Jul,Aug-Sep, Nov-Dec 1965-Jan 1966 - Navy League of Australia

THESEA CATGUIDEDMISSILETheMinister for the Navy, MrF. C. Chanty, recently impeded'heSeacat guided missile beingheld and assembled at a NovalArmament Establishment in NSWSo for the missile has been fittedto H.M.A.S. DP I went ParramattaandYarra and will be added toMelbourne's armament during along refitting next year. H.M.A.S.Stuart will also be fitted with themissile. The pictures were takenduring Mr. Chaney's visit to theestablishment.ABOVE: The Officer-in-Charge ofthe Guided Missile Unit, Mr. D.A. Barkley and Mr. Chaney inspectaSeacat missile on a launcherbefore a Anal overall test.RIGHT: The missile is completed,allsystems are classed as "go"after being checked and rechecked.The missile is then packaged carefullybefore dispatch. Here (fromleft) Mr. j. A. Graham, Mr. P.Murphy and Mr. W. Best put a•.pecial sheath over a completedmissile.COVER:This official Navy photograph depictsH.M.A.S. Melbourne withH.M.A.S. Sydney in the background.JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 196;Message fromMINISTERforNAVYNavy Enters a Period of Rapid GrowthJULY-AUGUST-SEPTEMBER. 1965A Message from the Minister forthe Navy, the Hon. F. C. Chaney,A.F.C., M.P.Our Navy is growing, and growingquickly. We have entered aperiod which is seeing a rapidand significant growth in theR.A.N. In this financial yearalone, expenditure on the Navywill be £95,5 million — an increaseof £27.5 million comparedwith last year.The twenty-three vessels currentlyon order for the R.A.N,include destroyers, frigates, submarines,support ships and patrolvessels. The Fleet Air Arm is ob-;aining new anti-submarine aircraft.The expanding Navy demandsmore manpower, and the numberof officers and sailors is expectedto rise by 1,400 to almost 15,000by the middle of next year.This growth will help the Navymore effectively to fulfil its roleof safeguarding the sea communicationsof an island continent.Australia's increasing internationalcommitments are reflectedin the growth of the Navy'sactivities. In the past year, ourships steamed almost 750,000miles on operational tasks, andvisited 115 ports at home andabroad. At one stage, there wereeleven Australian warships servingin South East Asian waters.Our ships have helped taketroops to Vietnam and Malaysia,and the RAN. has been assistingwith anti-infiltration patrols inMalaysian waters since mid-1964.The next twelve months willbe something of a milestone inthe development of the R.A.N.Australia's first CHARLES F.ADAMS Class destroyer, H.M.A.S.PERTH, will arrive from theUnited States, while the secondof the guided missile ships,H.M.A.S. HOBART, will commissionin Boston. The first of thefour OBERON Class submarinesfor Australia's new SubmarineSquadron will commission inBritain during 1965.Australians will soon have anopportunity to see some of thenew equipment for themselves.H.M.A.S. PERTH will visit allmainland capitals when shearrives next year.This year we are holdingnation-wide "Navy Day" observancesfor the first time. TheNaval Board was very happy tosupport the proposal of theNaval Association for nationalcelebrations, and we welcome thebacking of other organisations,such as the Navy League.The date selected for the observance— the 5th of October — isthe anniversary of the arrival ofthe RJV.N.'S first Fleet in 1913.The past fifty-two years have seenradical changes in ships andweapons, but there has been nodiminishing in the importance ofthe sea to a nation with twelvethousand miles of coastline.Our rapid Naval developmenttoday recognises the Navy's continuedresponsibility in the defenceof Australia.Parliament House,CANBERRA.7