OCT – DEC 2008 (including GST) www.netspace.net.au/~navyleag VOLUME 70 NO. 4 $5.95 SEA 1000 Brought to Justice Replacing Collins French Navy Snatches Pirates Japanese Submarine Operations in Nearly Too Little Australian Waters Nearly Too Late During WW II Australia’s Leading Naval Magazine Since 1938 LCS-1 FREEDOM on sea trials in Lake Michigan. The Lockheed Martin Littoral Combat Ship is armed with a rapid fi re 57mm gun, the RAM anti-air/ missile missile system, Mk-50 ASW torpedoes and a new surface-surface missile. She also embarks two Seahawk sized helicopters and a number of Special Forces rigid hull infl atable boats. She is designed to have a top speed of 45 kts and can also carry out mine countermeasures tasks while networking with all other forces in the area of operations. (USN) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of THE NAVY LEAGUE OF AUSTRALIA will be held at the Brassey Hotel, Belmore Gardens, Barton ACT FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER 2008 AT 8.00PM BUSINESS 1 To confi rm the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held in Canberra on Friday 19 October 2007 2 To receive the report of the Federal Council, and to consider matters arising 3 To receive the fi nancial statements of the year ended 30 June 2008 4 To elect Offi ce Bearers for the 2008-2009 years as follows: • Federal President • Federal Vice-President • Additional Vice-Presidents (3) Nominations for these positions are to be lodged with the Honorary Secretary prior to the commencement of the meeting. 5 General Business: • To deal with any matter notifi ed in writing to the Honorary Secretary by 21 October 2008 ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND By order of the Federal Council Philip Corboy, Honorary Federal Secretary, PO Box 128 Clayfield QLD 4011 Telephone 1300 739 681 Fax 1300 739 682 THE NAVY The Navy League of Australia FEDERAL COUNCIL Patron in Chief: Her Excellency, The Governor General. Volume 70 No.4 President: Graham M Harris, RFD. Vice-Presidents: RADM A.J. Robertson, AO, DSC, RAN (Rtd); John Bird; CAPT H.A. Josephs, AM, RAN (Rtd) Contents Hon. Secretary: Philip Corboy, PO Box 128, Clayfield, Qld 4011. Telephone: 1300 739 681, Mob: 0421 280 481, Fax: 1300 739 682 SEA 1000 REPLACING COLLINS Email: [email protected] By Abraham Gubler Page 4 NEW SOUTH WALES DIVISION Patron: Her Excellency, The Governor of New South Wales. President: R O Albert, AO, RFD, RD. BROUGHT TO JUSTICE – FRENCH NAVY Hon. Secretary: Elizabeth Sykes, GPO Box 1719, Sydney, NSW 2001 SNATCHES SOMALI PIRATES Telephone: (02) 9232 2144, Fax: (02) 9232 8383 By Guy Toremans & Dr Roger Thornhill Page 12 VICTORIA DIVISION Patron: His Excellency, The Governor of Victoria. President: J M Wilkins, RFD*. Email: [email protected] NEARLY TOO LITTLE, NEARLY TOO LATE Hon. Secretary: Ray Gill, PO Box 1303, Box Hill, Vic 3128 By LEUT Desmond Woods Page 24 Telephone: (03) 9884 6237 Email: [email protected] Membership Secretary: LCDR Tom Kilburn MBE, RFD, VRD SENSUIKAN: JAPANESE SUBMARINE Telephone: (03) 9560 9927, PO Box 1303 Box Hill Vic 3128. OPERATIONS IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS QUEENSLAND DIVISION DURING WW II Patron: Her Excellency, The Governor of Queensland. President: Harvey Greenfield. By Geoff Crowhurst Page 30 Hon. Secretary: Mary Lacey. 4/309 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, QLD 4000 Regular Features Telephone: (07) 3236 9884 (h); (07) 3233 4420 (w); 0424 729 258 (mob) Email: [email protected] From the Crow’s Nest Page 2 State Branches: The President’s Page Page 3 Cairns: A Cunneen, PO Box 1009, Cairns, Qld 4870. Flash Traffic Page 16 Telephone: (07) 4054 1195 Townsville: I McDougall, PO Box 1478, Townsville, Qld 4810. Observations Page 23 Telephone: (07) 4772 4588 Product review Page 35 Bundaberg: I Lohse, PO Box 5141, Bundaberg West, Qld 4670. League Policy Statement Page 36 Telephone: (07) 4151 2210 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION The opinions or assertions expressed in THE NAVY are those of Patron: His Excellency, The Governor of South Australia. the authors and not necessarily those of the Federal Council of the President: Dean Watson, RFD*, RANR (Rtd). Navy League of Australia, the Editor of THE NAVY, the RAN or Hon. Secretary: Miss J E Gill, PO Box 3008, Unley, SA 5061. Telephone: (08) 8272 6435 the Department of Defence. The Editor welcomes correspondence, photographs and contributions and will assume that by making TASMANIAN DIVISION submissions, contributors agree that all material may be used Patron: Mr Tony Lee. free of charge, edited and amended at the Editor’s discretion. President: Mr Tudor Hardy, 4 Illawarra Road, Perth, Tas 7300. Hon. Secretary: Mr Derek Le Marchant, PO Box 1337, Launceston, Tas 7250. No part of this publication may be reproduced Telephone: (03) 6336 