military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (11/15/89)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) Wednesday, 15 November, 1939 The panzerschiffe Admiral Graf Spee sinks the merchant tanker Africa Shell off the coast of Mozambique. In response to the success of the German "pocket battleships", the US Navy announces changes in the cruisers Cleveland and Columbia, delaying their construction. (The changes consisted mostly of increases in armor and other protective attributes, with adverse effects on stability; later, these ships were plagued with problems caused by insufficient excess stability). German mines have come into prominence, claiming several victims among British ships. British authorities believe that U-boats are laying the mines in critical areas. The Soviet press vigorously attacks Finland's rulers for refusing to negotiate "despite the will of the masses," and charges British involvement in the breakdown. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@cbnews.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "I don't see that they have done much yet. As a matter of practice, I don't believe in trying to build too many things into ships and making them jacks-of-all-trades." - Charles Edison, Acting Secretary of the Navy (USA), referring to the German panzerschiffen