When the Admiralty offered an amphibious 'Duck' to replace carrier towing tractors, Vian judged it too large for that task but welcomed the prospect of using it as an extra boat. Whether he obtained it and used it for pilot rescue remains uncertain. His extremely brief reply to a technical question about wind-direction equipment and jets showed his preference for brevity, and the Admiralty had to ask for more detail. He treated maintenance burden and reliability as operational qualities instead of matters of national pride. He valued the Seafire's performance in the air but strongly criticized how often it broke and the work needed to keep it available. When Dutch or American equipment performed better than its British equivalent, he said so repeatedly and pushed for the best equipment he could obtain.
Notable Point · 1:57:09-1:59:54
Vian judged Pacific equipment by utility and maintainability
Vian proposed using an offered amphibious vehicle as an extra boat and criticized unreliable equipment even when its performance in the air was good.