2923, Mob: 0404 486 329 without the permission of the Editor. State Branch: Launceston: Mr Tudor Hardy, 4 Illawarra Road, Perth, Tas. 7300 Mrs L Cottrell, 5 Anchorage Street, Clarence Point, Tas. 7280. Front cover: HMAS WALLER in Sydney Harbour for a WESTERN AUSTRALIAN DIVISION rest stop while on her way to the RIMPAC 08 exercise where Patron: His Excellency, The Governor of Western Australia. she fired the first Mk-7 version of the Mk-48 torpedo. President: Mason Hayman, 33 Keane Street, Peppermint Grove, WA 6011. The test shoot was a success with the torpedo sinking Telephone: (08) 9384 5794, Mob: 0404 949 282 a large Spruance class destroyer hulk. (RAN) Hon. Secretary: Trevor Vincent, 3 Prosser Way, Myaree, WA 6154 Telephone: (08) 9330 5129, Mob: 0417 933 780, Fax: (08) 9330 5129 Email: [email protected] FEDERAL ADVISORY COUNCIL F. Geoffrey Evans, OBE, VRD, Chairman Neil Baird, Chairman Baird Publications Wm. Bolitho, AM. Vice Admiral David Leach, AC CBE, LVO, RAN (Rtd) All letters and contributions to: Lachlan Payne, CEO Australian Shipowners’ Association Vice Admiral Sir Richard Peek, KBE, CB, DSC, RAN (Rtd) The Office of The Editor Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie, AO, RAN (Rtd) THE NAVY John Strang, Chairman Strang International Pty Ltd. Navy League of Australia GPO Box 1719 Sydney, NSW 2001 E-mail to: [email protected] All Subscriptions, Membership and Advertising enquiries to: The Hon Secretary, Navy League of Australia, NSW Division GPO Box 1719 Sydney NSW 2001 Corporate Members The Australian Shipowners’ Association Deadline for next edition 5 Feb 2009 Hawker De Haviland Limited Strang International Pty Ltd THE NAVY VOL. 70 NO. 4 1 FROM THE CROW’S NEST Beware the Persians warships in the Persian Gulf. Given their proximity to Iran’s maritime borders just after an attack, it could be argued by Last month a leading UK defence magazine, WARSHIPS anti-Western countries in the UN Security Council that these IFR, revealed details of a harassment incident involving the ships represented a legitimate threat to Iran’s security. Thus Anzac class frigate HMAS STUART and naval units of the justifying their attack. Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG). HMS CHATHAM, a Type 22 Batch 3 frigate also in the same area of the Gulf at the THE NAVY has in the past warned of Iran’s growing same time, came in for similar harassment. The IRG has been antagonism and boldness towards the West. We have also responsible for the kidnapping at gun point of warned of her growing anti-ship missile arsenal, sophistication British Sailors and Royal Marines on two separate occasions in the past. A few years ago they also tried to kidnap Australian sailors. While the IRG was unsuccessful on these two most recent occasions to create an international incident and embarrass the West, again, it does set a worrying trend and possibly indicates Iran’s future intentions. Many international affairs and security think-tanks are predicting Israel will strike Iran’s growing nuclear facilities during the life of this edition of THE NAVY. Part of urgency for this strike is the upcoming deployment of the latest and most sophisticated Russian anti- aircraft missile system, which has not been seen by the West and to which no counter has been developed. Thus, the Israeli air force will need to conduct its strike before the missile system becomes fully operational at the end of HMAS PARRAMATTA leaving Sydney Harbour recently for a tour of duty of this year, or risk unacceptable losses. the Persian Gulf. During her time in the Gulf she could come in for attention Israel recently ‘rattled the sabre’ by from Iranian naval units if Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear facilities. (RAN). carrying out a very public dress rehearsal exercise of an air strike on Iran. In the exercise, an air and tactics and questioned if our Anzac frigates are able to armada of strike and fighter aircraft flew from Israel to a adequately meet the threat. Taking a hard look at our Anzacs point in the Mediterranean Sea off Greece (coincidently the not much has changed since the “Tier 2 fitted for but not exact distance from Israel to Iran’s nuclear facilities). The with” philosophy first appeared in the 1980s as their ‘raison strike package was said to have had over 100 aircraft with d’être’. Strategist Paul Dibb, in his Dibb Review of 1986, who AEW&C and air-air refueller support. came up with the idea and coined the term, never anticipated If Israel strikes Iran what will that mean for our frigate that these ships would be placed in such proximity to a non- in the Persian Gulf? With Iran’s belief that an Israeli strike regional player with an extensive anti-ship missile arsenal, would have needed Western approval, her first act will be which also includes the underwater rocket torpedo Shkval.