Guided-Missile Destroyer’s Visit

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32120, 16 October 1969, Page 1

Guided-Missile Destroyer’s Visit

A closed-circuit television studio, a miniature hospital, library and cobblers’ and tailors’ workshops are some of the amenities of the guided-missile destroyer H.M.S. London, which swept into Lyttelton in brilliant sunshine yesterday morning.

Long, grey and sleek, with the stylised dagger crest of the City of London emblazoned in red on one of her funnels, the destroyer is on a courtesy visit after attending the Cook bicentenary celebrations at Gisborne.

The flagship of the Royal Navy’s Far East Fleet, she carries the flag of RearAdmiral T. T. Lewin, Flag Officer, Second in Command, Far East, and is commanded by Captain P. G. Loasby. One of the County-class destroyers, H.M.S. London has four main weapon systems, in-

eluding a helicopter. The main armament is a Seaslug guided - missile battery mounted aft. This is a “beam-riding,” surface-to-air guided missile designed to deal with fast, high-flying aircraft.

The ship’s secondary missile system is the Seacat short-range guided missile, which provides close range anti-aircraft defence for the destroyer. The Seacat is the missile system fitted to the Leander-class frigates at present serving with the Royal New Zealand Navy. H.M.S. London has two quadruple Seacat launchers, one on each side of the ship. For anti-submarine operations, the destroyer is fitted with the latest sonar equip-i ment and has its own Wessex' helicopter, armed with dip-1 ping sonar and either homing torpedoes or depth charges! The helicopter left the ship before arriving in Lyttelton and will remain at the Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Wigram, until the ship sails on Saturday.

Deep inside the ship is the operations room. The room can be completely sealed off in battle conditions and fleet movements and the ship’s weapons controlled from within.

Although the destroyer is 520 ft long and displaces 5200 tons, her maximum speed is more than 30 knots. The propulsion machinery consists of geared steam turbines for normal steaming, with gas turbines to provide additional boost for high speeds and getting under way quickly.

Boiler control is automatic and all machinery is regulated from air-conditioned control rooms. The ship is fitted ‘ with stabilisers to make her a better weapon platform and more comfortable for the crew.

The ship’s company consists of 45 officers, 119 senior ratings and 340 junior ratings. Each rating has his own bunk, and there are no hammocks on the ship. A doctor and also a dental officer are carried in the destroyer and there is a well-equipped sick bay, which might be better termed a miniature hospital, for it has a modem operating theatre.

H.M.S. London has her own television and radio studio for producing shipboard programmes, as well as passing on external networks to each messdeck. Modem films are shown almost nightly and there is a comprehensive library on board. A number of Asian and Maltese civilians are carried as cooks, tailors and cobblers, there being a small footwear factory and clothing repair shop on board. Five sports teams—soccer, cricket, water polo, squash and golf—left the ship yesterday to play other service teams and local sports clubs and a Rugby game against the police has been arranged for tomorrow.

School parties were shown over the destroyer yesterday and the ship’s company will hold a party for about 50 children from local orphanages today. The ship will be open to the public between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow and will be floodlit for two of the nights she is in port. H.M.S. London will sail for Hobart at 9 a.m. on Saturday.