| Show u r t tY y RI TA N A IN AND A ND IT ITALY I TA AI L YMASS Y MASS MA 5 1 Y y a I I S' S t I NAVAL NA VAL Y r rS' rS O s ER IN INI CRISIS i Ii II Puce Duce Calls Battleships s I j. j r Out of Reserves While I English S Sail il Into Into Gibraltar Orders Sua ris O rs All Squadrons ron Into Fighting l u Units Unit nl s i t i I f By the Associated Press vJ A j jIn In a a. a few moving fast hours to day the tense situation bet between er Italy arid and Ethiopia developed x i 1 The groundwork of a fun a-fun- fun pl plan In th the 1 league o. o off t the collective afi nations for the ns- ns r of Ethiopia 2 An announcement by the thc Italian delegation that tha I Italy l might be willing Ia to negotiate on on on the b basis sis of such a plan 31 3 An announcement of Emperor Em i Em Haile Selassie of Ethiopia A w th that t he be Will viII reject outright any any suggestion tio l o of a protectorate over over Ethiopia 4 A AI declaration by lay the co com coat chief in-chief the llie British m n- n hiet fit Pt army army In Jn Great that Great Britain Iv wants I India di fully ully hind her if flit I we we-go we go to tov v war r.- r. 5 5 A meet meeting rig of at the cabinet cabin t I members rs comprising th the Imperial impe Jal Jali i defense committee of Gre Great t- t Britain Brit Brit- ain aln with Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin Bald at at which Great Britain's position in the present crisis was wan w und understood to be discussed G 6 The disclosure that Premier Mussolini of Italy has ordered that Ln nations nation's tion's two greatest battleships battleships battle battle- ships back active service Both Italy and Great Britain marshaled their naval strength as the e hour drew near for forthe the league council to make its decision in the Uie Italo Ethiopian halo Ethiopian dilemma Mus Mussolini olini recalled from the reserves reserves re re- re serves Italy's two battleships battle ships the e Duilo and the D Doria ria both bath carrying 13 inch 1312 inch 12 guns The premier also sent orders to squadron commanders in th the Mediterranean Adriatic and Re Red l seas to shape the navy into compact compact com com- comb pact fighting units A strangely strangely- small British home fleet t of f only 19 ships steamed up off oft Portland for maneuvers or ordInarily ordinarily ordinarily or- or held off Scotland but doubt was expressed as as' as t to just where the tactics would take place or how many vessels would be bc involved About OOOO troops awaited orders In South England While curiosity was aroused asto as asto asto to the whereabouts of the mysteriously absent vessels of the British home fleet five of at the nations nation's mightiest cruisers which left Portland Port Port- land under secret t orders after dra dray ContInued on Put Pare Two 1 BRITAIN BRIT ITALY MASS FLEETS Continued horn from ro Pate Page One lly E summoning their crews aboard board arrived at Gibraltar The ships c completing a swift voyage of at 1200 miles were the Renown Re- Re own flown Hood Neptune Achilles and Orion rion They were accompanied by lour four our destroyers LONDON Sept 17 C UP CAn An An An authoritative au- au British source tonight described the transfer of almost the entire British home fleet to Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar tar and the Mediterranean a. a as precautionary pre cautionary This disclosure came shortly after the he cabinet ministers ministers' who virtually make makeup up the imperial defense council coun- coun dl cil il had met in answer to the summons summons summons sum sum- sum sum- mons of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin They were In session one and one- one half hours and It was was' understood they tiey considered d general empire policies pol- pol ides cies In view of the increasingly dang rous situation engendered by bythe bythe the he Ethiopian Italo crisis The British public was Jn In n the dark concerning the movement of the thereat great reat ships of the mightiest naval power ower No news of the ships ships' transfers transfers trans- trans fers to strategic points appeared in inthe inthe the he press I It was explained authoritatively that hat the situation now existing in inthe inthe the tie Mediterranean where Mediterranean where the ItalIan Italian Ital- Ital Ian ian an navy incidentally is holding m maneuvers and through which thousands