THE BEAR CAN SWIM TOOITIE worthier citizens <strong>of</strong> Adelaide in 1882 surety raised their eyebrowswhen hearing some <strong>of</strong> the tales <strong>of</strong> the visit <strong>of</strong> a small Russian fleet<strong>of</strong> three ships to their colony. Apparently, the Russian Admiral wassomewhat overcome by the hospitality at a picnic given by the Governorat Mount L<strong>of</strong>ty and, having imbibed rather too freely <strong>of</strong> the excellentlocal wines, had to be returned to his flagship in a carl!Stories such as this, in addition to meatierstuff, entertained the gathering <strong>of</strong> tome 130 distinguishedguests and members at the annualNSW Division <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Navy</strong> <strong>League</strong> symposiumheld at Tattersall's Club. Sydney, on 19November. 1986<strong>The</strong> subject <strong>of</strong> the evening was "<strong>The</strong> BearCan Swim Too. or. <strong>The</strong> Growth <strong>of</strong> SovietMaritime Power and its Implication for <strong>Australia</strong>"<strong>The</strong> presentation was opened by RearAdmiral Andrew Robertson, a Vice-President <strong>of</strong>the <strong>Navy</strong> <strong>League</strong> He outlined the steadydevelopment <strong>of</strong> the Soviet <strong>Navy</strong>, from apoorly-equipped coastal force in 1945. to themodem, superbly equipped, world-wide navy ttis todayHe told <strong>of</strong> the speech <strong>of</strong> Mr Kruschev. Secretary<strong>of</strong> the Soviet Commumsty Party, at theRoyal Naval College. Greenwich, in 1956. atwhich Kruschev had stated that the SovietUnion would out-build the US and create thegreatest fleet in the world That year FleetAdmiral Gorschkov was appointed to head theSoviet <strong>Navy</strong>, a post he occupied until he retiredlast year Duting those 29 years, class after class<strong>of</strong> new submarines, destroyers, cruisers,amphibious vessels, and eventually helicopterand VSTOL carrier* slid down the slipways inthe USSR<strong>The</strong> Soviet Fleet moved out from Sovietcoastal waters, first into the North Atlantic,then, as it gathered strength, to the NorthPacific, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, theSouth Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and. after theVietnam War. the South China Sea. based onthe ex-USN base at Camranh Bay. in VietnamWe should note the writings <strong>of</strong> AdmiralGorschkov that"Sooner or later, the West will have to understandthat it is no longer master <strong>of</strong> the seasSoviet sea power, merely a minor defensivearm in 1953, has become the optimum meansto defeat the imperialist enemy and the mostimportant element in the Soviet arsenal to preparethe way for a communised world"It was also important to note the recentspeech by Mr Gorbachev in Vladivostok,summarised by <strong>The</strong> Economist journal as "afirm statement that Russia is determined to be apower in the whole <strong>of</strong> the Pacific, right down to<strong>Australia</strong> and New Zealand"<strong>The</strong> first speaker. Lieut-Commander BobNtcholts. RAN (Rid), author and historian, gavea fascinating address on "Russia and the <strong>Australia</strong>nColonies, a historical perspective", inwhich he outlined contacts with Russia in theearly days Having mentioned the early fears <strong>of</strong>the colonists <strong>of</strong> attack by the French and thenby the Americans, he showed how more scares,usually exaggerated, were caused by theRussians than by any other nationAlthough the Russian corvette. Dvina. hadvisited Sydney In 1853. it was not until the end<strong>of</strong> the Crimean War that they began thepractice <strong>of</strong> sending naval ships on long-distancetraining and exploration expeditionsSuccessive Russian "scares" led to the construction<strong>of</strong> forts and batteries around our coasts andthe building <strong>of</strong> colonial navies ft was not untilTha form* RAN AM* Commands, f^ Admtol l*i torn (rigM), *ti the Commanding Ottic*<strong>of</strong> HMAS CANBERRA, Command* Chna OxanbouU. watch tha progress otthanow Russiannudaar-powand cruiser FRUNZE through tha South China Saa in Novamber. 