\v • JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN NAVAL INSTITUTE VOLUME 7 FEBRUARY 1981 NUMBER 1 AUSTRALIAN NAVAL INSTITUTE 1. The Australian Naval Institute has been formed and incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory. The main objects of the Institute are:— a. to encourage and promote the advancement of knowledge related to the Navy and the Maritime profession. b. to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas concerning subjects related to the Navy and the Maritime profession. c. to publish a journal 2. The Institute is self supporting and non-profit making. The aim is to encourage freedom of discussion, dissemination of information, comment and opinion and the advancement of professional knowledge concerning naval and maritime matters. 3. Memoership of the Institute is open to — a. Regular members — Members of the Permanent Naval Forces of Australia b. Associate Members — (1) Members of the Reserve Naval Forces of Australia. (2) Members of the Australian Military Forces and the Royal Australian Air Force both permanent and reserve (3) Ex-members of the Australian Defence Forces, both permanent and reserve components, provided that they have been honourably discharged from that force. (4) Other persons having and professing a special interest in naval and maritime affairs. c. Honorary Members — A person who has made a distinguished contribution to the Naval or maritime profession or who has rendered distinguished service to the Institute may be elected by the Council to Honorary Membership. 4. Joining fee for Regular and Associate members is $5. Annual Subscription for both is $15 5. Inquiries and application for membership should be directed to:- The Secretary, Australian Naval Institute, P.O. Box 18, DEAKIN, A.C.T. 2600 CONTRIBUTIONS As the Australian Naval Institute exists for the promotion and advancement of knowledge relating to the Naval and maritime profession, all members are strongly encouraged to submit articles for publication. Only in this way will our aims be achieved. DISCLAIMER In writing for the institute it must be borne in mind that the views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Department of Defence, the Chief of Naval Staff or the Institute. Registered for Posting as a Publication — Category B ISSN 0312-5807 JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN NAVAL INSTITUTE (INC.) TITLE CONTENTS PAGE Chapter News 2 Correspondence 2 SEAPOWER81 4 From the Editor 5 From the Secretary's Desk 6 New Members 6 Australian Naval Institute Prizes 1980 6 The Early Days of Australian Naval Aviation — by Lieutenant Commander R. Jones RAN 8 Fleet Admiral King and Others — Pacific Admirals — by Commander A.W. Grazebrook RANR 16 Journal Binders 20 Ice Patrol Ship Operations in the Antarctic — by Sub-Lieutenant P.O. Leschen RAN 22 The Mobilization of Australian Defence Industries — by Major N.A. Bradley RNZE 30 Ships and the Sea 40 Shiphandling Corner 42 Nobody asked me, but 46 Exercise AUCKEX 80 48 Book Reviews 49 Journal Back Issues 53 Naval Institute Insignia 55 Application for Membership 56 Articles or condensations of articles are not to be reprinted or reproduced without the permission of the Institute. Extracts may be quoted for the purposes of research, review or comment provided the source is acknowledged. The cover photograph shows a Sopwith 'Baby aircraft being hoisted onboard HMAS BRISBANE (1). BRISBANE took onboard this aircraft at Colombo in April 1917 and used it until June 1917 for reconnaissance while searching for the German raider WOLF. The BRISBANE thus became the first Australian warship to embark an aircraft for operational purposes. — by courtesy Naval Historian Journal of the Australian Naval Institute — Page 1 CHAPTER NEWS SYDNEY CHAPTER The Sydney Chapter of the Australian Naval Institute met on four occasions during 1980. In March, members gathered at the RAN Staff College for a presentation on the US Coast Guard by VADM R.I. PRICE USCG Mr John FOZZARD of British Aerospace UK, together with Mr Mat GOULD, Director. British Aerospace Australia, gave a polished presentation on the Sea Harrier on May 20. Dr R.N. LEBOW lectured the Chapter on the US/Soviet Stra'egic Relationship on 21 July 1980 A presentation on the RAAF Tactical Fighter was held in October Correspondence NOM DEPLUMES feeling of having neither interest nor sympathies roused nor of having learnt anything new9 Articles should be judged by style Dear Sir, and content and not by their authors. Of course there are exceptions. It is not fair, for example, to Commander Bassett's letter in the ast Journal, concerning publish unfavourable book reviews under a pen-name. A pen-names again raised the question of the validity of such famous case of the foolishness of such a proceeding was the devices in a learned purnal His point that the authority of an decidedly peculiar piece on The Cruel Sea which appeared in article must inevitably be diminished by some extent if published The Naval Review and