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b. The West Indies. Two frigates, with a detachment
of Royal Marines normally embarked in each, are deployed
in the West Indies, augmented occasionally by other units
for exercises and trials. These forces will be withdrawn
by April 1976, and thereafter contingencies will be met by
deploying ships of our forces from the Eastern Atlantic.
C. The South Atlantic. The ice patrol ship HMS Endurance
is in the Antarctic to support the British Antarctic Survey
and to conduct hydrographic surveys. A small Royal Marines
detachment is based on the Falkland Islands.
11.
ROYAL NAVAL SHIPS, AIRCRAFT AND EQUIPMENT
The status of major programmes for 1975-76 is as follows:
New Construction
a.
(1)
Cruisers
HMS Invincible, the first of the new class of
anti-submarine cruisers, is under construction by
Messrs Vickers.
She will have a standard displacement
of 16,000 tons and accommodation to the latest standards
for 1,000 officers and men. The new cruisers will be
the largest gas-turbine propelled warships in the world.
(11)
Nuclear-Powered Fleet Submarines
The seventh and eighth nuclear fleet submarines,
HMS Swiftsure and HMS Sovereign, have entered service.
These are the first of a new submarine class, capable
of deeper diving and greater speed than the previous
III 4
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