CORET
The risk or extent of possible disruption during the typhoon season does not merit the banning of AMP during that time, provided that some flexibility is allowed in the Guardship programme for delays, and so the pattern of AMP can be spread evenly throughout the year and be integrated with patrol craft support. The advantages of this solution include:-
14.
a.
b.
C.
Maximum stability would be achieved for the Base Maintenance Partys at Hong Kong and Singapore.
The Singapore Base Maintenance Party (SBMP) will have a small spare capacity which could improve operational flexibility.
The very stability of the SBMP increases the opportunity for quid pro quo AMP arrangements with ANZ for support of RN Ships in the Antipodes.
This option provides a gain of some 11 operational ship weeks por year for tasks other than Hong Kong compared with the availability envisaged under the existing Guardship rules. Although the individual periods of.availability are increased they are hardly sufficient to allow ships to carry out tasks outside the S.E. Asia area. A measure of flexibility is however achieved if a deployment plan was based on Annex A insofar that individual periods of availability for other tasks are contiguous to maintenance periods away from Hong Kong and Singapore.
Visits by ANZ Ships to Hong Kong
15. The Governor has said (5) that ANZ ships are always welcome in Hong Kong but can only be regarded as a bonus to the continuous presence of a Guardship. However visits by ANZ ships would provide a visible presence, and the Governor might be pursuaded to agree to the Guardship going to four days notice from Hong Kong whilst these visits took place so long as the ANZ ships are not considered to be the Guardship.
Conclusions
16. It is concluded that:-
a. Since the Governor and CBFNE consider that the
continuous presence of a Guardship is essential to the maintenance of confidence in Hong Kong a frigate at four days notice would not be acceptable.
An arrangement, by which the Guardship could go to two days notice from time to time in order to AMP should satisfy the Governor's requirements for a continuous visible presence.
(5) HQBFHK Signal DO 12 of 14/10/70
SEOPET
c./
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