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The Great Carrier Debate
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THE PROBLEM of replacing the country’s sole surviving aircraft carrier goes back at least as far as that of replacing RAAF Mirages. I recall a conversation in Canberra over 10 years ago, when some RAN officers who had inspected the ship’s bilges told me that any reasonably heavy sea would break her in two! Despite such gloomy predictions, HMAS Melbourne carries on even today, its complement of A-4 Skyhawks, S-2 Trackers and Sea King helicopters retaining Australia’s foothold in that select band of nations that can project both fixed and rotary-wing air power at long range over the sea.
One of the early milestones in the Melbourne-replacement saga was the NAP (Naval Air Power) study carried out by the Department of Defence think-tank, the Central Studies Establishment located across town from the Russell Offices in an office block just beyond the Canberra Rex. Despite RAN protests that CSE had exceeded its terms of reference in making a direct cost-effectiveness comparison of sea-based and land-based air power, the civilian analysts decided that this was the only rational basis from which they could comment on the wisdom of buying further flattops.
The outcome was a total disaster for the RAN, with flight-refuelled land-based aircraft emerging as the clear winner across virtually the whole spectrum of scenarios. The story went around defence circles (and there appeared to be more than an element of truth in it) that the only conceivable situation in which a clear case could be made for the aircraft carrier was an amphibious operation to dislodge a powerful enemy that had invaded Fiji. However. in this particular war game the Army refused to go in with the meagre air cover that the RAN could provide!
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