Anglo-Australian Naval Relations, 1945–1975

233 Pages·2018·2.251 MB·English

by  Mark Gjessing

Anglo-Australian Naval
Relations, 1945–1975
A More Independent Service
Mark Gjessing
Anglo-Australian Naval Relations, 1945–1975
Mark Gjessing
Anglo-Australian
Naval Relations,
1945–1975
A More Independent Service
Mark Gjessing
Independent Scholar
Leeds, UK
ISBN 978-3-319-92743-5 ISBN 978-3-319-92744-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92744-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018943634
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P
reface
This book will examine Anglo-Australian naval relations between 1945–
75, a period of great change for both Australia and Great Britain in
matters of strategy, economics, diplomacy and international affairs. The
transformation of both nations had a marked impact on the relations
between the two countries. At the end of the Second World War, Great
Britain, though much weakened, was still a world power and the ties of
empire and Commonwealth were strong. By 1975, Britain had turned
to Europe in economic and strategic concerns. British military forces
were much reduced in the Far East, Southeast Asia and Pacific regions.
Faced with a declining military, the UK placed much more emphasis on
the importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The
degradation in the relative power of Great Britain made an Australian
strategic shift towards the USA more likely. In the immediate post-war
years Australian strategic concerns were intertwined to a great extent
with those of the UK, the empire and the Commonwealth. By the mid-
1970s the importance of the USA to Australian security was paramount.
The post-war period was also a time of great transformation for both the
Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The RAN was fashioned on the Royal Navy and support given by
the latter was absolutely crucial for the day-to-day running of the for-
mer. This was especially true in the immediate post-war years. By 1975,
the RAN was a much more independent force with less reliance on the
Admiralty in matters of strategic direction, operations, personnel and
equipment. In many ways, the growth of naval independence mirrored
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vi PREFACE
the national Australian experience, but it did not occur at the same time,
or for the same reasons.
This book is structured as follows. Following this preface, Chapter 1
will examine the cultural and historical ties between the Royal Navy and
the RAN. Consideration will also be given to the efficacy of communi-
cations between the services and the importance of personal relations to
the overall interservice relationship. An assessment will be made of the
high-level strategic choices made by the UK and Australia in the post-
war period in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 will consider the dilemmas faced
by Great Britain associated with that nation’s declining power, and the
impact of the retreat from ‘East of Suez’ on the strategic relationship
between the UK and Australia. Chapter 4 will discuss operational coop-
eration between the Royal Navy and the RAN. This will include conflicts
such as the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency and confrontation with
Indonesia, as well as peacetime pursuits such as port visits and the testing
of atomic weapons in the 1950s. Cooperation in matters of personnel
and training is extremely important in the broader context of inter-naval
relations and this subject will be dealt with in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 will
assess cooperation between the Royal Navy and the RAN in equipment
procurement and design. This chapter will focus predominately on the
creation of the Australian Fleet Air Arm and the great assistance given
by the Admiralty in this task. In addition, Chapter 6 will examine the
increased ability of the RAN to look to non-British sources for equip-
ment procurement. The impact of stronger Australian-American ties on
the RAN will be considered in Chapter 7. This chapter will focus on the
procurement of the Charles F. Adams class guided-missile destroyers by
the RAN, the first major RAN vessels to have been designed outside the
UK and constructed outside Britain or Australia. The role played by the
RAN in the conflict in Vietnam is also covered in this chapter. Chapter 8
will contain the conclusion to this book, a conclusion that will empha-
sise the growth of Australian naval independence alongside the increased
independence of Australia as a nation in the post-war period.
Leeds, UK Mark Gjessing
a
cknowledgements
Many individuals have been crucial in providing support during this
project. Personal thanks should be given to Professor John Gooch of
the University of Leeds for suggesting the topic as one worthy of fur-
ther research. Thanks too, to Dr. Eric Grove of Salford University for
confirming this was indeed the case. Great appreciation is also due to
Professor F. R. Bridge, Professor Edward Spiers, Associate Professor
Rachel Utley and Dr. Owen Hartley of the University of Leeds for their
continued support of my academic activities over the years.
Special thanks are due to Alastair Cooper for his enthusiasm that
I should continue to build on his initial studies on post-war Anglo-
Australian naval relations. His support has been much appreciated.
I must give my appreciation to Molly Beck and Oliver Dyer at
Palgrave Macmillan for providing me with indispensable guidance during
the publication process of this book.
I would like to thank the staff at the various archives I have visited
during this project. In particular, appreciation should be given to the
following State offices of the National Archives of Australia; Melbourne,
Canberra and Sydney. In addition, the staff at the Australian War
Memorial were particularly helpful in the acquisition of primary sources
for this book. A great debt is owed to the members of the Sea Power
Centre-Australia, in particular Dr. David Stevens, Petar Djokovik,
John Perryman and Victoria Kitanov. I have much appreciation for this
admirable institution for their kind permission to utilise photographic
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viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
material, as well as other indispensable primary source material in the
preparation of this book.
A range of UK archives have provided crucial primary source mate-
rial including the Public Record Office in Kew, the Churchill College
Archives Centre in Cambridge, the National Maritime Museum in
Greenwich, the Imperial War Museum in London and the Liddell Hart
Centre for Military Archives, Kings College, London.
My father, Garry Gjessing, has unfailingly provided enthusiasm and
encouragement during my academic studies and this book is a testament
to his faith in me.
Greatest thanks are due to my wife, Maggie. Any account of the sup-
port she has provided to me throughout, not only the fabrication of this
project, but during my academic career, could not do justice. Maggie
has an unfailing support and abiding belief in this ‘old salt’ that is both
remarkable and greatly appreciated. To state that this book could have
been completed without her would be a falsehood.
c
ontents
1 Communications, Personal Relations and Cultural
and Historical Ties 1
2 High-Level Strategy 31
3 East of Suez Dilemmas 47
4 Operations 83
5 Manpower, Personnel and Training 107
6 Equipment Design and Procurement 141
7 Australia, Allies and the RAN 171
8 Conclusion 201
Bibliography 213
Index 221
ix
a
bbreviations
AAW Anti-Air Warfare
ACNB Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
ANZAM Australia, New Zealand and Malaya (Arrangement)
ANZUK Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom
ANZUS Australia-New Zealand-United States (Treaty)
ASW Anti-Submarine Warfare
AWM Australian War Memorial
BDLS British Defence Liaison Staff
BRITANZ British/Australian/New Zealand (Military Discussions)
CENTO Central Treaty Organisation
CAS Chief of Air Staff
CCAC Churchill College Archives Centre, Cambridge
CCH Command Cruiser (UK)
CNO Chief of Naval Operations
CNS Chief of Naval Staff
COMFEF Commander Far East Fleet
CVS Support Aircraft Carrier (Anti-Submarine Warfare)
DCNS Deputy-Chief of Naval Staff
DD Destroyer
DE Destroyer Escort
DDG Guided Missile Destroyer
DDL Light Destroyer
DMZ De-Militarized Zone (Vietnam)
ECM Electronic Counter-Measures
FAA Fleet Air Arm
FESR Far East Strategic Reserve (British Commonwealth)
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