§ Mr. Bakerasked the First Lord of the Admiralty why the Admiralty have refused to investigate or develop the hydro-finn, which is now being successfully developed for defence and civil purposes by the United States Government.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasI assume my hon. Friend has in mind the "Hydrofin" which is the trade name of a particular form of hydrofoil craft. The Admiralty offered, over two years ago, to witness trials of the "Hydrofin" but the inventor did not avail himself of this offer, and subsequently set up business in the United States of America.
The Admiralty has closely followed the development of hydrofoil craft. While it is known that small craft of this type can be made to function satisfactorily in sheltered waters, there are a number of difficulties which have to be overcome before larger craft capable of satisfactory use in open waters or for naval purposes can be produced. The Admiralty is fully informed of investigations in hand in the United States and Canada and funds are not available to duplicate these costly researches in the United Kingdom.