navy today issue 161, june · issue 161 june 11 royal new zealand navy three services as one force,...

issue 161 june 11 R O Y A L n e W Z e A L A n D n A V Y

t h r e e s e r v i c e s a s o n e f o r c e , b e i n g t h e b e s t i n e v e r y t h i n g w e d o

navytodayv i s i t o U r w e b s i t e : w w w . n a v y . M i L . n Z

pacific partnership flying the flag

bersama shield five power exercise

kiwi submariner wartime command

anzac day around the world

insiDe THis issue:

04 Exercise BERSAMA SHIELD

12 USS CLEVELAND

14 Forum Fisheries Agency

15 RNZN Band

16 RNZN Peacekeepers

20 Our People

22 HMNZS TAUPO & ROTOITI

24 HMNZS OTAGO & WELLINGTON

26 HMNZS RESOLUTION

27 HMNZS ENDEAVOUR

28 Naval Reserve

32 Training & Education

34 A Kiwi Submariner

36 Sport

38 Main Notice Board

| issue 161 | june 2011

08 pacific partnership 18 anzac Day 30 the KermaDec Voyage

“flag move’—cDre Jesse Wilson Usn with the co of canterBUry and members of the ship’s company, as cDre Wilson struck his broad pennant and prepared to move back to Uss cLeVeLanD. Photo: USS CLEVELAND, 20110508_OH_N1015025_0087

Published to entertain, inform and inspire serving members of the RNZN.

Navy Today is the official newsletter for personnel and friends of the Royal New Zealand Navy, produced by the Defence Communications Group, Wellington, Navy Today is now in its fifthteenth year of publication.

Views expressed in Navy Today are not necessarily those of the RNZN or the NZDF.

Contributions are welcomed. Submit copy or letters for publication in Microsoft Word, on CD or emailed. Articles about 300 words, digital photos at least 200dpi.

To request reprints, please contact the Editor.

COPY DEADLINES FOR NT 5PM AS FOLLOWS: NT 162 August issue 01 July

NT 163 October Issue 01 Sept

NAVY TODAY EDITORIAL ADVISERS: CDRE Burroughs, DCN

WO D Bloor, WON

Mr A Cutler, NCM

CDR M Weller

EDITOR: Richard Jackson

Defence Communications Group

HQ NZ Defence Force

Private Bag, Wellington, New Zealand

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E: [email protected]

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welcomed.

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ISSN 1173-8332

W W W . N A V Y . M I L . N Z2 N T 1 6 1 j U N E 1 1 2 W W W . N A V Y . M I L . N Z

y o U r s a y e

By rear aDmiraL tony parr mVo, chief of naVy

from the eDitorIssue 161 is my last

issue as Editor of

Navy Today. With the

new financial year

my role will change

within the Defence

C o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Group and a new Navy Content Editor will take

on Navy Today, the E-book version and other

interactive and social media for the Navy.

It has been 10 years since I first edited this

magazine, and about 14 years since I was first

involved as a contributor. It has been gratifying to

have consistently positive reactions from readers

both within and outside of the Navy, present and

past navalmen and women, their families and

friends of our Navy, throughout that time.

New Zealand has a rich maritime history, and

our naval forces—both the RNZN and before

that the Royal Navy—have played a vital role

in the development of our nation. Today our

Navy stands tall alongside our regional and

global partners as we work to maintain security

at sea and across our region. The Navy’s task

is an essential one for our nation, one that will

continue for as long as merchant shipping

carries the world’s commerce and people ’go

down to the sea in ships’.

Navy Today reports on our Navy’s current

activities, but I have also tried to give Navy Today

an educational role in explaining the Navy’s

purpose and in highlighting our nation’s long

and proud heritage at sea. As Editor I have seen

and reported on the Navy’s successful adoption

of the Baldrige model for business excellence;

the introduction of new ships and helicopters;

and critical operations from the Persian Gulf

to the tropical Pacific and the Ross Sea.

Good leadership, shared values and effective

organisation have underpinned the Navy’s

operational success. It has been a privilege to

cover our Navy’s activities for this past decade,

as well as to befriend so many inspiring people

who have created those success stories.

Navy Today is primarily a contributors’

magazine; thank you to all the contributors

from ship and shore and from in and outside

the Navy. I regret that the magazine has not

covered everything; many deserving books

have gone un-reviewed, many good letters to

the editor have not been published, and many

stories about our talented staff ashore, both

uniformed and civilian, have not made the cut.

As a high performing organisation our Navy

has many great stories still to tell, and I am

confident my successor will tell these in future

issues of Navy Today, as well as through the

many new electronic channels now available.