1995. FRUNZEwas on its way to join ma Russian Pacmc FleetTHE NAVYthe rise in the power <strong>of</strong> Germany, towards theend <strong>of</strong> the nineteenth century, that fear <strong>of</strong>Russia subsided<strong>The</strong> next speaker was Lieutenant-Commander.Ken Wray. <strong>of</strong> the Naval Reserve, whodescribed current Soviet ships and maritimecapability, including command organisation,location and compositions <strong>of</strong> fleets, weaponssystems,aircraft and bases1ISTENERS were particularly impressedwith his description <strong>of</strong> the Soviet sub-•^ marine force, now at over 360 vessels,the world's largest, and the new aircraftcarriers Particularly impressive was the newTyphoon submarine, the world's biggest at25.000 tonnes displacement This submarinecarries 20 missiles each with 6-9 warheads anda range <strong>of</strong> 8,300 km<strong>The</strong> Soviet Pacific Fleet has now expandedgreatly and includes two <strong>of</strong> the three aircraftcarriers and over 600 vessels including some125 submarinesWhile those present were amused at some <strong>of</strong>the comments when, during his speech, some<strong>of</strong> the slides <strong>of</strong> ships caught fire in the projector,all were most impressed at the awesome navalpower now possessed by the Soviet UnionHe then told <strong>of</strong> the Immense growth <strong>of</strong> theSoviet merchant marine, with its implications,both economic and militaryWith some 1.800 ocean-going vessels it wasnow the world's largest in terms <strong>of</strong> numbers,though not yet in tonnageEffort had been carefully directed to creatinga fleet that can perform a commercially competitivetask in peace-time and satisfy militarylogistic requirements in crisis or war. Sovietmerchant vessels have, in recent decades, beenincreasingly constructed to military standards,incorporating such key features as chemical-biological-radiologicalprotection, met eased enduranceand service speeds, improved capability Inhandling gear and self-servicing features, advancedcommunications, navigation and electronics.Including identification -friend-or-foesystems — systems which are restricted to navalships in the West<strong>The</strong> current Soviet Merchant Marine shipbuildingprogramme emphasises technologicalmodernisation in designs that have direct mil)tary applications <strong>The</strong>se Include: roll-on/rotloH.roll-on float-<strong>of</strong>f. lighter aboard ships andcontainer ships<strong>The</strong> operations <strong>of</strong> the Merchant Marine areclosely co-ordinated with naval requirementsfrom the Moscow level down to the smallestport facility. On a regular basis, in peacetime, asignificant amount <strong>of</strong> logistic support requiredby the Soviet <strong>Navy</strong>, especially In distant areas,is provided by merchantmen. This flexibilityallows Soviet merchant ships to obtain supplies(or naval use in ports where warship visits mightbe denied In a crisis, the highly organised.centrally controlled merchant fleet can providesuitable military support quickly and effectively,particularly for amphibious operations, troopmovements and arms shipments For example,to support military operations, the Soviet FarEast merchant fleet has an estimated capacity totransport up to seven motorised rifle or tankdivisions in a single lift operation if given appropriateconditions <strong>of</strong> sea and air superiorityTo ensure their readiness to perform suchAprtKhfM, 1M7ilssions. Soviet merchant ships areommanded by naval reserve <strong>of</strong>ficers andoutinery participate in naval exercisesAnother arm <strong>of</strong> Soviet maritime power isiieir fishing fleet, again the world's largest llnumbers some 3.800 vessels <strong>of</strong> over 100 grosstons, over half <strong>of</strong> which are <strong>of</strong> more than 1.000
