Comment from the Capital

Press, 9 August 1976, Page 14

Comment from the Capital

By

CEDRIC MENTIPLAY

Navy turning to U.S. for ships

Special assistance offered by the United States to its Pacific partners in A.N.Z.U.S. is likely to ensure that replacement ships for the Royal New Zealand Navy will be built in United States shipyards.

This has been made more likely by the withdrawal of the Royal Navy to positions west of Suez, and by the recognition by the New Zealand service that Royal Navy vessels have been designed primarily for operations in the North Sea and the Mediterranean, and so have tended to be low on fuel capacity for the longer Pacific distances.

The increasing links with the United States have already been shown in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which some years ago received the Orion longrange maritime reconnaissance aircraft, with its then advanced electronic search systems including the magnetic anomaly detector. For some years now. New Zealand Orions have been able to work with aircraft and ships of the United States forces. This equipment is ageing more quickly than the aircraft, however. One of the first fruits of the “special assistance" promised by the United States Deputy Secretary of State (Mr Charles W. Robinson) is likely to be the re-equipping of the Orions with the latest maritime reconnaissance electronics, with special training courses for New Zealand aircrew. New Zealand’s naval requirements are anti-subma-rine vessels, fishery patrol

craft, minesweepers, and fleet supply ships. In the past needs have been met through the Royal Navy, but the indication is that this arrangement has terminated. Originally New Zealand was to have had six modified Whitby-class frigates, but : t is apparent that H.M.N.Z.S. Waikato, now old enough to be experiencing her half-life (or “long”) refit at the Devonport naval base, will be the last of this class New Zealand will buy.

The principle of co-oper-ation with the United States Navy is well-established. New Zealand has regular cooperation between its frigates and United States naval ships. New Zealand crews have won efficiency decorations from the United States. But co-operation would be better still if the vessels were matched in speed and othe’ - capabilities. This has occurred in the field of maritime’ research. Some seven years ago New Zealand acquired the U.S.S. Davis, a special research ship now renamed H.M.N.Z.S. Tui. She has been engaged on oceanographic research—with United States-manned vessels of similar pattern.

It could well be that the fisheries protection vessels — Taupo, Hawea, Rotoiti and Pukaki — are the last bought from Britain. They are described as “highly satisfactory,” as well they might be in comparison with their Second World War predecessors, but the likelihood is that they will prove too slow and too “short-legged” in fuel capacity to play more than a

minor role in policing the new 200-mile fishing areas. The United States Navy is at last scrapping its Second World War types. These, of course, would include those similar to the Waikato, which are merely developments of Second World War concepts of anti-subma-rine warfare.

In a recent interview, the United States Deputy Chief of Naval Operation (ViceAdmiral F. H. Price) outlined the new designs coming forward to replace the older vessels of the United States Navy. There could be an interest in the new Spruance-class destroyers, described as “designed primarily to detect and track submarines.” This class has powerful sonar equipment, linked directly to computers, to provide quick target information — and a Harpoon surface-to-surface missile system. Just a step down from the Spruance class are the patrol frigates which will be joining the fleet in the late 19705. These are destroyer replacements, but carry attack helicopters, torpedoes. Harpoon missiles and the rapid-fire Oto Melara 76-mil-limetre gun. The United States Navy is building 50 of these, and expects to build more. New Zealand could well join the queue.

The United States has also gone a long way with “sur-face-effect” ships, which are described as "skimming over the water on a cushion of air.” Of two 100-ton “sur-face-effect” ships already tested, one has achieved a

world record of more than 80 knots.

“The roles envisaged for this vessel include anti-sub-marine, anti-air, amphibious assault, surface warfare and tactical warfare,” Vice-Admi-ral Price said. "The surfaceeffect ship’s primary asset is her speed, and this will probably make her primary mission anti-submarine warfare operations.”

Marine landing capability is catered for in the amphibious assault ships being designed. Island nations could well be interested in some of these, as they were developed from needs revealed in the Pacific Island campaigns.

Then there is the patrol hydrofoil mille (P.H.M.) ship, designed for surveillance and blockading, as well as for more warlike tasks. The Pegasus, the first of this type, is powered with a gas turbine driving a water jet propulsion stem. The idea, as with the sur-face-effect ship, is to get to a patrol area in the shortest possible time — a facility also needed by fisheries patrol vessels.

The Royal Navy also has some variants of these vessels, including a gas turbinepowered fisheries protection launch of high speed. The cost of some of these ships in their early developmental stages is quite fantastic. New Zealand may well have to depend on the “special assistance” which has been extended before by a powerful ally concerned about the equipment of a team member.