thousands thou thou- sands ands of fascist soldiers arc are being moved to East Africa makes it mandatory for lor the British g government government govern govern- vern- vern ment to take precautionary steps These steps steps- it was affirmed were not ot designed to represent a threat to o Premier Mussolini and his fol- fol lowers Although It was added that hey could not fall fail to to- impress him with the interest with which Great Britain regards that sector of the thew w world rl Copyright 1935 United Press LONDON Sept Great 17 Great 17 Great Britain was massing her naval might in the Mediterranean today for the most Impressive show of strength since I the he World war At least part of the home fleet fled supposedly engaged in ma maneuvers maneuvers I off oft the English coast is being sent south to reinforce the tho powerful Mediterranean fleet Perfunctory statements to the contrary were belied by advices from Gibraltar Formidable units I of the home fleet t arrived there ther headed by the b battle cruiser er Hood the worlds world's largest warship The Hood wass wasa accompanied by bythe bythe bythe the battle crul cruiser er Renown and the cruisers Orion Orlon Neptune and Achil Achil- les es They were joined by a cruiser 11 destroyers and a mine-laying mine tender Lender which arrived there yester yester- day The he Hood and Renown are the home fleets fleet's battle cruisers The Achilles Neptune Neptune- and Orion are of the second cruiser squadron of the home fleet At least five of the destroyers destroyers destroyers de de- de- de are of at the home fleets fleet's sixth flotilla Athen Athens dispatches disclosed the Greek ministry of marine had announced announced announced an an- that 26 British ba battleships and and- cr cruisers 45 destroyers destroyers' and nd auxiliary aux aux- Illary- Illary units would arrive in Greek waters between Sept September 25 and October 15 visiting Corfu Navarino and The full tull normal strength of the Mediterranean fleet is only 13 battleshIps battleships battleships bat bat- and 30 destroy destroy- ers Co Corfu fu Is only 60 0 miles Iles from the Italian coast In those waters the fleet would I be in a a. position to steam quickly to the defense of at Malta Britain's important n naval val base off oft Sicily The home and Mediterranean fleet un units u app apparently apparently- are to be re reinforced re- re d from tram other parts part of at the world as asfar far away away away-as as China There have been mysterious sailings from tram Singapore and nd the British cruiser Berwick arrived there today Others were expected Premier Stanley Baldwin called a special cabinet m meeting eting today The maneuvers at sea had their counterpart in ri land maneuvers in England Forty thousand picked I soldiers soldier with tanks and squadrons squadrons squad squad- rons of airplanes start start extensive I Iwar war war games in so southern thern England tonight to tonight to- to to-I to night For three days over an area of square miles the and ond westland armies into which they are divided will fight a sham war based on a campaign plan which will be made known to them only at the last hour The rhe men were in position entrenched entrenched en en- trenched trenched or ready to move off forthe forthe for forthe the initial phase of their battles ROME Sept 17 lP Premier Mussolini as minister of the navy has haa recalled from the reserves Italy's two largest battleships the Duilio Duillo and the Doria each displacing displacing ing tons and each with main armaments of ot thirteen Inch 12 guns The These e ships ships' were completed in 1915 but were put on the reserve list several years years years' ago and were docked at Taranto It was learned today that th they y have suddenly been transferred to other ports The Duilio Dumo formerly the Cab Dub is at Ga ta only a short distance distance dis dis- dis- dis tance tanco from Naples The he Doria formerly for for- merly was called the Andrea Doria Naval experts said that a n. naval reorganization provision published last night by the official gazette was designed principally principally- for defensive defensive defensive de de- de- de purposes New superior commanders for the west and east created by royal decree will be with coa coast 5 defense One OJe will be assigned ed to toT guard the coast and the other the Adriatic Adriatic- and Ionian co sta |
