Greetings Kremlin
I read your quoted bit from the Cruise Book with interest re the visit of HMS VICTORIOUS to Cape Town in Feb 1961 and Dick Lord's presence whilst he was serving on-board with 892 Naval Air Squadron. That lead me to take a quick look at Hansard (British House of Commons) as to what is recorded there about this visit.
It created a lively discussion in the British Parliament during a Commons sitting dated 1 March 1961, with questions from the floor as to why did this ship visit SA, creating the impression that the RN was 'insensitive' to the SA racial policies of the time ... etc.
Interesting to me was the response from Mr Ian Orr-Ewing, the Civil Lord of the RN Admiralty (1959-1963) in his capacity as Commons spokesman on Naval matters:-
Quote:
The ship had to get to the Far East. She had to go either through the Suez Canal or round South Africa. We are under an obligation under the Simonstown agreement to provide exercises for the South African Navy. We carried out that obligation. That was why she went round South Africa. While she was going round, and while exercising, she also took the opportunity of paying a visit. On the whole, this was a tremendous success and created a great deal of friendship.
An indication as to how important the British government and the RN considered the Simon's Town Agreement in the early sixties. The one sided termination of said agreement was of course a political one and not a RN motivated decision.
Back to the Sea Vixen!
Edit: Corrections made re the Cruise Book reference.
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