Richard Jackson

On Saturday 14 May I attended the dedication of a memorial to HMS

PURIRI, one of our minesweepers, which was sunk by a German mine off

Bream Head at 11am on the same date in 1941. PURIRI’s Commanding

Officer, Lieutenant D W Blacklaws RNR(NZ) and four Kiwi sailors were

killed as the ship went down. There is now a memorial plaque to those

men at Ocean Beach near the Whangarei Heads. As you read the names

of our men on the plaque you can look out over the place where PURIRI

lies [see page 25].

It’s a beautiful spot. A violent event is the last thing to imagine as you

gaze out over the surf and the Hauraki Gulf. But such an event did

happen here seventy years ago when the Second World War actually

came to our shores. It came not by aeroplane or amphibious invader,

but by sea and by stealth and concealment.

In 1940 the German raider ORION laid 228 moored contact mines

in the Hauraki Gulf. The first, and well-known, victim was the liner

NIAGARA which sank in the Hauraki Gulf on 19 June 1940; all 136 of

her passengers and crew were saved. The second victim was the less

well known PURIRI, one of several requisitioned coastal vessels with

a crew of 31, and short-lived member of the newly formed First (NZ)

Minesweeping Flotilla.

ORION was not the only German raider to reach our shores. On the

night of 24 – 25 June 1941 the German ship ADJUTANT, a captured

whaler equipped and supplied by the raider KOMET, laid 10 magnetic

mines off the approaches to Lyttelton harbour. The next night, ADJUTANT

laid a further 10 mines off the entrance to Wellington Harbour. These

mines claimed no victims—all were apparently defective. A German

submarine, U-862, is also known to have visited our shores during the

war (as well as three Japanese submarines in 1942–43).

It’s curious how PURIRI’s story is not so well known. At the time though,

the Government and our Naval Board were anxious to avoid disquiet and

alarm in the country, especially when our military fortunes were at a low

ebb, overseas. There was also a court martial following the sinking as it

was considered that the PURIRI might not have so met her fate had the

senior minesweeper in company with her at the time, HMS GALE, better

coordinated the sweep. As well, the Navy is often known as the ‘Silent

Service’—perhaps we don’t tell our stories as well as others do.

Yet the five Kiwi sailors who perished in PURIRI on 14 May 1941 were

the only servicemen of the Second World War who were victims of enemy

action in what is now our territorial sea. They are a reminder to us that

despite the fact that we are an island nation a thousand miles from any

neighbour, we are not so remote that weapons and means of war cannot

be brought to our very doorstep. The threat has not entirely gone away

either. This year, with the RNZN celebrating its 70th Anniversary, it’s time

to tell the PURIRI story as part of the Navy’s whole story.

But with PURIRI, we not only commemorate our lost sailors, we also

remind ourselves that we are not so far away as to be invulnerable to

attack. We have former Warrant Officer Dave Wistrand and Mr Ian Sage

of the Waipu RSA to acknowledge and thank for reminding us of this, in

a fitting memorial at Ocean Beach. On behalf of the Navy – thank you

very much, Dave and Ian.

in 1940 the german raiDer orion LaiD 228 contact mines in the haUraKi gULf.

N T 1 6 1 j U N E 1 1 W W W . N A V Y . M I L . N Z 3

Bersama shieLDexercise

five nations sUpporting regionaL secUrity

te Kaha refuels from hmas siriUs during exercises off the Western australia coast, prior ex Bersama shield. Photo: RAN

sLt Kendra titheridge, officer of the Watch, observes KD LeKiU, as rss tenacioUs sails alongside te mana on 8 may.

i n t e r n a t i o n a L

W W W . N A V Y . M I L . N Z4 N T 1 6 1 j U N E 1 1

Singapore’s Minister of Defence is clear on the

value of maritime security—that is, sea and air

forces capable of operating at and over the seas

that surround his nation. Speaking to Singapore’s

Parliament*, the Minister explained:

“South East Asia with its strategic sea lanes,

resources and markets sits at the centre

of the Asia/Pacific region, and is the arena

where many international interests intersect.

There are threats to maritime security, such as

piracy and maritime terrorism, which endanger

the freedom of navigation and the safety of

international shipping, and so can impact

on the regional and global economy and on

international security. These threats to maritime

security, which are real and immediate, require

a coordinated effort by governments acting in

cooperation with one another.

“Singapore has established an Information

Fusion Centre at Changi. The IFC is a purpose

built maritime security hub, to at least six other

countries [including NZ] have stationed liaison

staff in the Singapore IFC [see page 7, Ed].

“Singapore has twice deployed a landing ship

with Puma helicopters embarked to the multi-

national Combined Task Force 151, to enhance

security for ships transiting through the Gulf of

Aden. [Note: Singapore currently, June 2011,

commands CTF 151 and has a maritime patrol

aircraft deployed to the Gulf region—Ed.]

