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HAV I NG AN I CE T I ME As Br i t a i n f rose , t hese sa i l o r s I. H.M.S. Endu r ance we r e ab l e t o t ake a ph i l osoph i ca l v i ew i at t he wea t he r - , i n t he addd$e o f i b i n An t a r c t i c hea t wave ' ch Desp i t e t he backd r op I t was " hands t o MW~ . . wkb i a so f t dr I and a copy o f Navy News f or LREM Ph i l Saye , A l l Paddy ( t r a , A l l F LM " N i ge l Geo r ge Fm~ . AR G i l be r t , LR . EM Ph i l Tb l cke t t and MEM

isokl i

W I LL PAY AWARD New SLOW THE home for Ar k ' TRAI NED ' DRA I N? be l l As da l a i s have been PEeed ove r who has wha t o f H . M . S . A r k Roya l ' s a l vab l es , t he . . agn f t kes t s i l ve r be l l wh i ch 2cw t . sa i l ed t he wo r l d w i t h t he f ou r t h Ar k has been moved t o Yeov i l t oa and pu t on show a t t he F l ee t A i r A r m Museum . 1 ' be even t ua l p l an i s t o house i t i n a spec i a l A r k

di spl ay. in

A keen i n t e r es t t he be l l had been r A . d by t he C i t y o f Leeds , wh i ch had t he do~ o f baks w i t h t he f our t h Ar k - t o r t , dg F r eedom o f t he C i t y - and wbme . - l t i I nves t ed mo r e t han f ___ l l h i oa i n Nod~ Sav i ngs i n a Wa r sh i p Week I . 142 . The and g r ow i ng I nc r eas i ng l y popu l a r uaes , " ~ . bases I t s da i m on a documen t wh i ch r e~ f r om a mee t i ng i n a dockya r d s t r ee t I n G I b r . Mn r t he day a f t e r t he s t ok i ng of

the th i rd Ar k I . Novembe r , 19411

Th i t mee t i ng made ava l ab l e some £SSO o f A r k ad can t een mosey f or t he pu r chase o f a new be l l , e i t he r t o be ca r r i ed by an A r k Roya l i n co . Lon o r t o be p l aced i n t he ca r e o f t he command i ng o f f i ce r o f t he a i r s t a t i sm head accommoda t i ng t he qua r t e r s i d t he f l ee t A i r Ar m .

bee '

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Th i s H . Q . Is mow i at whe r e t he command i ng o f f i ce r Is a t rus t ee o f t he museum , wh i ch p l ans t o b i odd t he be l l i n t rus t un t I l I t i s r equ i r ed by t he f i f t h Ar l k . Among many o t he r Ar k memen t os and t roph i es wh i ch t he am~ Is p& . a l ag t o se t up i t a wo r k i ng mode l iod t he sh i p . I t Is aho hoped t o be ab l e t o ob t a i n t he Ar k ' s f l yco (or pa r*t -o f I t )- . p p a In one i d t he An Ar k ' s ancho r s has bees d i s

~.

p l ayed by P l ymou t h C i t y CO~1 M~~ . t he Ar k o f f i c i a l l y wes t OM o f ~a~~ a t Sunse t on Feb rua r y 13 when t he Wh i t e Ens i gn was l ow~ f or t he km t i me . Seven hund r ed m1 r s o f t he p ' s com pany r ema i n t o dc - s t or e and dc - equ i p be r . t hough t hey a r e now accommoda t ed in H . M . S . D r ake . To ass i s t I n t he maW r a huge r amp has been cons t ruc t ed by A r my co g i nee r s . The 37111 . r amp w i l l r un pa r a l l e l t o t he A r k t o a SM . h i gh t owe r , wh i ch f o r ms one end o f a ' h r I dge " t o t he sh i p . Heavy t e r r i es w i l l be ab l e t o dr i ve d i r ec t on t o t he ca r r i e r , sav i ng t i me and ~N~5 ub

at Dc . ~

The con t i nued ou t f l ow o f t r a i ned men f r om t he du r i ng t he pas t yea r has r ema i ned d i squ i e t i ng . says t he Wh i t e Pape r , Bu t t he Gove r nmen t hopes t ha t " as pay i s t o co rnpa r ab i l i t y . t he no r ma l pa t t e r n o f ou t f l ow r esumed , " To t a l numbe r s o f men and women l eav i ng t he Se r v i ces f or a l l r easons du r i ng 1978 - 79 con t i nued t o i nc l ude an unusua l l y h i gh ou t f l ow o f expe r i enced and sk i l l ed pe r sonne l f o l l ow i ng r eques t s f or If p r ema t u r e vo l un t a r y r e~ . t h i s con t i nued , t he consequences wou l d be se r i ous . Ove r a l l r ec ru i t i ng f i gur es f or 1978 , a l t hough cons i de r ab l y h i ghe r t han 1977 , showed t ha t i t was un l i ke l y t ha t i nc r eased t a rge t s wou l d be me t . SHORTFALLS

