THE PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1976 The next ships for the navy

Press, 15 October 1976, Page 12

THE PRESS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1976 The next ships for the navy

The Royal New Zealand Navy js facing the problem of ageing equipment at a most difficult time. The costs of military equipment are rising rapidly and the duties of the navy in the next decade or more are by no means as clear-cut as those of the past. The navy's traditional task of being ready to help ensure the security of New Zealand's trade routes remains important. To that is being added the new duty of providing adequate supervision of coastal waters and fisheries to a distance of 200 miles from the shore. In addition, the navy will continue to have a wide variety of tasks including search and rescue work, surveying and research. The navy must also be equipped to make something more than token appearances in the Pacific Islands, in South-East Asia, and, perhaps, in the Antarctic Ocean between New Zealand and the Ross Dependency.

New Zealand cannot hope to protect its seaborne trade without help. Its defence remains one of the chief justifications for the military alliance with the United States and Australia. But foreign support should not be taken for granted unless New Zealand demonstrates that it is able to help itself within the limits of its resources. To do so this country needs anti-submarine vessels which are able to stay at sea for long periods in almost any conditions, and which are able also to protect themselves from air and sea attack. For these duties nothing less than the present strength of four frigates would be adequate. The oldest frigate, Otago, was commissioned in 1960; the newest, Canterbury, in 1971. The time for building a replacement ship will be at least four years. The decision on whether to maintain the frigate flotilla will have to be made within the next year or two. A case might be made for developing a rather smaller vessel with similar ability to oppose submarines, but with a shorter range and less versatile performance. Sweden and Russia have recently developed new classes of corvettes, of about 1000 tonnes, which would meet some of New Zealand’s requirements, but these smaller craft are better suited to the more sheltered conditions of the Baltic Sea. They would have limited use in the reaches

of the South Pacific and, although they would be cheaper, New Zealand would lose any chance of being able to protect its trade routes far from its coasts.

Among the advantages of having both small and larger vessels in the fleet, the importance of the ships in recruitment and in retaining officers and crew should not be overlooked. Small ships offer junior officers the prospect of an early, independent command; larger vessels offer sea service for those on higher ranks and greater opportunities for promotion. Some of the limitations of using smaller, cheaper vessels are appearing with the new fisheries patrol craft. These have already shown to be too jlow and too small to police New Zealand waters against foreign intrusion in all conditions. The task will become more difficult when the limit of economic management is extended. Off-shore gas and oil installations may also have to be protected and the navy must be at least capable of policing the environs of oil rigs. Much more sophisticated coastal patrol craft, including hydrofoils and hovercraft, are being tried out in Italy and the United States. These have much greater speed and hydrofoils can provide a stable weapons platform even in very rough conditions.

But New Zealand is the most isolated country in the world. It needs ships which, in time of hostilities, could be serviced and maintained by this country’s limited resources. Ruggedness and reliability are more important than great sophistication.

The conclusion must be that any new coastal patrol vessels will need to be larger and faster than those bought so far. Experience elsewhere may be a guide. France, for example, has developed a new coastal corvette of 800 tonnes with a speed of 37 knots. It may be that advances in naval engineering will produce a vessel, before too long, which would serve as a convoy escort and a coastal patrol vessel. But the navy needs ships at sea, not on the drawing board. Its peace-time duties are continuous; it must be ready for challenge with the equipment it has on hand. The choice of the next generation of ships to be ordered needs to be made soon.