“Singapore therefore seeks to deepen its

defence ties with Malaysia, the Five Power

defence partners and other regional nations;

and it also seeks training opportunities with

other nations.”

----------------------------* Edited extracts from a speech by Deputy Prime

Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean, March 2010

Once in Singapore our two frigates were

busy preparing for the Five Power Defence

Arrangements (FPDA) multi-national

Exercise BERSAMA SHIELD, which

involved a submarine, eight surface ships

and aircraft—from Malaysia, Singapore,

Australia, the UK and NZ. The purpose is

to train for combined and joint operations

in the defence of Malaysia and Singapore

in a multi-threat environment. We build up

our interoperability by practising integrated

tactical training, thereby enhancing our

own professionalism and training value.

The exercise started with a period alongside

in Singapore for synthetic exercises and

briefings to ensure the period at sea ran

safely and smoothly. We sailed on 4 May

as an integrated multi-national Task Group.

This marked the beginning of the Force

Integration Training (FIT) phase, designed to

meet the respective training objectives and

requirements of each of the participants. At the

end of this phase all units are expected to be

able to seamlessly operate with each other.

This year the exercise has involved army

and air force units, Marine fire support teams

and ground based air defence units. Some

of the highlights for our ships during the FIT

phase included:

• NavalGunfireSupportdirectedbyRoyal

Marines from 148 Battery Fire Support

Team,

• force protection training against the

Malaysian CB-90 Fast Attack Craft,

and

• Air Defence exercises against large

formations of aircraft.

This phase culminated in a ‘mission

rehearsal’ with unexpected events injected

into the Task Group in preparation for the

LIVEX (mission execution) phase.

A brief stand down from operations was

held mid-exercise, to allow a Media Day and

an international Sports Day. The Media Day

was conducted to prepare for the FPDA

40th anniversary celebrations planned for

November. The Sports Day was held on

Pulau Tioman—the Kiwi units acquitted

themselves well and took the overall honours

[see Sports section, p 36].

The final phase was the LIVEX with two Task

Units pitted against each other during a 36-

hour period. During this phase, the Exercise

Director based at HQIADS, Butterworth,

Malaysia, controlled the exercise and threw

everything he had at the task units to test

their skills. This culminating period was by

far the most enjoyable part of the exercise,

with different events and un-alerted incidents

requiring reactions such as boat transfers,

helicopter operations, complex manoeuvring

and of course, tactical warfare.

The exercise structure has developed

over many years with contributions from all

nations and many individuals. All types of

vessels, both above and below the surface,

and aircraft have been assigned a role in the

FPDA exercises over the years, to further the

doctrinal coordination of the member states.

The structured training phase, followed by

a complex and variable ‘live’ phase ensures

that all units benefit fully. The overall success

of BERSAMA SHIELD 2011 is testament to

the hard work and dedication of the multi-

national planners and participants.

the strategic rationaLe

a ten Day War in the south china sea

"there are threats to maritime secUrity, sUch as piracy anD maritime terrorism, Which enDanger the freeDom of naVigation."


te mana’s ciWs firing during a successful gunnery exercise off malaysia, 7 may.

by ltcdr nikk i s inclair and lt sarah smith


Our frigates have a multi-national aspect

within their ship’s companies—British and

Canadian personnel were embarked as part

of long standing exchange programmes

between the navies. LT Edward (Ed) Fulker is an Officer of the Watch from the

Royal Navy…

My two-year exchange was confirmed only

two weeks before I joined HMNZS TE MANA

in Fremantle, Australia on 8 April. The frigate

had had just completed a gruelling five-week

Work Up off the coast of Western Australia.

On board there was a very professional feel

and I began to appreciate how dedicated the

ship’s company were in proving TE MANA as

a capable fighting force.

The ten-day passage to Singapore was a

steep learning curve for me as I got to grips

with the subtle differences in the way the RN

and RNZN operate. The two Anzac frigates

were together on what was a rare passage in

company, so we took every opportunity to train

with each other in preparation for the exercise.

The competition is fierce between the two ships

and the rivalry, albeit friendly, led to a high level

of motivation to be the best frigate.

Singapore itself was a welcome sight (with

un-British weather!) and, five days into the

exercise, the tempo was high. I was on another

steep learning curve to learn the nuances of

warfare within the RNZN. As well the whole

ship had two days in the hands of the Maritime

Operational Evaluation Team—people felt the

heat in more ways than one, with simulated

fires, floods, casualties and ‘loss’ of equipment,

testing the abilities of every one on board.

