NAVAL EXRCISES

Chronicle (Levin), 31 March 1948, Page 5

NAVAL EXRCISES

Press Association )

Value of Australian-N,Z. . Cooperation

(Per

- AUCKLAND,. Mar.ck 30.' Nayal exercises oi any sort .were ; alwaya valuable and- particularly wlieui made with " units of .other Dqminioii i navieSj as they ensured a eomnio11 1 doctrine of thinKing and- woridng aloug] com.mon lines, said itear Admi'r.al H. B. j Earncomb, B.B., D.B.G-., M.t.O., hdag Uhicer Commandmg the AuktmliauK squadron, bef 6re: leavihg Auekiand toi 1 Hyd'ney in the 10,000-ton cruiser Austf.a-i lia this niprning, "Then if" we havej got to join in war -wa know what the ■ other is doing," he added.- \ j v That had- been weli demonstrated m" the eafly stages of the war -with dapau \ ■when the New Zealand cruisers Leandc-r, and Achilles joined the Aust-raiiah units in whaf was known as the Anzui, •Navy, said Rear- Admiral Earnconib.. Hie Dominion's cruiaers moyad In-jusi. 48 if they had been units of th.e Royai Australian Navy. They openited togfethp.r in unison until the •ehange m command when the New Zealaii*ds ships came" under the -HQUfh Pacilic are£t>au i che Australian ships, under the HOuvtn-, west Pacilic area. . . Cooperation between the staffs- of The Royal Australian Navy and. lioyaLNew Zealand Navy was very close.- As far as ' active exercises were eoneerned however, the first couple of years aftei r'ke war had been rather quiesceht. "1 hope the interehange of visi-ts will con tinue and tha-t there will be New Zealand ships in Bydney, We will corrie back here in du.e course," he said. • Asked to comment -.on the value'- oi smaller New Zealarkl ships combining; ivith the larger units of the Royal Australian Navy in exercises for escort training and convoy dutv, Rear-Admiral Earncomb sriid they had not yet hau exercises with the smaller vessels of th.Koyal New Zealand Navy. He thougjr, that If the small vessels could get to gether with Australian minesweepers and anti-subjnarine vessels, the exer> cises would be very benelicial. "Hub inarines from the British Pacilic tleet have been sejit . dowii specilically to train our anti-submarine vessels aad possibjy there will be an opportunity for the New ZealUnd ships to work with submarines," ,he said. • Ther.e had b.e,eu exercises every day for six \Veeks with ihe submarines Wh.en they w,ere in Australian waters. In the nreantjine . artilicial targets were uspd. The Royal Australian Navy woyld have a new ligbt Oeet aircraftcarrier av the end of the year, .said Rear -Admiral. Earncomb. It would be the same AS tlie 13,350-.ton Theseus which visited Auckland last Heptember. Combined exercises would then be nuich more valuabe. A second ajrcraf't carrier w,ou'ld join "the Royal Australian N^vy in two years' time, ' ' W.e are already. eoilecL ing pilots .and aircrews in Australia, ^ said Rear-Admir,al Earncomb. .OHjcers and men were going to Britain to take ;,over. ' Carrier pilots w.ere mostly mem bers of the R.A.A.E. with some Eleei Air Arm pilots. The Royal Australian Navy was training some men itsell Preliminary training was under taken at the Ii.A.A.E. station but later ( rainjng was -given at the nayal air station in JOngLandi , The Coclcatoo, Garden Island anu Williamstown doekyards wer.e valuable adjuncts to the Royal Australian Navy, vontinued Roar- Admiral Earncomb. Hmall .s'hips, incjuding desti'oye''S, had been bpilt and were in the bui Iding Engines and othe'r equipment could b.c manufactur.ed at- Cockatoo do.cky.ard, The Chief of the New Zealand Navai Staff, Comniodore G. W. G, Simpson, C.B.E., R.N,, left in the cruiser for u. short visit to Australia. He wfil re turn by air on April 14. Commodorc Simpson said-he was going to nieei Rear-Admiral J. A. ColJins, -Chief of the Australian Naval Staff, to discuss navhi matters of interost to hoth coiAiitri^s. He would be thve guest of the Goyemot of Vi'ctoria, Alajor-General Sir William Dugan. Commodore Simpson said he was particiilai'U i-nterested in visj.ting the Elinders training depot; where New Zealanders received. rbh.eir trajning jfrom leadyig seampn ,tq ;,pe|ty > oMeers - 'and clifef petty- ohfkfet'S'b --AYitmth^ intrbdhe'" tion of radar, direotion linding auo other equipment during the war, train ing techniques had ehanged. In company with the New Zealand cruiser BeJlona, th.e cruiser Austraiia and the Australian d.estroyer Bataau which is eommanded by Captain J. C Morrow, left Devonjiort navul base a' 10.30 this morning, The Belluna moved out first from her berth alongside the cruiser Black Prince, her Royal Mariri band pla.ving "Rule Br-itannia". Thr Bellona waited in Ihe stream wh'iJe the Australia sailed, her band pjaying "Now is the Houiy" "Advance, An-, tralia Fair" and "W.altzjng Matilda '.- . She was foliow.ed by the Bat.aan, Theii sidc-s manned and the Australia leftding, they had to weave through idlfi shipping- i n. the stream before leavin|i' pori in line ahead. After fuelling operation in the Hauraki Gujf during the after no,on and other exercises, thfe two Australian ships and the Bellona were to part company at the Three Kings te night. Tlie Australia and Bataan weri' to set course for Sydney wliile the Bellona was to pr.oc.eed to Tarakohe where . she is due on Thursday. The Bellona will retum t-o Auckland on Ma.v (5 after a training eryise in Nely Zealand waters, .