CHAP TER 7
Wars and Wayfaring
The military and commercial value of the oceans as highways will be
i1uential in determining any future exploitation. In the First World
War, the Royal Navy imposed an eèctive, if somewhat distant,
blochade on merchant shipping destined for Germany, to prevent
supplies reaching the enemy by sea. The German Navy, for its part,
pointed the way to submarine warfare. Since these times, the world has
witnessed a build—up of submarine eets and the emergence of nuclear—
powered submarines armed with ballistic missiles providing the ultimate
deterrent to world—wide conict. Meanwhile, on the surface, massive
oil—tanhers have been built to sail round the Cape bringing oil to thirsty
industries in Western Europe. In addition to bulle cargoes, a revolution
in handling general cargo is taking place : major ports have been modied
to reduce the time cargo ships lie idle in them—particularly by en—
'
couraging the use of large containers. With world trade in the 1960s
increasing annually by about seven per cent and with general eight
charges by sea nearly forty times cheaper than by air, the merchant
marine continues to exert a major inuence on commerce throughout the
world.
THE last traditional British sea battle, With big ships lined up ex—
changing shots until one side was destr0yed or forced to retire,
occurred in 1941. In May, the heavily—armoured German battle—
ship, Bismark, broke out into the Atlantic accompanied by the
battlecruiser Prinz Eugen. On the rst contact With the British home
eet, Bismarh damaged the battleship Prince of Wales and sank the
battlccruiser Hood before escaping from the British forces converging
on her. On May 25, aircraft from the carrier Ark Royal spotted the
German battleship and attacked it with torpedoes. The following
day the British ships caught up With the damaged ship and Bismark
x84
Wars and Wayfaring
The military and commercial value of the oceans as highways will be
i1uential in determining any future exploitation. In the First World
War, the Royal Navy imposed an eèctive, if somewhat distant,
blochade on merchant shipping destined for Germany, to prevent
supplies reaching the enemy by sea. The German Navy, for its part,
pointed the way to submarine warfare. Since these times, the world has
witnessed a build—up of submarine eets and the emergence of nuclear—
powered submarines armed with ballistic missiles providing the ultimate
deterrent to world—wide conict. Meanwhile, on the surface, massive
oil—tanhers have been built to sail round the Cape bringing oil to thirsty
industries in Western Europe. In addition to bulle cargoes, a revolution
in handling general cargo is taking place : major ports have been modied
to reduce the time cargo ships lie idle in them—particularly by en—
'
couraging the use of large containers. With world trade in the 1960s
increasing annually by about seven per cent and with general eight
charges by sea nearly forty times cheaper than by air, the merchant
marine continues to exert a major inuence on commerce throughout the
world.
THE last traditional British sea battle, With big ships lined up ex—
changing shots until one side was destr0yed or forced to retire,
occurred in 1941. In May, the heavily—armoured German battle—
ship, Bismark, broke out into the Atlantic accompanied by the
battlecruiser Prinz Eugen. On the rst contact With the British home
eet, Bismarh damaged the battleship Prince of Wales and sank the
battlccruiser Hood before escaping from the British forces converging
on her. On May 25, aircraft from the carrier Ark Royal spotted the
German battleship and attacked it with torpedoes. The following
day the British ships caught up With the damaged ship and Bismark
x84