§ Captain W. Elliotasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether agreement has been reached on the establishment of a United States under-water test centre in the Bahamas; and whether the Royal Navy will be able to use the centre.
§ Mr. HayThe Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States, with the concurrence of the Bahamas Government, have reached an understanding about the establishment of an undersea test and evaluation centre in the Bahamas, and are taking steps to implement the project.
The new centre, which will cost about £34 million, will provide the United States Navy with facilities for precise evaluation and testing of equipment for under-water defence. The centre will be used both by the United States Navy and the Royal Navy, and will facilitate continued close and effective co-operation between the two navies in this important field of defence.
The land being made available for the centre is partly Crown land, and partly land in private ownership which is being acquired by the Admiralty. The remaining cost of establishing, constructing and maintaining the centre will be met by the United States Government.
The Admiralty will pay to the United States Treasury for twenty years an annual sum not exceeding £150,000, but will not otherwise be charged for use of the centre by the Royal Navy.