§ 2.35 p.m.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government when the conversion of H.M.S. "Blake" will be completed and whether similar conversions will be carried out to H.M.S. "Lion" and H.M.S. "Tiger".]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE FOR THE ROYAL NAVY (LORD WINTERBOTTOM)My Lords, plans for the conversions of the "Tiger" Class cruisers are going ahead in accordance with decisions announced in the 1966 White Paper. The first ship to be converted, H.M.S. "Blake", is expected to complete towards the end of 1968.
EARL JELLICOEMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for his reply, but in view of the great increase in the versatility and effectiveness of these cruisers which their conversion to helicopter-carrying cruisers will lead to, can he confirm that the full conversion programme will in fact be carried out to all three ships?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, it is difficult to say what the noble Earl means by "the full conversion". Nevertheless, an important element, and one of the factors which has been under consideration, is the need to take into account revised helicopter plans. As the noble Earl knows, it is proposed to take into the Fleet the SH.3D anti-submarine 1172 warfare helicopter, and this aircraft, with its very much greater capacity to cope with the submarine threat, is an important element in considering how these ships shall be converted.
EARL JELLICOEMy Lords, am I right in supposing that they will be converted to carry up to four of these helicopters? Can the noble Lord confirm that this is the case?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, that is correct.
LORD ASHBOURNEMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord, Lord Winterbottom, whether the Minister of Defence is considering the designing of a new class of ship to succeed these ageing cruisers for the purpose we are now talking about?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, that is another question.