Duffy turns from carrier defence to a compact list of unresolved mine-warfare and amphibious-support problems. He asks whether limitations of the French PAP-104 vehicle in cloudy or muddy water justified acquiring Italian remotely controlled minehunters with onboard sonar. He also asks how major Channel ports would be kept open if deep-sea trawlers were deployed elsewhere and whether a dedicated estuarial mine-countermeasure vessel was needed. The same passage presses for a timetable on the amphibious-lift study and the first batch of new landing craft. These are questions rather than answers, but together they reveal the less visible craft and access problems behind a fleet's ability to move shipping and troops.
Notable Point · 1:12:52-1:13:57
Minehunting gaps, estuaries, and amphibious lift
Duffy's unanswered procurement questions identify muddy-water minehunting, Channel-port access, estuarial work, amphibious shipping, and landing craft as connected readiness gaps.