APR-JUN 2010 VOL 72 No2 AIR 9000 PHASE 8 THE SEAHAWK REPLACEMENT RAN SEA POWER CONFERENCE 2010 HMS AMETHYST AND HMAS SHOALHAVEN LUCKY ESCAPE THE SINKING OF FORCE Z, TWILIGHT OF THE BATTLESHIP $5.95 AUSTRALIA’S LEADING NAVAL MAGAZINE SINCE 1938 INCL. GST The Navy League of Australia FOURTH Annual Maritime AFFAIRS ESSAY COMPETITION 2010 The Navy League of Australia is holding a fourth maritime essay competition and invites entries on either of the following topics: TOPICS • 20th Century Naval History • Modern Maritime Warfare • Australia’s Commercial Maritime Industries CATEGORIES A first, second and third prize will be awarded in each of two categories: Professional, which covers Journalists, Defence Officials, Academics, Naval Personnel and previous contributors to THE NAVY; and Non-Professional for those not falling into the Professional category. Essays should be 2,500-3,000 words in length and will be judged on accuracy, content and structure. PRIZES • $1,000, $500 and $250 (Professional category) • $500, $200 and $150 (Non-Professional category) DEADLINE 15 September 2010 Prize-winners announced in the January-March 2011 issue of THE NAVY. Essays should be submitted either in Microsoft Word format on disk and posted to: Navy League Essay Competition Box 1719 GPO, SYDNEY NSW 2001 or emailed to [email protected]. Submissions should include the writer’s name, address, telephone and email contacts, and the nominated entry category. THE NAVY reserves the right to reprint all essays in the magazine, together with the right to edit them as considered appropriate for publication. Volume 72 No.2 THE MAGAZINE OF THE NAVY LEAGUE OF AUSTRALIA FFEDERALEDERAL CCOUNCILOUNCIL SSOUTHOUTH AAUSTRALIANUSTRALIAN DDIVISIONIVISION Patron in Chief: Her Excellency, Patron: His Excellency, The Governor General. The Governor of South Australia. President: Graham M Harris, RFD. President: Dean Watson, RFD. Vice-Presidents: Rear Admiral A.J. Hon. Secretary: Miss J E Gill, 05 AIR 9000 PHASE 8 Robertson, AO, DSC, RAN (Rtd); Rear PO Box 3008, Unley, SA 5061. Admiral DG Holthouse, AO, RAN (Rtd): Telephone: (08) 8272 6435 THE SEAHAWK REPLACEMENT Matt Rowe TTASMANIANASMANIAN DDIVISIONIVISION Hon. Secretary: Philip Corboy, Patron: Mr Tony Lee. By Paul Johnstone PO Box 128, Clayfield, Qld 4011. Telephone: 1300 739 681, President: Mr Tudor Hardy, Mob: 0421 280 481, 4 Illawarra Road, Perth, Tas 7300. 10 RAN SEA POWER Fax: 1300 739 682 Hon. Secretary: Mrs Christene Hardy, Email: [email protected] 4 Illawarra Road, Perth, Tas 7300. CONFERENCE 2010 NNEWEW SSOUTHOUTH WWALESALES DDIVISIONIVISION State Branch: By Rear Admiral Andrew Robertson, AO, DSC, RAN (Rtd) Patron: Her Excellency, Launceston: Mr Tudor Hardy, The Governor of New South Wales. 4 Illawarra Road, Perth, Tas. 7300 Mrs L Cottrell, 5 Anchorage Street, President: R O Albert, AO, RFD, RD. Clarence Point, Tas. 7280. 23 A LUCKY ESCAPE FOR Hon. Secretary: Elizabeth Sykes, GPO Box 1719, Sydney, NSW 2001 WWESTERNESTERN AAUSTRALIANUSTRALIAN DDIVISIONIVISION HMS AMETHYST, AND Telephone: (02) 9232 2144, Patron: His Excellency, Fax: (02) 9232 8383 The Governor of Western Australia. HMAS SHOALHAVEN, President: Mason Hayman, VVICTORIAICTORIA DDIVISIONIVISION 33 Keane Street ON THE YANGTZE – 1949 Patron: His Excellency, Peppermint Grove, WA 6011. The Governor of Victoria. Telephone: (08) 9384 5794, By LCDR Desmond Woods, RAN President: CMDR John M Wilkins, RFD*. Mob: 0404 949 282 Hon. Secretary: Ray Gill JP Hon. Secretary: Trevor Vincent, 27 THE SINKING OF FORCE Z, Membership Secretary: Ron Lyon 3 Prosser Way, Myaree, WA 6154 Correspondence: Telephone: (08) 9330 5129, TWILIGHT OF THE BATTLESHIP PO Box 1303, Box Hill Vic 3128 Mob: 0417 933 780, Email: [email protected] Fax: (08) 9330 5129 By Nigel M Beeke Web: www.netspace.net.au/~navyleag Email: [email protected] FFEDERALEDERAL AADVISORYDVISORY CCOUNCILOUNCIL QQUEENSLANDUEENSLAND DDIVISIONIVISION Chairman: Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie Patron: Her Excellency, AO, RAN (Rtd) The Governor of Queensland. Members: Mr Neil Baird, Chairman, President: Harvey Greenfield. Baird Publications, Rear Admiral Simon Hon. Secretary: Mary Lacey. Harrington RAN (Rtd), Vice Admiral GPO Box 1481, Brisbane QLD 4001 David Leach AC, CBE, LVO, RAN (Rtd), Telephone: (07) 3236 9884 Vice Admiral Russ Shalders AO, CSC, REGULAR FEATURES (h); (07) 3233 4420 RAN (Rtd), Mr John Strang, Chairman, (w); 0424 729 258 (mob) Strang International Pty Ltd 02 From the Crow’s Nest Email: [email protected] From Our Readers State Branches: CCORPORATEORPORATE MMEMBERSEMBERS 03 Cairns: A Cunneen, The Australian Shipowners’ Association 04 The President’s Page PO Box 1009, Cairns, Qld 4870. Hawker De Haviland Limited Telephone: (07) 4054 1195 Strang International Pty Ltd 15 Flash Traffic Townsville: I McDougall, PO Box 1478, Townsville, Qld 4810. 22 Observations Telephone: (07) 4772 4588 Bundaberg: I Lohse, PO Box 5141, 31 Product Review Bundaberg West, Qld 4670. 