Scotsman Archive

BRITISH measures to fight submarines, 23 March, 1950

PRESENTING Navy Estimates in the Commons last night, Mr Callaghan (Financial Secretary to the Admiralty) spoke of measures to combat the submarine war which would be waged against Britain in the event of fresh hostilities. The major part of the Admiralty's research was being devoted to anti-submarine measures. Mr Callaghan spoke of British experiments in the use of homing torpedoes capable of "nosing out" enemy submarines. As an economy measure, HMS Cochrane, Rosyth, the ship of the Flag Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland, also serving as a naval training centre, would be closed. Mr Callaghan presented two Navy Estimates, one for 193 million for 1950-51 and a supplementary estimate for 1949-50 for the token sum of 10. The net cost of the Navy compared with last year had increased by 3,750,000. The real national effort put into the Navy was measured by the size of the gross estimates. The gross cost of the Navy last year was 211m, compared with 216m this year.

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