The French Battleships
After the action taken at Oran the British Navy has lost no tine in taking steps to ensure that the remaining capital ships the French Navy should not fall into German hands. First, there was the battleship lying at Alexandria with several cruisers, destroyers and smaller craft, and a superior British fleet close at hand. Here an arrangement was arrived at between the British and French commanders consistent with the recent alliance and with the spirit of real comradeship between the British and French sailors on the spot. The ships are to be demili- tarised and put into a condition in which they cannot go to sea, and left at Alexandria under the care of skeleton French crews ; the rest of the crews will be repatriated. It is a thousand pities that this course which, avoiding the loss of French lives, denies the use of French ships to Germany though it does nc.t give them to Britain, was not adopted at Oran and at Dakar. On Tuesday Mr. Alexander described the measures that had to be taken to immobilise ' Richelieu,' the most powerful capital ship in the world, lying at Dakar. The French admiral having refused to consider the favourable British proposals for the demilitarisation of his vessel, the British commander had no choice but to attack. Lieut.-Commander Bristowe's success in entering the harbour in a small motor-boat and blowing up Richelieu's ' propellers and steering gear will go down to history as one of the memorable exploits of the war. The Fleet Air Arm completed the damage with torpedoes. The great ship has thus been put out of action. Since it would have been suicidal for Britain to allow the French Fleet to fall into Ger- man hands, the whole responsibility for the stern measures taken must be borne by the Petah). Government, which broke all pledges with cynical indifference to Britain's safety.