32 League Policy Statement Telephone: (07) 4151 2210 All letters and contributions to: The Office of The Editor THE NAVY Navy League of Australia The opinions or assertions expressed in THE NAVY are those of the authors and GPO Box 1719 not necessarily those of the Federal Council of the Navy League of Australia, the Sydney, NSW 2001 Editor of THE NAVY, the RAN or the Department of Defence. The Editor welcomes E-mail to: [email protected] correspondence, photographs and contributions and will assume that by making submissions, contributors agree that all material may be used free of charge, All Subscriptions, Membership and Advertising enquiries to: edited and amended at the Editor’s discretion. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the Editor. The Hon Secretary Navy League of Australia, NSW Division Front cover: The upgraded FFGs MELBOURNE(left) and SYDNEY (Right) at GPO Box 1719, Sydney NSW 2001 Fremantle. Chief of Navy has ‘accepted’ the FFGs from the DMO to enable further testing. (Ian Johnson) Deadline for next edition 15 May 2010 FROM THE CROW’S NEST Themistocles PAPER TIGER – JUST ADD WATER Kiowa light observation helicopter and the UH-1 Iroquois gunship in army service. For some time THE NAVY has been emphasising the need for organic During the question and answer session for Army Aviation’s presentation close air support for embarked troops on the new Canberra class it transpired that the Tiger ARH is not up to the task of supporting troops LHDs when they enter service. Experience in Afghanistan to date has shown that despite the fact that it is a low intensity counter-insurgency ashore from the LHD. The Tiger, the presenter said, is not marinised, operation against non-state actors, close air support is still essential. particularly against the effects of salt spray. Its undercarriage and tie Take for instance the current deployment of eight RAF Tornado GR.4 down points are unsuitable for deck operations. Its rotor blades do not aircraft to Kandahar. From July 2009 to January 2010 these eight fold and nor has it been tested at sea by the ADF using legacy platforms aircraft flew over 400 sorties totalling over 1,500 flying hours. Of these such as KANIMBLA and MANOORA to discover any other limitations. 400 sorties over 100 were close air support missions for troops ‘in One could assume from this revelation that left in its current state the contact’. If this is the sort of effort required against non-state actors Tiger will not operate from the LHDs but rather be ‘sea lifted’ to the what will the ADF require when its LHDs put troops into harm’s way of area of operations and then disembarked. This somewhat negates the a state based enemy? need for a large helicopter support ship such as an LHD from which to At the recent Sea Power conference in Sydney nearly the entire Australian conduct amphibious assaults from. The Tiger’s responsiveness to calls content of the conference was made up of LHD presentations and the for support would also have to be questioned. impact that the LHDs are going to have on the ADF. Unfortunately no There is no doubt the maker of the Tiger could, with the appropriate one addressed the topic of immediate close air support requirements of financial input, provide a maritime upgrade kit for some of the aircraft’s the embarked land force, or seemingly wanted to. deficiencies. Currently, the French are conducting sea trials of the One of the many presentations was from Army’s aviation group and their Tiger and may have already realised many of its maritime deficiencies. preparations for the arrival of the LHD. It was said that the introduction Hopefully from this they will provide the funds for marinisation into service of the MRH-90 transport helicopter was proceeding well development, but then again, they do not need the Tiger for close air with the aircraft well suited to amphibious operations, although its lack support from their LHDs like Australia will. For that supporting role the of automatic blade folding rotors is a ‘concern’ for Navy. Army realises French have the nuclear powered aircraft carrier CHARLES DE GAULLE too that the only asset that the embarked land force has at its disposal with its 4th generation supersonic Rafale strike fighters. The Spanish, for the close air support role is its Tiger ARH (Armed Reconnaissance while having the same class of LHD and the Tiger ARH, also have an Helicopter), although calling it a close air support asset is a complete aircraft carrier to support amphibious operations and are currently departure from its concept of operations of armed reconnaissance. examining the use of STOVL JSF from their LHD to support their troops The Tiger ARH is a two-seat attack helicopter acquired under Project Air ashore (as Australia should be). 87 that is also used by France, Germany and Spain and was designed So at this stage it appears the ADF will be left without an effective for land-based European theatres of operation.