HMNZS Royalist in Waitemata Harbour, 1956

HMNZS Royalist after dropping anchor in Waitemata Harbour, December, 1956 shows Royalist configuation in the days building up to Operation Musketter with the RNZN cruiser with the British fleet, and the British CNS pressing the civilian First Lord Hailsham, to tell NZ PM Sydney Holland, that the NZ cruiser capabilities were essential to support Musketter while NZ diplomats McIntosh and Frank Corner, told Holland he was being asked to participate in illegal warfare and collaboration in violation of the UN Charter and NZ was quite likely to join France and the UK in the World Court dock for unprovoked criminal aggression.They rejected RN and British arguments for the cruisers value, on the common sense grounds that it was unique, and why did they sell it to us?? ( of course the ruling assumption of the UK establishment was NZ was us- Eden was about to discover, Corner and McIntosh certain I y weren't us) Excellent photo, showing the full, radar and AA defence, angle coverage of 5.25 & 40mm STAAG Mk 2 AC CIWS mounts, the position of the forward Q position STAAG and its 262 radar antenna on the mount is nb, fitted lower than the 40mm quad pom pom on Black Prince and Bellona or US quad Bofors in Q on Phoebe and Cleopatra in Q position 1944-51.

From a collection of photographs depicting the return of the HMNZS Royalist for Christmas, 1956, published in:
"Royalist home for Christmas". The Weekly News (Auckland, New Zealand: Wilson and Horton): p. 30. 26 December 1956. OCLC 29121953.

Photograph taken 1956 by an unidentified photographer.