NEW ZEALAND’S NAVY

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24768, 8 January 1946, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND’S NAVY

QUESTION OF CRUISER

STRENGTH FUTURE OF GAMBIA AND ACHILLES (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Jan. 7. It appears to be quite definite that H.M.N.Z.S. Gambia, which since November has been refitting at Devonport, will not return to Japan. Instead she is expected to leave next month for Britain, where she will pay off and end her comparatively short association with the Royal New Zealand Navy. The departure of the Gambia wil temporarily leave H.M.N.Z.S. Achilles as the only cruiser in the Royal New Zealand Navy. She is representing the Dominion in Japanese waters, and it is not believed she will return to Auckland for some considerable time. It is also believed that the days of the Achilles as a unit of the Royal New Zealand Navy are numbered, and that after a necessary refit she will return to Britain and pay off. Thus before 1946 is out both the Achilles and the Gambia will have completed their New Zealand duty. This fact is generally accepted in the Royal New Zealand Navy, and there is already much speculation about their successors. The replacement of the Achilles and the Gambia is a matter of State policy, and any decision must be taken in conjunction with the British Government and the Admiralty. However, it is generally believed that New Zealand will continue to include at least two cruisers in her naval strength. The favoured theory is that these two ships will be what are now usually called anti-aircraft cruisers, that is ships which can engage in surface action or shore bombardment, but which are mainly designed to add to the antiaircraft screen of a convoy, squadron, task force, or fleet. The Dido class of cruisers is mentioned as being likely to provide New Zealand with its new cruisers.