Picket Ships May Go

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31585, 24 January 1968, Page 1

Picket Ships May Go

(N.Z. Press Association) DUNEDIN, Jan. 23. There are indications that this season may be the last in which United States Navy ships use the Port of Otago as their base when on picket duty as part of the United States Antarctic research programme.

The commander of the United States Navy Antarctic support force (Rear-Admiral

J. L. Abbot) said that as -the use of satellites to gain weather information was increasing, and no flights to the Antarctic were made now by two-engined aircraft, the need for the picket ships to be based at Dunedin was being studied. “A study is under way to determine how much longer it will be necessary for us to operate two destroyer escorts out of Dunedin,” RearAdmiral Abbot said. “The two ships act as meteorological observation platforms half-way between Christchurch and McMurdo Sound.”

The matter had been discussed with the commander of the United States Pacific Fleet (Admiral Ephriam Holmes) but no decision had been made regarding the future of the picket duty ships. Two weather picket ships use Dunedin as a base at present, the U.S.S. Mills and the U.S.S. Calcaterra. Picket ships have used the port since the United States’ Antarctic research programme started in 1956-57 during the International Geo-' physical Year.