Costs hit Navy

Press, 11 October 1976, Page 2

Costs hit Navy

PA Dunedin If the Royal New Zealand Navy is to function adequately in the 1980 s its power must be reestablished, manpower increased and vessels renewed, according to the Chief of Naval Staff (RearAdmiral J. F. McKenzie) who addressed the Navy league conference in Dunedin on Saturday.

Rear-Adminf McKenzie told delegates that because of recent budget restraints and inflationary trends the Navy bad been seriously hampered In Its operations and there had been a “running down of its capabilities.’'

During the last five to six years the Navy had lost 340 men from senice — equivalent to the company

of a frigate. Inflation struck many areas of Its operations. He said one round of ammunition now cost $BOO, while fuel had risen from s>!B to $lOO a ton in recent years.

“To send a frigate from Auckland to Sydney today costs $24,000 in fuel. Five years ago this would have cost only $4OOO — and on top of this is the cost of ammunition,” he said.

“But I maintain you cannot adopt an attitude of pricing the Navy out of business, not when the country’s security is at stake.”

If no action were taken now to save the Navy, and u ith the rapid ageing of ships, by 1980 this country would not have a navy “which has been pain-

stakingly built up over the last 25 years.” New ships were required to replace those at the end of their usefulness — the frigate Otago would be of no value after 1980.

Admiral McKenzie also had little praise of the smaller patrol craft already in use. “What’s the point of having your fleet sheltering from tue weather all the time?” Future ships would need a good seakeeping ability, endurance, speed, and fighting capacity and must be habitable, he said.

Action to strengthen the Navy must be taken now, he said. "If we went to war today a new ship could not come into service until late 1981 — provided the shipbuilder started construction immediately.”