The morale of our company remains

consistently upbeat and even in the middle

of everything the ‘enemy’ can throw at us,

internally and externally, the Kiwis maintain

their cheery disposition. It must be something

they put in the food!

LT Allan Wilson Canadian Forces, is

one of the Principal Warfare Officers aboard

TE KAHA…

The RNZN gains a great deal from the

opportunity to part icipate in the FPDA

exercises. The exercises provide a scenario

where the ship must effectively respond to a

series of complicated multi-ship, multi-threat

operations in an asset-rich environment. As

a result, these situations create a host of real

world problems that cannot be simulated when

working unilaterally: communications issues,

synchronising tactical procedures, engineering

difficulties, navigation challenges in foreign

waters, constant merchant traffic and big

fishing fleets, while operating in naval task units

whose elements come from different navies.

Most importantly, though, the FPDA provides

the RNZN with a valuable opportunity to test

training philosophies and procedures in an

environment close to real-world situations.

This reinforcement of doctrine keeps the ship’s

company current as well as providing the

Command—the ship’s Captain and his senior

team—with an understanding of where we

stand amongst our allies.

Notably, the Seasprite maritime helicopter

continues to prove itself with its valuable sensors

and communications, even compared to the

Merlin, Lynx and Seahawk. Our Seasprites can

also transport personnel and materials, they’re

available in a SAR or humanitarian capacity,

and can be employed as weapons platforms. In

short, the helicopter is a very important asset.

In the Operations Room, a whole-team effort

is undertaken with the WE department so that

TE KAHA can be an effective warfare platform.

Complete details of the work conducted prior to

exercise start would turn this short submission

into a technical paper, but teamwork is vital to

guarantee that TE KAHA represents the RNZN

with distinction on the international stage.

As an exchange officer on board, this was a

new experience for me and unlike anything I

had experienced before with Canada’s Atlantic

allies. It should not be forgotten, though, that

this was a new experience for many among the

Kiwi sailors, as well. But overall, I cannot think

of a better way to properly introduce all those

onboard to their collective capabilities, than

through multi-national exercises.

an internationaL coMpany


te Kaha’s two canadian officers: Lt steve Jensen (l) and Lt allan Wilson (r).

An RNZN officer is to take command of the

counter-piracy Combined Task Force (CTF151)

in the Gulf of Aden, the Defence Minister Wayne

Mapp announced on 2 June. “Piracy in the Gulf of

Aden poses a real threat to international shipping.

It threatens life and property and constant

vigilance is required to ensure it is controlled.

Last year’s Defence White Paper highlights New

Zealand’s national interest in countering the threat

from piracy.”

Captain Jim Gilmour RNZN will command the

task force for three months from 30 June. He will

be supported by two other New Zealand officers:

a Chief of Staff as second-in-command, and a

legal adviser.“By sending a command team to this

multinational task force, New Zealand is showing

its commitment to protecting security and stability

in the international maritime environment,” the

Minister said. CAPT Gilmour and his team are

undertaking a familiarisation period in-theatre,

before taking command of the task force.

“Command of CTF 151 will be a challenge and

a unique opportunity. The task force is made up

of coalition naval ships and aircraft tasked with

disrupting piracy in the sea lanes of the Gulf of

Aden,” said CAPT Gilmour.

neW zeaLanDer to commanD coUnter piracy tasK force


eXercise Bersama shieLD 11—orBatAustrAliA HMAS BALLARAT frigate

HMAS PARRAMATTA frigate

1 x S70 B Seahawk

MAlAysiAKD LEKIR frigate

KD LEKIU frigate

1 x Super Lynx

4 x Mig 29

4 x F-18D

6 x Hawk

1 x KC-130M

1 x SK 61 SAR

New ZeAlANdHMNZS TE MANA frigate

HMNZS TE KAHA frigate

2 x SH-2G helo

siNgAporeRSS TENACIOUS frigate

16 x F-16

10 x F-5

2 x F50

1 x KC-130S

uNited KiNgdoMHMS RICHMOND frigate

1x Merlin helo

by a/ltcdr s l hansen Vrd, rnZn

In June 2009 I was offered a posting to the

Republic of Singapore Navy’s Information Fusion

Centre (IFC). At that stage the decision on

whether the RNZN would send an International

Liaison Officer had not been made and I

reassured my wife that the process to make a

decision would be quite long. But I was proved

wrong—within three weeks I had been selected

and was told to begin preparations for posting!

Thankfully it was decided that I would arrive in

Singapore that December.

What is the IFC? The IFC is a RSN initiative

and was opened 27 April 2009. Its purpose is

to build ‘Maritime Domain Awareness’ (MDA) in

the South East Asia region to help strengthen

maritime security. It does this by information

sharing through collaboration tools (e.g. chat

rooms) and maintaining a Recognised Maritime

Picture of merchant shipping. Understanding

the merchant shipping component of the MDA

picture is central. As well, we build the capability

of regional partners through workshops and

exercises, and providing portals to facilitate

information exchange.

