NELSON’S NAVY IN THE ATOM AGE

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31143, 20 August 1966, Page 5

NELSON’S NAVY IN THE ATOM AGE

Nuclear Submarines, New Missiles

(By

Commander N. E.

Whitestone, naval correspondent on the “Daily

Telegraph”, London)

who have assumed the abandonment of the proposed new British aircraft carrier to mean the death-knell of the Royal Navy have quite misread the future.

The need for a strong and effective Royal Navy must remain. Seventy per cent of the earth’s surface is water, across a vast area of which it may at any time be necessary to ferry military aid.

Across it, indeed, is ferried half of Britain’s food, and nine-tenths of the raw materials her industries use. And in spite of the greater use of air transport British seaborne imports are increasing every year.

Clearly, Britain is not less dependent on the sea than she was before. Her birthright is to be a maritime nation.

The Navy’s role, too, remains—to play its part in the defence of Britain: in the protection of British subjects, territories and trade across the world: in support of the Commonwealth and other allies: and in contributing to the defence of the free world. How, then, is the Royal Navy meeting this challenge of the future? What direction will Britain’s maritime strategy take? To some extent, the Navy is starting with a clean slate: a new programme has to be worked out to take account of its need when the present aircraft carriers nave gone in the mid-1970’5. Its pattern has not yet fully emerged. In the first place, however, the decision of the February Defence Review not to build the new carrier, and to retire the present carriers by the mid-1970’5, should not be taken as having finally numbered the days of shipborne fixed-wing aircraft. It is axiomatic that close air support must be provided for Britain's amphibious forces and ground forces—and the years ahead will make the Royal Navy’s aircraft none the less acceptable in those cases where land-based aircraft are still thousands of miles away. Air Power

Hence, additional means of providing some form of mobile-based air power are being considered in the Ministry of Defence—among them vertical take-off aircraft such as the British Kestrel, the P 1127. These could augment anti-submarine helicopters, defence missiles, escort ships and nuclear submarines.

With the Polaris programme providing four Polaris missile-firing, nuclearpowered submarines the Royal Navy in the 1970’s will assume, in the words of the Defence Review, “full responsibility for the British contribution to the nuclear forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, alliance.” Immense efforts are being put into this programme. The Resolution, the first Polaris submarine to be completed

for the Royal Navy, is due on patrol in mid-1968. The others —Renown. Repulse and Revenge—will follow the Resolution from the British shipyards at half-yearly intervals. Submarines The new Polaris school to train the Navy in this new art of naval warfare was officially opened in Scotland in June. The large Clyde submarine base, of which it is to be a part, will be ready in two years’ time. This will give all but the heaviest dockyard facilities to both nuclear and conventional submarines. The Navy’s nuclear fleet submarines—the Dreadnought was the first—will assume increasing importance in the future. The Dreadnought has now completed 80,000 miles of running, and been subjected to the most stringent tests. Although hair-line cracks have caused some trouble, this will soon be remedied, and there is every ground for claiming that her design is an outstanding success. She has been followed by the Valiant, all-British and with a British-designed and built reactor, which has completed her trials and is now at the commissioning stage. The Valiant—the first allBritish nuclear vessel to be built—will be followed by the nuclear fleet submarines Warspite and Churchill, and by a fifth the Navy is expected to order later this year. The first of the Royal Navy's assault ships—the Fearless. 10.000 tons—is now in commission. She can carry, and put ashore, a battalion of infantry and heavy tanks. The ship is trimmed down and the dock space flooded, allowing landing craft with two tanks apiece to “swim” out through the lowered stern. A sister ship, the Intrepid, will shortly be ready. With up to six helicopters these ships are a powerful addition to an amI phibious force. Worth Proved i The commando ship—the size of a light fleet-carrier—-which has proved its worth so

convincingly in the Malaysian theatre has undoubtedly come to stay. It enables a small but balanced military force to be deployed quickly at trouble spots or, if required, it can maintain an unobtrusive presence below the horizon ready for emergency. The former light fleetcarriers Albion and Bulwark, each of 23,300 tons, have been converted to this role and, equipped with the latest Wessex helicopters, can each make a vertical assault with a force consisting of a Royal Marine commando of 750 men, a supporting battery of artillery, and light transport. And the ships are able thereafter to maintain supplies with further airlifts. One of the most interesting of the new ships to be ordered this year is Type 82—it still has no name—a guidedmissile destroyer. Slightly larger than the Royal Navy’s first guided-missile destroyers —the County class of 5200 tons—Type 82 has been designed around two new weapons, Seadart and Ikara. Devonshire, the first of the County-class destroyers, put to sea in 1963. The Seadart, a medium range surface-to-air missile, is an improvement on Seaslug, the highly effective British missile carried in the Countyclass destroyers. The Seadart can also be used against ships. Lighter than the Seaslug, and taking up less space, it can be fitted in small ships. Homing Torpedo The new anti-submarine, rocket-propelled weapon, the Ikara, an Australian invention, sends a homing torpedo to its target partly by air and finally underwater. With the reputation of being a most accurate weapon, it will greatly enhance the anti-submarine armoury of the Royal Navy. A prominent feature of the Type 82 class is a large domelike structure above the bridge, housing the new Anglo-Dutch three-dimen-sional radar. An automation system—known as “action data automation,” ADA—computes the information from the radar and the longrange sonar, and controls the Seadart and Ikara weapons. It also feeds information on the

battle picture to accompanying ships. Machinery for the new destroyers will be a combination of steam and gas-turbine, as fitted in the County-class destroyers and in the Royal Navy's modern Tribal-class frigates. Emergency Power The Type 82 propulsion will, however, employ an even more modern Bristol-Siddeley Olympus engine for the emergency power and speed boost. This engine is a marine version of the one chosen for the Concord airliner. With engines operated by remote control, automatic steering and other labour-saving devices, these ships will have a smaller ship’s company, for their size, than any other warship. Another bold new experiment, heralding a new era of warship “push-button” machinery, is the all-gas turbine frigate. The Exmouth of 1180 tons, is being converted to this new system, which provides two Bristol-Siddeley Proteus engines for cruising, with an Olympus for highspeed boost. Among the many advantages obtained by the change from steam machinery are significant reductions in weight, space and fuel, and increased endurance. Maintenance will be easier and replacement of entire engine units will take the place of long overhauls. Spare engines can be sent by air. Not the least of the advantages offered by the new propulsion is a reduction of up to 25 per cent in the engine-room department. The Blake, of 9550 tons, the first of the three Tiger-class cruisers to be converted to helicopter carriers—a scheme announced by the Ministry of Defence some time ago—will have her after six-inch turrets removed to make way for a hangar and flight deck for Wessex helicopers. Her fore turret, with its automatic guns, capable of firing 20 rounds a minute, will provide welcome supporting fire in any landing operation. Hovercraft Weapon The hovercraft opens up an exciting new field of future development, particularly for logistic support and anti-sub-marine work. The Ministry of Defence are now studying a design for a 70 m.p.h. hovercraft with a payload of 30 tons. Such a craft would enable a tank or vital supplies to reach a forward area over sea, marsh, sand or rock. The hovercraft’s ability to approach a submarine swiftly above the surface also offers important advantages.