The largest of the British ships was Hood, sunk by Bismarck in 1941

Italy had a sizeable navy consisting of six modern battleships, 19 cruisers, 132 destroyers and torpedo boats and 107 submarines.

In Japan’s navy when it entered the war in 1941 the number of aircraft carriers outnumbered the number of battleships by 11 to ten. This accounts for Japan’s success on the high seas in the opening months of the war. Also lining up under the emblem of the rising sun were 23 cruisers, 129 destroyers, 67 submarines and 13 gunboats.

Much of the American strength in the area was decimated by the attack on Pearl Harbor. For months US shipyards laboured to repair the damage wrought by the Japanese planes and refloated many of the sunken vessels. America only had ihre-c operational aircrati carriers in the Pacitic. 24 cruisers, nine battleships, SO destroyers and 56 submarines. The hidden weapon that .•merica jx)ssessed was its abilin to produce sutYicient replacements and reintorcements tor its navy throughout the war.

Submarines also came of age during World War II. although only Germany and.menca fully grasped the potential offered b> this sleek, sinister vessel.

The German U-boats could very-well have changed the entire course of World War II if only there had

Its proper name, radio detection and ranging. Pioneering scientist Sir Robert Watson-Watt dey eloped the system during the twenties and thirties and personally oversayy its use for the benefit of all the British military folloyving the outbreak of World War 11.

Astonishing advances made in code-breaking offered plenty of new chances to the fleet

Attack. The iirst yyas an Explosise. Motor Boat with a one-man creyy. The boyy s of the boat yvere packed yyith eplosiye> yyhich yyould tire on impact. It yvasn't a suicide yehicle. The courageous pilot escaped by throyving himself backyyards yyith a float before the E. MB made contact yvith Its target.

.•Mso among their gadgets yyas a torpedo submarine measuring about 22 ft yvhich yyas driyen b> a nyo-man creyy sitting astride the strange yveajxin. Cast into the water b> rull-sized submarines, the men yvearing diving suits guided this timed missile

A6ove: ft took courage and endurarsce to man the Italian torpedoes which wreaked havoc in the Mediterranean.

Ybeen enough of them during the I, crucial early years. Hitler sayv too ill late the massive opportunity - he had l|| passed up by reining in resources due t) to his navy.

I. American submarines executed a brilliant strategic move against I Japan, destroying the vast maiorin of its merchant shipping and isolating the four home islands from outside trade, eifectiyely starsing the people and industry of vital goods. .Any other country yvhich did not have the shame and dishonour of surrender woven deeply into its culture yvould have surrendered on the strength ot the submarine stranglehold alone.

The. MIics possessed one ace yvhich helped them considerably in their war at sea. It yvas radar or. to give it

Radar detects distant objects by sending out a microyvave pulse beam. The reflection of the beam indicates the position of the object.

Its advantage to the.-Mlies a: sea yvas soon apparent. They yvould get fair yvarning ot approaching enemy ships and planes. Bad yveather yyas no longer the cloak to yision it once had been, .-ction under cover of darkness yvould noyv achieye more accurate results.

¦ CODE-BREAKING ¦

.Mso at sea. the astonishing adyances made in code-breaking offered many neyy chances to the fleet yyho yvere foreyyarned about enemy moyements.

The Italians came up yyith some ingenious yvaterborne methods of toyvards its target and anached it to the underside of a ship's hull before making an escape.

The British, too. had their midget submannes. These yvere based on an early submarine design, it yyas 51ft long, eight and a halt feet yyide and ten feet high. Inside there yvas just enough space for four creyy members, a commander, a lieutenant to operate the engine, a nasigator and ar engineer. The capabilit es * midget submarines yyere impressiye. They couid 2 '

Depth ot 300't and boasted a speed ot tour knots.