The International Liaison Officers are pivotal,

providing expertise and connection with their

respective operational centres. Currently

there are more than 30 operations centres

with linkages to the IFC either directly or

through an ILO. Notwithstanding that the title

is ‘Liaison,’ ILOs are integrated with the RSN

staff in the day-to-day operations at the centre.

To date there have been ILOs from Australia,

France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,

Thailand, USA, UK and Vietnam, with at least

four more countries and agencies looking to

commit personnel during 2011.

As the New Zealand ILO, my prime operations

centre back home is the multi-agency National

Maritime Coordination Centre (NMCC) at HQ

JFNZ. The NMCC is the maritime domain hub

for NZ. This means that I represent not only the

NZDF but also the NZ civilian agencies (e.g. NZ

Customs and Ministry of Fisheries) concerned

with the maritime domain. That means a variety

of stakeholders that I am accountable to on the

job. The ILOs all have different backgrounds

and contribute to different aspects of the

IFC’s work. The NZ contribution is to the

Engagement and Collaboration Branch. An

indispensable component of building MDA

is the merchant shipping community. As a

Maritime Trade Operations specialist (MTO are

our Navy’s merchant shipping specialists) one

of my key tasks for the IFC has been to initiate

and co-lead the IFC shipping engagement

programme. Given that there are over 5000

shipping-related companies represented in

Singapore, this is quite a challenge!

Another aspect of the role is to encourage

active participation of regional operational

centres through facil itating discussions,

presenting at seminars and contributing to

collective analysis.

The RSN has to be applauded for the fantastic

facility they built for the IFC. It is housed at

the Changi Command and Control Centre in

the Changi Naval Base. Given the expected

increase of ILOs the IFC is already looking at

expansion—the C2 Centre is large and will be

able to accommodate this.

My first 12 months were interesting, to say

the least. Since arriving I have participated in

more than 50 activities, including workshops,

seminars and exercises—some of which I

helped organise or presented at, or both. The

work load is not light! With piracy a continuing

problem, the threat of terrorism at sea, the

growth in fishing fleets and, overall, the vital

place of merchant shipping in the global

economy, the forecast for the next 12 months

is that our workload will only increase.

singapore’s inforMation fUsion centre

MAritiMe doMAiN AwAreNess At


Lt mohd ikmal hisyam abu rmn with miD anna Bergin rnzn.

LtcDr stefan hansen (in whites) with two singaporean and a thai officer on the flight deck of Uss george Washington.

three frigates: hmnzs te mana, rss tenacioUs & KD LeKiU.


New Zealand’s contr ibut ion to Paci f ic

Partnership has focussed on the nations of

Tonga and Vanuatu and the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs and Trade supported the projects with

$500,000 of NZ Aid funds. CANTERBURY

had a contingent of about 270 Defence

Force personnel embarked for a variety of

humanitarian and civil aid tasks.

Flagship for the overall operation is USS

CLEVELAND, a 40 year-old amphibious ship,

while in addition to CANTERBURY, the RAN

contributed two heavy Landing Craft (at Vanuatu)

and the US Coast Guard and the Japanese Self

Defence Force are also contributing for later

stages of the overall programme.

At Nuiatoputapu, CANTERBURY embarked

CDRE Jesse Wilson USN and his command

team, with CANTERBURY flying the broad

pennant of DESRON-23. CDRE Wilson

extended CANTERBURY’s period hosting the

full command and control team until 7 May,

when the Commodore and his team transferred

back to the CLEVELAND.

An opportunity for Force Integration Training

(FIT) between CANTERBURY’s own LCMs

(Landing Craft Medium) and CLEVELAND

was taken while both ships were in Luganville

Harbour, Vanuatu on 3 May. CLEVELAND,

classed as an LPD (Landing Platform Dock),

features a floodable well deck and stern gate,

designed to dock landing craft. CLEVELAND

came to Pacific Partnership with her own large

LCU (Landing Craft Utility).

CANTERBURY launched LCM 02 with

CLEVELAND’s First Lieutenant embarked to

liaise between the LCM Cox’n and CLEVELAND.

After a short transit, CLEVELAND gave LCM

02 the ‘green flag’ to enter her dock. Our

LCM Cox’n, POSCS Wearea conducted

the first entry and found the evolution to be

a challenge— the LCM is higher than the

American LCU and the docking was achieved

with a masthead clearance of about 30cm (1

foot) from the LCM radar to CLEVELAND’s

deck-head fittings.

