Frigate will patrol again for Britain

Press, 4 September 1982, Page 1

Frigate will patrol again for Britain

NZPA London New Zealand is making the frigate Canterbury available to Britain for further service in the Indian Ocean.

The Canterbury, which arrived back in Auckland yesterday, will return to Asia to replace H.M.Z.N.S. Waikato in November or early December, and will be available there until next March. New Zealand originally offered the Canterbury to Britain to free a Royal Navy vessel in the Indian Ocean for service in the Falklands war. After serving there, the Canterbury was replaced by the Waikato last month. The Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, offered the Canterbury for further service when he met the British Defence Secretary, Mr John Nott, yesterday. The British Government felt it would be helpful because there were still various elements of the Royal Navy deployed in the Falklands area. “It _ was very well received," Mr Muldoon said.

He said it was not necessary for the request to go tc the Cabinet. Mr Muldoon said he had been given a 90-minute briefing at the Defence Ministry, in Whitehall, on the Falklands campaign and lessons learned from it. Much of it was of direct interest to New Zealand but it would be difficult to go into detail without mentioning confidential information. It was obvious a great deal of the success had come from the “total professionalism” of the British forces in the Falklands, particularly the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Squadron, Mr Muldoon said. The Canterbury will sail again on November 11 for a further four months in the Indian Ocean. The Waikato will be back in New Zealand for Christmas.

The commander of the Canterbury, Captain Chris Carl, said in Auckland his men were ready to return to the Indian Ocean patrol. The patrol was hard work in demanding conditions, but it had been an educational voyage. “The time we spent in the Indian Ocean (June and July) is the hottest time of the year there and our men and machinery handled it very well," Captain Carl said.

The Royal Navy's Leander class frigate Bacchante, which returned to Portsmouth from the Falklands this week, will be handed over to New Zealand to become H.M.N.Z.S. Wellington, on October 4.

The Bacchante will bring a new Wasp helicopter to New Zealand, and another will be flown out in a Hercules aircraft.