N.Z. Strength At Sea And In The Air

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30641, 6 January 1965, Page 1

N.Z. Strength At Sea And In The Air

"The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND, January 5.

Of 13 ships in the Royal New Zealand Navy, only one—the frigate Taranaki—was built to the order of the New Zealand Government. The Otago was bought and completed after she had been laid down as H.M.S. Hastings.

Of the others, two do not belong to New Zealand, six are in reserve and are unlikely to be recommissioned, one has been recently condemned to a limited role, and the lives of two are drawing to a close.

Even with the completion of the new frigate on order —the Waikato—the Navy will have a very small effective fleet, after taking maintenance and training periods into account.

Most of the ships have either been given, lent or bought second-hand. The cruiser Royalist, flagship of the fleet, does not belong to New Zealand. Her life is drawing to a close and she is expected to be withdrawn from service in 1966. The six Loch-class frigates, of which there are four left in New Zealand, were bought in 1949 for a total of £l.sm.

Two of them, the Taupo and Tutira, have been sold for scrap. The Rotoiti’s hull was recently found to be in such a poor state that she has been condemned for any but the lightest inshore duties. The future life of the Pukaki has also been questioned. In Reserve

The Kaniere is in reserve and is used as the headquarters for the base maintenance organisation and for training engineroom ratings.

The Hawera is also in reserve. Neither is likely to go to sea again. The four Bathurst-class minesweepers, K i a m a, Echuca, Stawell and Inverell, were given to New Zealand by the Australian Government in the early 19505. They are now in reserve and at the end of their useful life.

H.M.N.Z.S. Lachlan, the naval survey ship, was borrowed from the Royal Australian Navy in 1949 for three years. Now in her sixteenth year of service with the New Zealand Navy she "/as bought in 1963 for between £15,000 and £16.000.

For supplying the Antarctic base in McMurdo Sound the tanker Endeavour was almost given to New Zealand by the Americans in 1962. She was lent on the understanding she could be recalled if required. New Zealand paid for her refit and the strengthening of her bows, but it was to be paid off by the free carriage of fuel for the American base in McMurdo Sound each season.

Of the two modern frigates, the Taranaki was the first ship to be laid down for the Royal New Zealand Navy since the minesweepers Tui, Kiwi and Moa in the early years of the Second World War. She cost £6m. H.M.N.Z.S. Otago, an earlier version of the Taranaki, cost £sm. and was commissioned in 1960. Air Force

Most of the aircraft in use by the Royal New Zealand Air Force are more than 12 'years old.

They include 18 Vampire jet fighters, four Hastings transports, 16 Sunderland flying-boats, and Bristol Freighters, all delivered about 1952.

All but the flying-boats were new.

More later-model Vampires were bought and one of the Hastings was lost. The 13 Canberra bombers are now five years old. The most recent purchase was three second-hand DC6 passenger aircraft from Tasman Empire Airways, two of which have since been sold.