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

A Close Liaison: The Navy Department andA. F. Little (Southern Div.)Pty. Ltd.FIVE ISLANDS ROAD, PORT KEMBLAWho are Proud to be Associated with the Navy Department in theErection of H.M.A.S. "Albatross" Accommodation Buildings* SPECIALISING IN CONSTRUCTION WORK4-0723 Phone 4-0723A Close Liaison ihe NAVY DEPT. and:W. Angliss & Co.(Australia) Pty. Ltd.Who are Proud to be Associated with theNAVY DEPT. inTHE SUPPLY OF l-ROZEN AND CANNED MEATS• Contractors to the R.A.N., R.N., B.A.O.R.Kor further Inform.titin Contact . . .W. Angliss & Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd.255 GEORGE STREET, SYDNEYTelephone: 20-534required. A special mobile pontoon isalso available for landing heaviervehicles if the need arises.Albion herself is a ship of 23.300tons displacement, with a speed of28 knots, and a defensive armamentof two sextuple rocketlaunchers and eight 40 millimetreanti-aircraft guns mounted in pairs.She is equipped with radars and electronicdevices for detecting enemyaircraft, surface ships and submarines.and. as a mobile base for acompact, but powerful assaultforce, requires a complex system ofshort and long range communicationsequipment.Her ship's company — apart fromthe Royal Marines — consists ofmore than 1.000 naval officers andratings, with a wide variety of skillsand responsibilities. For example.Albion has an education departmentwhich is also responsible forthe meteorological forecasting, soimportant to air. sea and land operations.Own Medical ServicesThe medical department, with itsdoctors, dentist and medical assistants.has well equipped operatingtheatres and hospital quarterswhich not only provide everydaymedical care, but are always ready tocope with casualties from the commandoassault force flown back tothe ship.The present Albion's immediatepredecessor was a first-classarmoured battleship with four 12-inch (305-millimetre) guns whichtook part in the naval operations atGallipoli in World War I in 1915.But. of course, the present Albionis the first to introduce the airelement in the forefront of combinedservice operations.This air element is not necessarilyconfined to military operations oreven disaster aid. as a recent reportfrom the ship showed. During a tenhoursvisit to the isolated island ofAscension, in the south Atlantic,some of Albion's helicopters andship's company carried out anunusual voluntary operation.They lifted half a ton of sand fromthe shore to a point high up amountainside for a tree-plantingscheme to improve this ratherbarren, windswept island. The 1.800inhabitants of Ascension weredelighted.ONESHIPTASKFORCEPage Forty-sixTHE NAVYNovember-Deiember-January,Nov.mtwr-DK.mtMr-J.nu.ry, 1971/72THE NAVYPag. Forty-aw«n