Replacement of frigates being considered

Press, 17 April 1978, Page 14

Replacement of frigates being considered

By

D. J. FILER in Wellington

For more than a year the Armed Services have been working on a Defence Review and White Paper covering all aspects of this country’s defence. Among the matters under study is the reequipping of the main force of the .Royal New Zealand Navy.

At present, the Navy has four large warships, the frigates Otago, Taranaki, Waikato and Canterbury. Their main military role is antisubmarine warfare. They carry sophisticated gear to detect and destroy submarines.

Two of the frigates, Otago and Taranaki, entered service in the early 19605. The normal life of a warship is about 20 years. Therefore, taking into account four to five years for constructing, testing and commissioning a ship, the time for decisions about replacing these two vessels is fast approaching.

The Navy has been considering the question of new ships and has a list of criteria which it feels replacements must meet. Basically, it wants ships similar to the present frigates. This means a displacement of 2500 to 3000 tons, a cruising speed of 25 knots and a dash speed of 30 knots. To cover the vast reaches of the South Pacific a minimum range of 5000 miles is required. Length is an important factor. The average distance between wave crests in the seas around New Zealand is 60 metres. If a ship is too small to span these crests it wallows in the troughs. In rough seas this becomes exhausting and dangerous for the crew.

This is a major problem with the Navy’s new patrol boats, which are only 30 metres long and in stormy seas bounce around like corks. The Navy would have preferred larger patrol boats, but financial restrictions left them with these undersized craft. So the replacements for the. frigates must be at

least 60 metres long. As fighting ships the new vessels would be armed with anti-aircraft missiles and a light gun, but the main armament would be an antisubmarine system. For the last 30 years the major military role of the Navy has been anti-submarine warfare. However, to hunt and kill modern submarines requires very expensive equipment. An essential part of the anti-submarine equipment is a helicopter, which greatly increases the fighting range of a frigate. The Waikato and the Canterbury each carry a Wasp helicopter. Last year a British sales team was in New Zealand offering the Navy the new Lynx helicopter, which costs about S2M. But New Zealand governments are notorious for their reluctance to spend money on defence. Warships are very expensive and a new frigate could cost well over SI OOM. The matter of finance has led to difficulties for the Navy in the past. There have been doubts over whether the Navy should maintain a force of large ships in peacetime when they cost so much.

Recently a new factor has entered the picture. From this month New Zealarid has had a 200-mile fishing zone to patrol. The establishment of the zone is both a boon and a bane for the Navy. It means that large ships capable of long-range patrols in all weathers are a must, but in some minds it has lessened the emphasis on New Zealand’s maintaining a heavily armed fighting Navy. It is unlikely, though, that New Zealand will give up large warships. Under the A.N.Z.U.S. Treaty we are expected to maintain and develop our capacity to resist armed attack. There would be strong pressure from our allies if we attempted to give up the frigate force. New Zealand has been criticised in the past for its lack of defence equipment. The

Government would not want to be embarrassed again. Therefore, frigates are almost certain to stay. The question is which vessels among the range available will the Government order to replace the Otago and the Taranaki.

British shipyards offer the widest choice. The most likely bet is the British type 21 (or Amazone class) frigate, which is similar in size, speed and range to our present frigates. But it is not cheap.. With a highly sophisticated antisubmarine system it would cost about SIOOM. A vessel whidh often has been mentioned as a possible frigate replacement is the Hamilton class cutter. These are operated by the United States Coast Guard. They have the advantage of a long range (14,900 miles maximum) but there ■would be major problems in purchasing them. None have been con- • structed since the early 19705, so New Zealand would have to pay the high costs of tooling up an American shipyard. Also, United States ships are more expensive than comparable British vessels. Another interesting American vessel is a smaller, 80metre, medium endurance cutter, but the first ships of this class are not yet built, and its low speed, 19 knots, and minima] anti-submarine capability make it an unlikely purchase for New Zealand.

There are other options too, including Dutch and Italian vessels. With all these vessels, though, the problem of high costs remains. Finance may cause the Government to look towards a series of smaller, cheaper warships which are being developed by British shipyards. Typical of these is the Vickers Vedette, which is 75 metres long but only 1000 tons in displacement. Its crew of 75 represents a huge saving in manpower over larger vessels. Another similar ship is the Three Quays

Flower Project corvette which, with a full weapons and electronics fit, will cost less than S4OM. However, while the price of these vessels is attractive, they are unlikely to be chosen by New Zealand at present. The Navy has always preferred tried and tested ships.

What, then, will be the result of the search for a new ship? Some sort of compromise is most likely. Perhaps New Zealand could get a type 21 without some of the most sophisticated equipment, thereby saving tens of millions of dollars. Another option would be to hire a frigate from an allied navy, but Western navies have a shortage of modem escort vessels and our allies would not be pleased if we used them to get a navy on the cheap.

We could try to recondition the Otago and the Taranaki. However, this too would be expensive and it is questionable how far the effective lives of these ships could be extended.

A further possibility is that the Government may simply postpone the decision. The new 200-mile zone could cause a postponement, as New Zealand may need time to sort out the requirements for policing the zone. If the decision is put off though, the new vessels will ultimately cost much more, as shipbuiding costs in the Western world are rising at 15 to 20 per cent per year. This kind of financial pressure may make an early decision more appealing.

If an order is made in the near future, then the type 21 is the most likely choice. Twice last year the firm con-

structing the type 21 sent sales teams to New Zealand. The ship’s production run in Britain is coming to an end and New Zealand could save money by latching on to the tail of the run. To do this, the Government must make a decision this year. However, the Government may be unwilling to spend a large sum of money on military equipment during an election year. If the decision is deferred, then the options widen again. Possibly the Navy may be forced to accept a vessel smaller than its present frigates, or its fighting effectiveness may be run down. A future New Zealand admiral could well be found repeating the famous plea of Lord Nelson—“ Were I to die at this moment ‘want of frigates’ would be found engraved on my heart.”