Aug-Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec 1971-Jan 1972 - Navy League of Australia

COMPLIMENTS OK:Trefoil Book Supplies(Booksellers)* GENERAL and TECHNICAL BOOKSELLERS* CONTRACTORS TO THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY* EOR ALL ENQUIRIES369 PENSHURST STREET, CHATSWOOD. 2067Phone: 40 3331A Satisfactory Connection, the Nav\ Department andP.H.P. ENGINEERINGREAR 62 MACPHERSON STREET, WAVERLEY, N.S.W.Who arc Proud to be Associated with the Navy Department in their WorksProgramsSuppliers of:TURN BUCKLES AND RIGGING SCREWSFor All Enquiries. ..MR. L. G. PEARSONPhone: 38 5724DEFENCE REPORT 1971Mine Counter measuresMine countermeasures ships H.M.A. Ships Hawk,Curlew and Snipe conducted minesweeping andminehunting operations in Papua New Guinea watersduring June. Some wartime explosive ordnance wasdestroyed.A Clearance Diving Team visited Papua New Guineafor three months from April 1971. The team helpedclear underwater navigation hazards and blastedpassages through coral reefs to make channels safer forcopra plantation vessels. A channel suitable for use by40.000-ton oil tankers was made in Madang harbour bypartly clearing the wreck of the auxiliary minesweeperH.M.A.S Terka which sank in 1944.At Madang the divers recovered 320 bombs fromwater close to shore and in Lae harbour cleared 533bombs from a dump which was discovered by accidentin June. Some known dumps of wartime explosivesashore were also destroyed.FLEET AIR ARMAdditional SkyhawksTen further Skyhawk fighter bombers, two of themdual seat trainers, have been delivered to increase theR.A.N.s holding of these aircraft to 20. The aircraft willenter squadron service between September 1971 andJanuary 1972.The inclusion of additional Skyhawks will increase thestrike and ground support capability of the Navy'saircraft carrier H.M.A.S. Melbourne and enable the shipto carry up to 14 in a strike carrier configuration.The ability of H.M.A.S. Melbourne to alter the numberof different aircraft types carried while at sea wasdemonstrated at the end of last year during ExerciseSwan Lake off Western Australia when two Skyhawkswere flown non-stop from Nowra to join the carrier offBunbury.The aircraft refuelled from other R.A.N. Skyhawksover South Australia during the flight from the Pacific tothe Indian oceans.Aircraft ContractA contract has been let for the purchase of twoHawker Siddeley 748 aircraft which the R.A.N, expects tobe delivered late next year.These aircraft will be used for Naval aircrew training,fleet training and systems trials, including trials of theAustralian IKARA weapon. The HS748s will in particularbe used to exercise ships in electronic warfare.The Navy's HS748s will have as many commonfeatures as possible with the HS748 navigationaltrainers of the R.A.A.F.. and the R.A.A.F. will providelogistic support for the Navy aircraft.The Navy's two HS748s will replace four Dakotaswhich first flew with the R.A.A.F. during World War II.They are due to be phased out of service next year after30 years' flying.Macchi TrainersSix of 10 Macchi jet trainers for pilot training and fleettraining exercises were delivered by 30 June. Theremaining four are expected to be delivered by the endof 1971.HYDROGRAPHIC AND SCIENTIFIC SERVICESSurveying ServiceThe five-yearly hydrographic conference was heldduring the year and a future survey programme calledHydroscheme '70 was drawn up.The major areas to be surveyed will serve the coaltrade of central Queensland ports, the improvedfacilities at Ceduna and Bunbury. and the bauxite port atPort Warrender in North West Australia.During 1970-71. H.M.A.S. Moresby carried out majorsurveys in the Broome area in the Gulf of Papua. Palumahas worked in North Queensland waters resurveyingTorres Strait for today's deep draught traffic and forstrategic purposes. For the next 12 months, she willcontinue in the northern Great Barrier Reef area.Moresby's next task will be at the eastern end of theGreat Australian Bight and Spencer Gulf.Scientific ServiceThe Naval Scientific Service provides advice to theNavy on many problems associated with ships, weaponsand equipment.Research programmes in the fields of militaryoceanography, underwater acoustics, minecountermeasures and operations research studies wereundertaken by the R.A.N. Research Laboratory. Sydney.The field of research rhto various aspects of antisubmarinewarfare continues to increase in importanceas submarines become quieter, faster and capable ofoperating at greater depths.A number of large maritime exercises are currentlybeing analysed by the Research Laboratory.H.M.A.S. Diamantina performed five oceanographiccruises during 1970-71. Civilian scientists pursuingmarine biological research were carried on three ofthese. H.M.A.S. Klmbla also completed five cruises —four included geophysical studies by C.S.I.R.O. and theUniversity of New South Wales and one allowed marinebiology research by the Australian Museum.PERSONNELManpowerA total of 17.232 personnel were serving in the Navyon 30 June 1971. These included officers and sailors ofthe Permanent Naval Forces. W.R.A.N.S.. the RoyalAustralian Naval Nursing Service, the Papua New GuineaDivision. Naval Dockyard Police, loan personnel andNaval Reserves on full-time service. The officer strengthat 30 June 1971 was 2.128.A Macchi Jet trainer flown by Squadron 724.