European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 22, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                              About Staj s setting Sun re stripes daily Magazine second look at thelml m managing editor s to on Tjwie 4,stripes ran an article in its Dally Magazine written by a wire Servic Eiter and headed the Sun sets on the Royal  the Story Trace the history of toe Royal Navy and showed that economic pressures bailed to the disappearance of the White Ensign from Many of the seas of the Globe the writer of this editor s note a lifelong student of naval history took Only Brief notice of the article because navies Are As much mood a steel. The debt civilization owes to British seamen since Henry Vrh can never be measured but the article skipped past this. And in so doing i brought Forth the following letter dear sir your article raised More than a few British naval eyebrows and very probably those of a number of colleagues and friends in the unite states Navy who will be very surprised to read that the Royal Navy is no bowing itself out of existence. If this were True it would be a very serious thing not Only for great Britain but for the United states and whole of the nato Alliance. However the minds of your readers May be set at rest. Itis not True far far from it. It is True that for economic reasons we have Cut Back our naval strength until we Are now third in the world naval league table if size is the criterion. But we have not Cut Back on the enor Mous wealth of professional and tech Nical experience developed Over our Lon period of history and which is now find ing full scope in the planning of the future Fleet. Economic pressures might mean we have to have a smaller Navy but a Navy that ruled the Waves would not Settle for an inferior one. We maybe proud of Nelson and Drake but we Are also and More important proud of our professional capabilities and determined to continue to have a first rat and modern Fleet. Of course our ships Are smaller i number than the fleets of America and Russia. But Check through the record Sand you will find most of them Are Brand new purpose built vessels. The average age of the ships of the British seagoing Fleet is a Good Deal less than that of the us the six county class guided missile destroyers with their sea slug and Seacat missile systems were ail built between1962-66. Two More Are still building and come into service next year the30-Odd Leander class general purpose frigates Are All of 196&-67 origin the tribal class 1961-64, the Salisbury air Craft direction frigates 1957-Flo and the Leopard class antiaircraft frigates Are a Little older at i$97-4�. Of the anti submarine frigates the Rothesay class were completed let Ween Juwo-61, the Whitby class Between 19w-58 and the Blackwood class Between 1ws-58. This seem like a Navy on the Way out take submarines. We Are investing in our nuclear powered Polaris submarines our nuclear owe Ved Fleet Subrata t 18 a by Active capacity f or recon Jojane and for but monday july 22, 1968 modern  guided missile destroyers Are joining the Royal Navy. Face ship and submarine attack that the helicopter can offer. Even today Many ships do have their own helicopter flight. As for the Battle Wagon the Royal Navy Long ago decided it was a ship no longer  is True we will not have the aircraft Carrier for Many More years though this does not Stop us providing the Ark Royal with phantoms. But we Are going to have three helicopter cruisers and we Are now working on a design for a new one. We might be losing our present carriers but this does not mean to say we Are not going Forward with inventive Ness and technical experience and no doubt your readers will recall that the Royal Navy has in the past led the Way with All the important technical advances in this area such As the angled deck steam catapults optical Landing sights and water assisted arrester gear. The Royal Navy has also played a major role in the development of the Mari time use of the helicopter using it for amphibious assault submarine Detec Tion and attack and surveillance. In the Field of engineering has sex Mouth is now undergoing trials As the first major warship of a Western Nav to be powered entirely by Gas turbines. We have developed the Art of afloat support to a High degree and the Sec Ond to none ships of the Royal flee auxiliary enable the Fleet to remain at sea for very Long periods. N up four Mark armed tubs take renown of boosting missile Power. Thi stars and str1ks body who has studied our naval history could really believe the British role would be confined to the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic and itis absurd to suggest that the White in sign will not be seen on oceans other than the Atlantic. If for no other Rea son our very Cut use links with the australian and new zealand navies will require in the future very close  writer May be assured that our ships will not be confined to any on Ocean. The life Stream of a Navy is mobility. Although the Navy today is smaller it is far More Cost effective. Fewer men and ships pack a far far mightier punch than Ever before. We have been Cut Down in size for economic reasons but your writer would do Well to have a look at  is no new thing for the Navy to be Cut Down by the government. Nor is Ita new thing for the Navy to Rise again should tiie occasion demand. The Royal Navy has never failed its own country or the free world and it will not do Soin future. The officers and men of the Fleet Are glad and proud to be playing a proper part in the nato Alliance and they Well know that their colleagues in the us Are aware of their  article is headed the Sun sets in the Royal  the writer should remember that the Sun also rises daily. Yours sincerely a. Home Cook Captain Royal Navy ii