Jul and Oct 1982 - Navy League of Australia

Right Idea
Wrong
Ship
Wrong
Time
by LCDR BRUCE SWAIN
Page Twelve THE NAVY July.1982
Until the new HMAS
AUSTRALIA eventually
berths for the first time at
Garden Island, the
controversy over the decision
to purchase a carrier
replacement for
MELBOURNE — and
particularly, the decision to
acquire HMS INVINCIBLE
— will continue.
I feci thai any further debate is an exercise
in futility, and that the ultimate
acquisition of INVINCIBLE is fait
accompli — unless something disastrous
occurs in the Falklands!
But while the RAN is breathing a lot
easier that now not only a decision to purchase
a ne» carrier has been made, but
which carrier, has been decided, there are
mans in the Service who arc aware of the
ramifications on the Nasy of today.
INVINCIBLE is a mixed blessing - she's
cheap, she's available (soon), and she
meets most, if not all. the requirements of
a MEI BOURNE replacement While she
is cheap in terms of dollars, however, her
cost in other terms is very dear to the
RAN.
For a little over two years, from 1977
until 1979. I worked in the Directorate of
Tactics. Action Information Organisation
and Navigation (DTAN1 in Navy Office.
Canberra. It was a two-man directorate
— the Director, a Navigation specialist,
and myself, the Deputy Director, a Direction
specialist. Because of the rather allencompassing
title of the directorate, we
found ourselves involved in many projects
— satellite navigation equipment, E.M.
July. 1982
VSS TRIPOLI, an I.PII completed in 1966. (Photo - RAW
Logs, the FFC project, the DE modernisation
project. SWAN and TORRENS
Modernisation. WATSON AIOT1
update — and the aircraft carrier project.
Where automated AIO systems were
involved, we worked closely with the
personnel at the Combat Data Systems
Centre (CDSC). Fyshwick. and with
various technical directorates at Campbell
Park.
The aircraft carrier project at that siagc
was down to a "short list" — the
American I.HA (''Tarawa" class), the
l.PH ("Iwo Jima" class), the British
through-deck command cruiser ("Invincible"
class), the Spanish "sea-control
ship" (basically an American design), the
Italian helicopter-cruiser ("Garibaldi"
class), and a conventionally-powered
version of the French nuclear powered
helicopter carrier.
Preferred by most RAN personnel
THE NAVY
involved was the 1 HA. being four ships in
one — an aircraft carrier (for helicopters
and VSTOI ). a command and control
ship, an amphibious landing ship, and an
oiler. The initial cost was high, but link*
modification would have been required to
adapi her to RAN requirements. All other
designs would have required modification
to a greater or lesser degree, either in the
type of equipment or the amount.
INVINCIBLE appeared to require the
most changes, and at ihai stage her cost
was also high — around the Si billion
mark While she had an automated data
system — A DAW'S — this was entirely
incompatible with existing and planned
RAN automated systems. The DDCis were
fined with the Naval Combat Data
Svsicm (NCOS), an enhancement of the
American JPTDS (Junior Participant
Tactical Data System), and based on the
Sperry-Uimac AN'L'YK-7 computer.
P»ge Thirteen