Following the first docking, it was the turn

of POSCS Weiland to try his hand. Several

more dockings were conducted after which

it was deemed that RNZN LCMs would have

no trouble conducting wet dock transfers

should the need arise. The training was an

important milestone between the RNZN and

USN amphibious forces.

On 9 May the Pacific Partnership task

group sailed from Vanuatu, conducting a

massed formation for the cameras, before

CLEVELAND headed to the next stage of

the overall programme, while CANTERBURY

turned for home.

pacific partnership

sea BaseD sUpport to pacific isLanD commUnities

hmnZs canterbury sa i led to tonga and Vanua tu in apr i l , to take par t in the us-led mul t i-na t iona l Pac i f ic Par tnersh ip 11, a 5 month seaborne medica l and c iv i l a id programme to severa l Pac i f ic i s land na t ions .

"canterBUry haD a contingent of aBoUt 270 Defence force personneL emBarKeD for a Variety of tasKs."


canterBUry at anchor of nuiatoputapu on 13 april. the Lcm is being loaded while the french puma helo waits on deck.20110413_PH_T1015674_0017


The combined Australian and NZ group

completed a survey of the channels and

reef entrance at Niuatoputapu. The survey,

requested by the Government of Tonga

aimed to identify any tsunami debris or other

obstructions that may be a danger to navigation

and hinder the local ferries which deliver stores

to the island.

The Anzac team spent the week surveying

and diving in the navigational channel from the

reef break to the wharf, noting and charting

obstructions that need to be cleared. LT Adam

Coles RN, Officer in Charge of the LWSG

detachment, is on exchange with the RNZN.

He commented: “Pacific Partnership was an

excellent opportunity to put into practice the

skills we have developed.”

Warrant Officer Diver Lance Graham of the

ODT explained that the work was constantly

challenging “both physically and mentally,

with the requirement to produce an accurate

assessment of the task while ensuring diver,

marine life and local peoples’ safety.” The survey

culminated in a series of underwater explosions

to explore the effect of explosively widening

it—part of a project to widen the channel for

the new island ferry. “When complete, this will

significantly improve the accessibility of this

isolated maritime community”.

our navy ’s l i t to ra l War fare suppor t Group—11 personne l f rom the opera t iona l d iv ing team (odt) and the dep loyab le hydrograph ic survey un i t (dhsu) wi th suppor t f rom the ran dep loyab le Geospa t ia l team dep loyed in canterbury.

niUatopUtapU—access by sea


some of the Defence force team with tongan officials on nuiatoputapu, 11 april. 20110411_PH_T1015674_0058

the operational Diving team at work in the channel through the reef at nuiatoputapu. 20110416_PH_T1015674_0034

anzac cooperation on the Bridge of canterBUry (l to r) aco Ben Brown, ascs Bodie paling with Lshso anthony moxham and aBhso ryan Lindberg from the ran. 20110406_PH_T1015674_0002


b y lt a d a m c o l e s r n , o f f i c e r i n

charGe of the lWsG detachment,

After Niuatopotapu, Tonga, CANTERBURY

arrived at Luganvil le on Espiritu Santo,

Vanuatu, on 26 April for the second phase of

the NZDF’s contribution to Pacific Partnership

11. The Deployable Hydrographic Survey Unit

disembarked and drove across the island to

Big Bay, to conduct beach gradient surveys

and clear boat lanes at the two remote villages

of Matantas and Malao.

Driving over roads (like farm tracks back

in NZ—but coral) we proved the trailer was

unsuited to the local conditions! After some

minor roadside repairs we arrived in Matantas

to find it much smaller and more isolated than

we had been briefed. Just beyond the tree line

was a loose gravel beach and a wide open

deep bay. Launching our sounding skiff DIRK

across unconsolidated beach gravel and coral

with no boat ramp or road to the beach was

not easy…

With DIRK afloat and our vehicle and

trailer (eventually) freed, the boat lane for the

Australian Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) was

surveyed. As the measurements of the beach

were being processed and charted, DIRK and

a reconnaissance team departed for Malao

about 10km to the west on the opposite side

of the bay. The village Chief provided a local

guide for the reconnaissance team.

A preliminary beach assessment and boat lane

were surveyed that afternoon. The remaining

work at Malao was completed early the following

morning, just in time for me to embark in the

first LCH to brief the coxswain and help guide it

safely onto the beach at both locations.

DHSU had one more task to complete at Big

Bay, to find an anchorage for CANTERBURY.

The most suitable anchorage was thought to

be off Matantas, as the bathymetry at the Malao

side of the bay went quite deep very close to

shore. DHSU surveyed a 1nm grid to confirm

a suitable anchorage for CANTERBURY on the

moderate slope close to Matantas.

