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The Naval Task Group includes personnel from the
Royal Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal Marines, the Royal Fleet
Auxiliary and the Merchant Navy who are borne in seven ships and a stone
frigate, H.M.S. "Resolution" at Port London.
Operational Units
H.M.S. NARVIK is one of the permanent members of the squadron based on
Christmas Island to provide afloat support between Christmas and other
Islands. "Narvik" is a landing ship tank modified to carry
seven 30 ton landing craft support ships on her upper deck. She is
fitted with additional distillation capacity and several other
facilities to enable her to carry out her task. The Gilbertese Village
will be evacuated into "Narvik" for the test.
The Anti Submarine Frigates H.M.S. "Ulysses" and H.M.N.Z.S.
"Pukaki" are visiting the Grapple Area for Yankee to carry out
weather ship duties. Spending almost all their time some 300 miles east
of the Island they release radio sonde and meteorological balloons. The
latter are tracked to heights of up 100,000 feet by radar.
"Ulysses" arrived here from the Mediterranean Fleet via Panama
and New Zealand and after Yankee completes a circle of the World via
Singapore and South Africa. "Pukaki" is a Grapple veteran
having taken part in every test so far carried out here.
H.M.S. "Cavalier" a destroyer from the Far East Station,
arrived a week ago via Australia and New Zealand to act as an intruder
patrol ship and assist, if required, with air sea rescue.
"Cavalier" is of wartime design with 4.5" guns with a
maximum speed of 30 knots.
Logistic Support - The Royal Fleet Auxiliary "Fort Beauharnois"
carries the bulk food for the entire Task Force and was the first ship
to arrive at Christmas Island in 1955 as part of the Grapple Squadron.
Since then she has returned to the United Kingdom to refit and restock
and have additional refrigeration and distillation plant fitted. She
carries 30,000 men/months of food.
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