"Jane's" gives Germany's new capital construction as three battleships, each mounting eight 15-inch guns, and it is believed that a fourth is projected.
Italy is stated to be building four battleships, twelve cruisers, ten destroyers, ten torpedo boats, and at least thirty submarines, With regard to Japan, it is stated that four battleships are projected. two of which are reported to have been laid down in 1988.
They are believed to displace 4 000 tons each, and to be armed with eight or nine 16-inch guns.
It is stated that "independent: evidence goes far to support Japanese reports that the Soviet fleet, based on Vladivostok, includes 70 submarines, asd fifty motor torpedo boats."
The book states that three Soviet battleships, each displacing 35,000 tons, are projected, and that they will be armed with nine 18-inch guns each.—Reuter.
Japan Leads in. Battleships London, Dec. 18.
Germany, Japan and Soviet Russia are today engaged in a secret battleship building race of unprecedented proportions, the 1939 issue of "Jane's Fighting Ships of the World" revealed today.
The journal declared that the Japanese were leading in this race, with four projected "super" battleships exceeding 40,000 tons, two of which were reported as having been laid down during 1938.
The handbook stated that ab nations throughout the world were participating in the biggest navat race since 1019, with at least 25 battleships under construction or authorized. Soviet Russia, according to the journal, claims the mos formidable submarine fleet. in the world, of which more than half were stationed at Vladivostok, within easy striking distance of Japanese waters.
It asserted that the United States" naval building programme was slowly proceeding in the heavier categories but that good progress had been made with the new 10,000 ton light cruisers, all of which had been completed.
It was also disclosed that the Spanish Nationalists' navy had n ceived four destroyers and two submarines from Italy.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.