I n some i mpo r t an t ca t egor i es i n t he 1978-79 Roya l Navy t he ach i evemen t wou l d f a l l shor t . Among o f f i ce rs t he r e a r e expec t ed t o be shor t f a l l s i n seamen , eng i nee r s and i ns t ruc t ors . Among r a t i ngs , shor t f a l l s a r e l i ke l y i n a numbe r o f b r anches , no t ab i , , a r t i f i ce rs , med i ca l ass i s t an t s and mechan i cs (A i r ) . The Wh i t e Pape r f or ecas t s t o t a l R . N . s t r eng t h f or Apr i l 1 t h i s yea r as 74 . 500 , compa r ed w i t h 75 , 200 on Apr i l 1, 1978 and 73 , SW on Janua r y 1 t h i s yea r . " As t hough t s become f ocussed on t h i s yea r ' s pay awa r d , specu l a t i on has p rov i ded a va r i e t y o f f i gur es on wha t t he pe r cen t age awa r d f r om Apr i l 1 w i l l f i na l l y p r ove t o be . F i gur es o f 20 and 24 pe r cen t have been t he mos t Pr ess s t or i es .

common in nat ional

The r e can ' o f cour se , be no con f i rma t i on o r announcemen t

Se r v i ces De f ence r es t o r ed w i l l be

un t i l t he r epor t o f t he A r med Fo r ces Pay Rev i ew Body has been cons i de r ed by t he Gove r nmen t Some o f t he pr i nc i p l es wh i ch gu i de t he AFPRB i n i ts de l i be r a t i ons a r e ou t l i ned i n an a r t i c l e i n page 18 P, c l uto LA( PM) P . , i Obsan

' NESS ' R i l apmIKKI Conve rs i on of R. F . A . Ta rba t ness to an amph i b i ous t ranspor t sh i p w i l l prov i de he r w i t h capac i t y to accommoda t e and l and a Roya l Ma r i ne Comm2ndo Group and to ca r ry he r own l and i ng cra f t . The Ta r ba t ness ,

at

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16 , 792 t ons ( f u l l

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BR I GHT BULWARK !

suppo r t sh i p , w i l l ope r a t e he l i cop t e r s f r om he r sma l l f l i gh t deck I n announc i ng t he conve r s i on t h i s yea r , t he De f ence Wh i t e Pape r , pub l i shed i n l a t e Feb rua r y , sa i d gr ea t i mpo r t ance was a t t ached t o t he comm i t men t t o p rov i de R , M . amph i b i ous f or ces f or t he r e i n f o r cemen t

o f t he nor t he rn f l ank o f NATO and t he At l an t i c I s l ands.

The poss i b i l i t y o f R , F . A . sh i ps " go i ng amph i b i ous " was men t i oned i n Navy News three yea rs ago. F i f t een Wes t l and Commando he l i copt ers , orde r ed t o prov i de t he

Ma r i nes w i t h i mproved l i f t capab i l i t y ' wi l l be des i gna t ed Sea K i ngs Ma r k 4 , They wi l l be ab l e t o l i f t l i ght guns and ove r snow veh i c l es ' and

de l i ver i es star t l a ter th i s year .

Sh i p news i n t he Wh i t e Pape r i nc l uded :

The e l even t h nuc l ea r - powe r ed f l ee t subnmr i ne ' H. M , S , Spa r t an ,

is due t o en t e r se rv i ce th i s yea r . The l ast o f th i s c l ass and t he f i rst t wo o f t he new Tr a f a l ga r c l ass a r e now unde r cons t ruc t i on . Des i gn s t ud i es a r e i n hand f or a new o f f shor e pa t ro l vesse l wh i ch i t p l anned t o i n t roduce i n t he ea r l y 1980s t o succeed t he Ton c l ass vesse l s t i , , cd f or coas t a l f i she ry pro t ec t i on . LA ( P t ) Mca ~ r d

New weapons

Weapons and equ i pmen t news i nc l uded : : Wo r k on t he L i ghtwe i ght St i ng Ray deve l opmen t pro g r amme i s con t i nu i ng w i t h t he a i m o f a t orpedo capab l e o f be i ng l aunched f rom sur f aceproduc . N t we i mrod i gh t a i rcra f t sh i ps , i n j A.l i gh and he l i copt ers . Sc i b -Ha rpom: Th i s l ong- r ange an t i -sh i p ~1e , l aunched f rom sub me rged subma r i nes , wi l l en t e r serv i ce i n t he ea r l y 198a . Sea Skua : Th i s an t i -sur f ace sh i p rn i sa i l e , t o be ca r r i ed by t he Lynx he l i cop t er , i s be i ng deve l oped f or en t ry i nto serv i ce nex t year . Es t i ma t ed spend i ng f or 1979-80 on produc t i on o f new equ i pmen t and spa r es i nc l udes £757 m i l l i on on sh i p equ i pmen t , s tores and sh ioor rf , £51 m i l l i on f or weapons . Th i s i nc l udes £M I m i l l i on gh t i nush i ps m i ,l l i on f or weapon , ; uppor t , R. F . A . vesse l s and o t he r vesw i s ,f iand s~ ' s t ems . mi ~, s i l es and t orpedoes


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