of being held responsible, alongside Britain and France put Prime Minister Holland, who like Menzies in Australia had a Cabinet of old fashioned British patriots, in the position of wanting both to "stand by the UK" despite their misgivings while not damaging New Zealand's relationship with the US. President Eisenhower viewing the British and French invasion as embarrassing as it coincided with a election in the USA in which he sought reelection as President and the USSR was engaged in invading and reasserting control in its own colonial empire ,reoccupying Budapest. Holland appeared to suffer a mild heart attack on the day of the invasion. But on hearing the Anglo French action had begun, remained in his parliamentary office for 48 hours supervising New Zealand's response and the drafting of orders, cables and to the UK Government, Foreign Office and Royalist, after heated exchanges with NZ Foreign Service officers, RNZN and NZDF staff,and his Cabinet on instructions to Cpt Phipps to withdraw the RN/RNZN joint manned, cruiser Royalist. Hollands health and National government (like Anthony Eden, UK Government) never recovered from the Suez crisis and dissention, within his own staff . At that point the only other immediately available replacement cruiser was , which lacked modern AA systems and the equipment to process air-warning radar data and "multiple communication channels" with Fleet Air Arm aircraft. Royalist continued on station off the Egyptian coast with RN destroyers as an emergency picket. There it covered the first Sea Hawk strikes from the carriers Eagle, Bulwark and Albion which were from the Egyptian coast; the maximum range for the carriers radar and for the Sea Hawks to attack the Egyptian Air Force bases at Cairo and return. The previous afternoon photo-reconnaissance flights had identified 63 MiG fighters and 49 Ilyushin Il-28 "Beagle" bombers there. The night RAF bomber strikes from Malta and Cyprus had failed to destroy any of the Egyptian aircraft on 31 November. Royalist remained on station for possibly 24 hours as AD picket and rescue ship, sometimes assisting the RN fighter bombers to navigate to targets and return to their carriers until transferred from shore bombardment duty off Port Said and the risk from Egypt's jet fighters and bombers was suppressed. A day later, Royalist withdrew from a scheduled bombardment mission in support of a RN destroyer squadron, moving further offshore away from the main body of the RN fleet