AT SEA: Open Lanes

Last week the war reached out to Chicago. Since late July the Dutch freighter Prins Willem III had swung at anchor off Navy Pier, unable to sail back up the St. Lawrence for fear of capture in Canada. But by last week internment in Canada looked better to the bored, sequestered Dutch than gazing at the Chicago skyline all day. Onto the deck swung a Canadian crew, headed the Prins Willem III out across Lake Michigan.

Up the Hudson rolled more echoes of war. Behind the guarded gates of Manhattan’s West 50th Street pier the kits of 190 British tars were hoisted aboard the ponderous Queen Elizabeth. Within a fortnight she was expected to set out for Halifax, where 12,000 bunks would be installed, then sail to Australia on transport duty.*

Other reverberations hummed along the Empire’s sea lines. Berlin reported bombing one of five Canadian transports in convoy off Scotland, two freighters in convoy along the English coast. In the Red Sea convoy ships bringing reinforcements were attacked by Italian bombers.

But every Axis attack only confirmed the fact that Britain’s ocean lanes were still open. Its losses for the week were being replaced by the purchase of 19 U. S. freighters, each of 10,000 tons or less. Boasted First Lord of the Admiralty Albert Victor Alexander: “The stream of new ships is now coming steadily in from the yards. . . . Great convoys of food, raw materials, arms and men . . . sailed and arrived with clockwork regularity. . . . We cannot be beaten.”

* Reported off Ceylon last week was her sister ship, the Queen Mary, loaded with Australian soldiers.