there was an excellent harbour, which might be useful in time of war, but there was no dockyard establishment. It was the same at Gibraltar. There was no dock at that place, and the establishment there seemed in other respects inadequate to meet the demands of a large fleet engaged in warlike operations. The value to the country of Gibraltar without the means of docking and repairing our first-class men-of-war there was, from a naval point of view, comparatively small, the harbour itself being incommodious and unsafe. Provided with a largo and well-defended dock, it would be all important. Proceeding eastward at Suez there was no establishment—nothing to speak of—between Malta and Bombay, a distance of 4,500 miles. At Bombay there were five extensive docks, but not exclusively in the hands of the Government. He trusted that the docks there would be adapted to the use of large vessels without delay. Trincoma- 136 lee was practically abandoned and the Mauritius docks were in private hands, but Lord Brassey stated that one of them might be made available for first-class ironclads at an expenditure of £50,000. At the Cape the Table Bay docks, which were private, were extensive and adequate but unprotected, and the railway connecting Cape Town with Simon's Town, where the Government works were situate, was still incomplete. Going eastward the next docks were to be found at Singapore; these were private and not adapted for the larger ships, but might be made so by means of a Government loan. At Hong Kong there was a large private dock, but also inadequate for the reception of first-class ironclads; but he had heard that a new one was opened in January last, and if that was so they would be in a better position. There were deficiencies in the West Indies which should be considered by the Government. Attention was drawn some time ago to the construction of a railway between Simon's and Table Bays; but he was not aware that it had been made, and it would be very useful in the event of a war. The docks in China and Japan hitherto made use of would, of course, be closed to us in case of war. He sincerely hoped that our dockyard accommodation in various parts of the world was in a more forward state than he thought, but it was a subject of such importance that he was justified in calling attention to it.

§ LORD ELPHINSTONE

I hope my noble Friend will not think it necessary to press for this Return, for full information with regard to dock accommodation in all parts of the globe is already given in a work published with the authority of the Admiralty called The Dock Book. It gives information as to every dock in the world, whether belonging to this country or to any Foreign Power, with the required details as to their capacity. He is perfectly correct in the description 137 he has given of the dock accommodation' in the different parts of the world, and; I thank him for the private information he has given me as to the object of his Question. As he told me, he wished to know what dock accommodation was available for first-class ironclads in ports east of the Mediterranean. If I include Australia there are 11 docks, nine of which are open at present, and the remaining two wilt be completed this year. Of these one is at Saigon, belonging to the French Government; one at Nagasaki and one at Tokosuka, belonging to the Japanese Government; one at San Francisco, belonging to the United States Government; one at Hong Kong, which is in private hands; and six belong to various Colonial Governments—namely, the Cape of Good Hope, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, and Esquimault. The noble Viscount asked whether access to private docks can be assured at all times in case of emergency. If by "emergency" he means in time of war, I apprehend the captain of a man-of-war would in any British port insist upon priority; but, at other times, special arrangements for priority exist only at Hong Kong, Halifax, and Esquimault. In times of peace, the whole of these docks, whether British or foreign, are available. The noble Viscount then asks for particulars of the dock at the Cape of Good Hope. It is a Colonial Government dock, 500ft. long, open and available at all times. At Hong Kong there is a private dock 500ft. long, open and available at all times. At Bombay a clock is in course of construction, and arrangements between the Imperial and Indian Governments are in progress for increasing the size of this dock, so that it will be sufficient to accommodate a first-class ironclad. In Japan the two docks are 420ft. and 513ft. in length. They are available in time of peace. In Mauritius there are three docks—two of 318ft. and one of 378ft. These belong to private firms. They are open and available at all times. At Esquimault the dock is 445ft. in length, but an additional 30ft. may be obtained by shifting the caisson. With regard to the dock at Vladivostock it is a floating dock, and is formed in sections which can be joined together as needed, according to the size of the vessel to be docked. The main piece or section, 138 called the "first part," can lift 1,850 tons, and it is complete and in working order. The dock when complete will be capable of docking vessels of 8,000 tons, and the actual lifting power of the whole dock is 20,000 tons. The Dock Book published by order of the Admiralty is complete to December, 1887. With regard to the second part of the Question, I do not know whether the noble Viscount has read the correspondence that passed relative to the retention or otherwise of Port Hamilton. Three Naval Commanders-in-Chief on the China Station strongly advised its being given up. They felt that in the event of war a portion of their squadron would have to be detached for the protection of that island, and that those vessels would be better employed elsewhere. The island was, therefore, restored to the Corean Government under certain conditions, and it is not the intention of Her Majesty's Government to acquire any other place in lieu of it.