§ Commander BELLAIRSasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in view of his predecessor having asked for publicity in the matter, whether he will state, in reference to His Majesty's ship "Good Hope" and His Majesty's ship "Monmouth," whether these vessels were commissioned on the outbreak of war with men from the reserves who are not so efficient as active service ratings; and whether, since the vessels were lost at the battle of Coronel, he can, without detriment to the public interest, give the dates for retubing the inner A-tubes of the guns of both ships so that the House may be in a position to judge as to their fitness for action?
Mr. BALFOURThese vessels were not commissioned entirely with reserve ratings. Each of them had on board not less than the authorised proportion of active service ratings; and, in fact, His Majesty's ship "Monmouth" had a crew composed almost entirely of active service men. No guns in these ships had been retubed: they were all serviceable.