CUP VISITOR A VETERANOne interesting ship operating inlocal waters for the duration <strong>of</strong> theAmerica's Cup race series was thepassenger ferry, TEAL.Displacing nearly S00 tonnes TEAL has hada 31 year career with two Commonwealthnavies and in three commercial rolesLaid down in the yards <strong>of</strong> Philip and SonLimited, <strong>of</strong> Dartmouth. England. In Januaryl u 53. she was commissioned as the Royal<strong>Navy</strong> Ton class minesweeper HMSJACKTON. m 1955She was armed with two single 40 mmB<strong>of</strong>ors guns and earned a complement <strong>of</strong> 34Along with five sister snips. HM Ships.CHEDISTON SWANSTON, SOMERl.EYTON SINGLETON and ALCASTON. shewas bought by the Royal <strong>Australia</strong>n <strong>Navy</strong> in1962Re engtned and refitted at Brooke Manne aiLowest<strong>of</strong>t, she was commissioned in the RANas HMAS TEAL on 30 August. 1962On 1 October 1962. she sailed from Ponsmouth as a unit <strong>of</strong> the 16th Mine sweep in ySquadron, with her sister ships. HMA ShipsGULL. HAWK, IBIS. SNIPE and CURLEW<strong>The</strong>y arrived in Sydney on 7 DecemberOne <strong>of</strong> the more prominent tasks carried outby HMAS TEAL during her RAN serviceincluded sweeping a channel into TonoleiHarbour Bougainville, where 150 mines hadbeen laid by US aircraft in 1943. in October1963, with her squadronIn September 1964. the Indonesian Confrontalion emergency. HMAS TEAL, with sisterships IBIS and CURLEW were operating out <strong>of</strong>Singapore, from where the three combinedwith Royal <strong>Navy</strong> and Malaysian warships inanti infiltration patrols in the Malaysian BorneoareaWhile on one <strong>of</strong> these patrols on 13December, TEAL intercepted two Indonesiansampans In a brief exchange <strong>of</strong> fire, onesampan surrendered and the other fled intoIndonesian watersHMAS TEAL sustained no damage orcasualties, whereas the captured sampan lostthree, killed<strong>The</strong> ship's commanding <strong>of</strong>ficer. LieutenantK Munay. was awarded the DSC as a result <strong>of</strong>this action, and was the only RAN <strong>of</strong>ficer to bedecorated for service in the confrontationemergencyAlong with HMAS IBIS, she returned toSydney on 8 February. 1966, after 18 monthsservice <strong>of</strong>f Malaysia <strong>The</strong>y were relieved bysister ships. GULL and HAWKFrom late 1966. these two ships were basedat Darwin for service m northern waters and in1967. they earned out limited survey work <strong>of</strong>fthe WA coast1970 saw TEAL with two other minesweepers,participate in the large scale exerciseBersatu Padu. in Malaysian waters<strong>The</strong> 1970s saw TEAL operate in NewGuinea waters, clearing a war-time minefield <strong>of</strong>fPort Moresby, participating in ANZUK navalforce exercises: visiting places such as Makasar.Darwin and Singapore, and carrying outfisheries patrols and exercises in Bass StraitPaid <strong>of</strong>f for disposal in 1979. TEAL was soldto private Interests in Hobart, Tasmania, whereshe was stripped and converted into a prawntrawlerIn 1983. she was bought by Teal ProduceLimited <strong>of</strong> Hobart. which further modified theship into an abalone trawler mother vesseloperating in Tasmanian watersRecently, the wooden hulled TEAL wasextensively re fitted at Port Huon in Tasmania,and rebuilt as a passenger ferry, still retainingthe original bridge ho use superstructureArt <strong>of</strong> the bridge, a two-deck accommodationstructure has been built, and a bar and mealsservery area have been fitted Seating providesfor 300 passengersHMAS TEAL during the early 1970sTEAL rebuilt tor the America's Cup.by VIC 1EFFERY<strong>The</strong> ship's stern has been modified with asmall diving platform landing stage structureAs an America's Cup spectator ship. TEALlooked immaculate, with her white hull andupperworksRailings and features were finished in lightblue, and her black-topped white funnel hasblue and red bandsA diagonal set <strong>of</strong> blue and red bands werepainted down the hull and she sports red Tasmanian tourism logos afiLike all thoroughbreds. TEAL carried her agePage Twenty THE NAVY Apr. I-June. <strong>1987</strong>Sparrows Among <strong>The</strong> HawksSUipkwid Hmtiw
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