It was time get DIRK out of the water and

back onto her trailer. With help from the locals

of Matantas, DIRK was carried up the beach

to her trailer then hauled across the beach and

up the bank. We travelled back along the same

roads—on our way out potholes in the coral

caused a flat tyre on the boat trailer. Some of

the team stayed with DIRK while the others

went and sourced a suitable replacement. The

full team, with DIRK, emerged back on the

wharf at Luganville only six hours late.

Where the JunGle meets the ocean


Vanuatu

pacific partnership achieveMentsahso coady clark gets into deep water during beach gradient measurements.

DirK being towed across santo island.

DirK with Lhst Kieron Boardman at the helm.

canterBUry’s Lcm entering cLeVeLanD’s dock

Us and Kiwi personnel at work on Ban Ban school, Vanuatu.

canterBUry alongside at Luganville, Vanuatu. Photo: US Air Force


nUiatopUtapU nuiatoputapu is the tongan island that had suffered badly from the 2010 tsunami. The island has only one dental hygienist and one nurse to cater to over 800 people. NZDF doctors and nursing officers carried out First Aid courses,

clinics and a health and hygiene course for local teachers, parents and school children covering preventative dental and medical methods. The island’s

dental therapist Luisa Salt said she welcomed the support of the Defence Force: “It’s been more than a huge help to me and the families here.”

LUganviLLe, vanUatU nZ defence force personnel put 3000 man-hours into humanitarian aid and civil tasks in espiritu santo, Vanuatu. Many hundreds Vanuatu people came to Luganville Hospital to receive free medical and dental care from qualified NZ, US, Canadian and Australian

defence medical staff. The NZDF Forward Surgical Team (FST), a land, sea and air-transportable unit, is designed to provide immediate and

emergency treatment including resuscitative surgery for casualties. It utilises a pool of Civilian Volunteer Health Specialists from within the public

health sector of NZ and draws from NZ Ministry of Health pharmaceutical supplies.

The NZDF aid effort added up to 5500 man-

hours on shore:

• The complete refurbishment of the

classroom and library at Falehau primary

school

• Construction of over 1km of fencing

around local schools

• InstallationoftwoLANsandprovisionof

15 ex-Defence computers at the schools

• Installationof2schoolplaygrounds

• Refurbishmentoftwotoiletblocksatthe

schools

• Provision of 20 sets of hand tools for

industrial arts classrooms

• Installed7x10,000Lwatertankstocreate

a 70,000L emergency reservoir

Major Burton King (a General Surgeon from

Wellington Hospital) said,

“We saw a full range of general surgery from

lumps and bumps to hernias, infections and

breast cancer. We also conducted a number

of emergency cases as well.”

• 23surgicalproceduresconductedbyNZ

FST

• 64 patients screened by NZDF dental

team

• DentalworkonMEDCAPprogramswith

NZ, US, Canadian and Australian Forces

in rural villages around Santo.

MAtANtAs ANd MAlAo VillAges Leading the engineering tasks at Malao, CPL

Ben James said that the local people took

• Replaced3xexistingleakingwatertanks

to add 30,000L to emergency reservoir

• Reportingonwaterqualityandmethods

of improvement

• Assessmentofmosquitoeradicationand

control programmes

• Localwaterboreswerefixed

• Obstructionsinthereefsurveywithsome

removed, by RNZN & RAN personnel

• Survey of wharf damage for remedial

work

• ARedCrosshutmovedandrenovatedfor

the Government of Tonga.

• 272Tongans(mostlyschool-agedchildren)

received dental exams, oral hygiene exams

and oral surgery

time to get to know the Kiwis. “The locals

were shy of us at first but then a few of us

attended the local church and ever since then

they have been visiting us. With the materials

that we had left over here at the school, we’ve

made the kids new tables and chairs for their

classrooms.”

Matantas village: • Water harvesting project at De Quiros

Primary School and kindergarten

• Re-roofingthelocalkindergarten

• Creationandconstructionofablutionsin

local monument area.

Malao village:• Villagewaterharvestingproject

• Refurbishment ofMalaoPrimary School

buildings

• 50 doctor’s consultat ions for local

community members

• 24completedtheFirstAidcourse

• 40mothers participated in health and

hygiene courses

Supplies and personnel

• Over 4500 man hours invested on

CANTERBURY fo r N i ua topu tapu

taskings

• 871totalpersonneltransferredtoandfrom

shore via amphibious ops or Puma helo

• 160 tonnes of vehicles, equipment

and supplies transferred ashore via 48

underslung Puma loads and 18 LCM

transfers.