lost that journal temporarily a great deal under a pen-name is certainly a fair one. There are, however, of credit. certain advantages attached to a system whereby authors are There may be one happy compromise between pen-names anonymous, or at least obscure. and the excessive employment of ranks and titles and that is the First, the British Naval Review has in sixty eight years of use of initials or unadorned names As all members of the ANI existence demonstrated that a high and consistent quality of receive a list of the membership each year and new members in discussion can be maintained even w th the almost universal each issue, a little detective work is all that should be required to use of pen-names. Granted proper editorial discretion, dis- establish the identity of a particular author. Very few who write cussion should never become acrimonious or irresponsible. under pen-names really fear eventual discovery as the bloke Second, anonymity allows a freedom otherwise difficult to who wrote that nonsense What they do fear is that their obtain in such a small organization as the RAN. This freedom not "nonsense should not be read. only extends to the time honoured and popular image of the In sum, therefore, I take Commander Bassetts point, but I disgruntled |unior officer or sailor stepping outside the Service to must remind him that the primary function of the Journal is 'to air his frustrated views, but to the equally constrained senior provide a forum for the exchange of ideas concerning subjects officer. Is it not right that an Admiral seeking to try out some new related to the Navy and the Maritime profession', thereby en- idea or propose some scheme at variance with the "Party Line" couraging and promoting 'the advancement of knowledge should be able to do so without affecting his own appointment"? If related to the Navy and the Maritime profession If pen-names his idea is startling, it is far more likely to receive study and help achieve a greater freedom of discussion, there should be criticism on its merits alone if issued by "Leander" than "Rear no objection to them. Admiral X". just as will be the case foi "Midshipman Y". Pen- I am, in lieu of pen-name or initials, names also avoid the dreadful and otherwise inevitable third stage of naval argument — that of personal abuse. Yours sincerely Third, certain periodicals in the field of defence studies — JAMES GOLDRICK not, I hasten to note, the ANI Journal — have been displaying a Sub-Lieutenant, RAN regrettable pre-occupation with famous names and high rank at HMAS TARAKAN the expense of good and original writing. This is especially Warships Section (perhaps inevitably) true of the commercial journals. How many Central Mail Exchange naval officers have read such pieces and come away with a NSW, 2890 Page 2 — Journal of the Australian Naval Institute ELIGIBILITY FOR REGULAR MEMBERSHIP (1) ELIGIBILITY FOR REGULAR MEMBERSHIP (2) Dear Sir, Dear Sir, I would like to join Sub-Lieutenant J.V.P. Goldrick (August In his haste to take offence and defend his amour propre. 1980 Journal) in supporting Commander A.W. Grazebrook's Surgeon LCDR Collings in the last ANI Journal apparently failed suggestion that members of the RANR on active training lists be to read my earlier letter fully and carefully. granted regular membership of the Institute. If doctors, dentists or any other RANR personnel have 'I Claudius1 is possibly right in saying that some Reservists regular training commitments (say at least once a month) then (not those who are already members) see themselves as being they should, in my view, be eligible for full membership of the second-class citizens in the eyes of the ANI. Making regular ANI. If, like retired Officers of the RAN, RANR personnel have no membership available to all active members of the Naval Forces regular training commitments then they should be eligible for could create more interest in the Institute among members of the Associate Membership. RANR who could bring broader views and interests to the stated main objects of the Institute. Yours faithfully, The total allowed complement of the active RANR, as com- A.W. GRAZEBROOK pared to the RAN, would prevent the Reservists being anything Commander, RANR other than a minority group within the regular membership. 2 Lucifer Street, North Balwyn, Vic. 3104 Yours faithfully, A.M. WHYBROW Commander, RANR Sydney Port Division RANR, HMAS WATERHEN, Waverton, NSW, 2060 AUSTRALIAN AMPHIBIOUS CAPABILITY Dear Sir, May I seek space in your columns both to respond to Colonel Duncans letter in the November 1980 issue of the Journal and to comment upon Major Bowman s medal winning essay in the same issue on an Appropriate Maritime Strategy for Australia in the 1980s It was most encouraging to read the article of the combat infantryman who perceptively observes that the Australian AUTHORSHIP OF JOURNAL ARTICLES Defence Force requires an amphibious capability as an essen- tial element of sea power projection for defending island Dear Sir.