• RefurbishmentofthelocalNambeiClinic

Ban Ban & lorethiakarkar primary

schools:

NZ Defence Force personnel worked

alongside US forces:

• 3 x classroom water supply projects

inc luding bargeboard, gutter ing &

spouting

• 3xclassroom includingcorrugated roof

system

• 4xwatercatchmenttanks&concretetank

stands

• 2xrestroomwithsixstallsand300gallon

septic tank

st theresa High school:

• Re-roofandrefurbishtwoclassrooms.


pacific partnership achieveMents


We joined CLEVELAND at anchor off the town

of Luganville, Vanuatu, after an RNZAF C-130

flight from Ohakea. On board we were quickly

processed, with bedding issues and computer

log-on application forms filled in. In addition

we signed up for the ‘Navy Cash’ card, which

allowed us to purchase from vending machines

and the ship’s canteen. Cash is simply not

accepted on USN ships. It works much like

a smart chip-embedded EFTPOS Card, as it

is PIN protected, transferable between ships

but it can also be ship-specific. You can also

top up ‘on the card’. This type of card and its

implementation has been the topic of various

RNZN studies and discussions—it has merit

certainly in the onward drive to have wholly

cashless ships in our Navy’s future.

Commodore Wilson is in overall command

of the Pacific Partnership deployment, but is

normally commanding Destroyer Squadron,

DESRON, 23. Hence his title remained as

DESRON 23. My role was to integrate with

the Commodore’s Supply Officer, LT Mel

Garcia USN, and learn from her the budgeting

allocation, cost centre control and procedures

she has to follow. Through her allocations

they provided everything from interpreters, to

MEDCAP stations in remote locations, to the

set up of their official receptions at each port

of call. Her procedures were very similar to our

own processes, however it was pleasing to

note our ships do seem to have more autonomy

in making financial decisions without always

needing to reach back to HQ for approvals.

Whilst the US Navy’s annual budget is huge,

at the ship and squadron level there was

clearly a real and concerted effort to make

and report savings (however, this was never at

the expense of the objectives of the mission).

Certainly waste was actively minimised.

I had the opportunity to interact with their

equivalent of a Providore, which for the USN

is a Department of Defence civilian who is

regionally-based (Singapore in this instance)

uss cleVeland by ltcdr t imothy Gore, rnZn

at the end of apr i l Lt Brad King, Lt Ben Langley and i were provided the opportuni ty to embark aboard Uss cLeVeLanD (LpD 7) and augment her crew as they undertook a var iety of tasks assigned for paci f ic partnership 2011.


the pacific partnership task group on 9 may, with Uss cLeVeLanD leading canterBUry, an american LcU and two ran Lchs. the french puma hovers at right. Photo: USN

two views of canterBUry’s Lcm approaching cLeVeLanD’s stern dock, during the Landing craft force integration training.


and whose job it is to fly in, in advance and

create contracts with local business for

supply—though they in themselves have no

financial authority, leaving it to the Supply

Officer to accept the costs or otherwise.

I was able to go ashore several times: I

travelled with the US Commodore and his

team; accompanied pallets of boxes containing

medical aid to an outlying village; and talked

with the Medical Commander at the local

hospital, where under Pacific Partnership the

USN provided a staggering range of medical

treatments (the USN has 31 different uniformed

medical trades alone, including midwifery!) I

also attended the Host Nation’s farewell Kava

reception. Those visits were all extremely

positive and everyone got a lot out of the

contribution they made to the mission there.

We sailed in CLEVELAND for the passage

from Vanuatu to New Caledonia, a quiet and

calm transit. The highlight was the PHOTOEX on

departure as CANTERBURY and the Australian

LCHs took station for one of CLEVELAND’s

MH60s to photograph the joint task group at

sea. Having made a number of good friends

onboard, we three Kiwis were able to have an

enjoyable evening out in Noumea with them

before we flew out the next day back to NZ in

an RNZAF Boeing 757.

Whilst it was a relatively short augmentation,

the benefits of making connections with our US

Navy counterparts cannot be understated, for

moving the Navy-to-Navy relationship forward

in a region where we have shared interests.

Certainly every single person I encountered

onboard CLEVELAND could not speak more

highly of CANTERBURY, in conjunction with our

Army and Air Force personnel also in theatre,

and their can-do attitude. Pacific Partnership

has been an opportunity to further the excellent

reputation our Defence Force has with our

coalition partners.

For my Navy colleagues, if there are future

opportunities to interact with the USN or

USCG, I would highly recommend applying for

them, as they really do create memories you

cannot get anywhere else!

"i Was aBLe to go ashore seVeraL times: i traVeLLeD With the Us commoDore anD his team; accompanieD paLLets of BoXes containing meDicaL aiD to an oUtLying ViLLage, anD VisiteD a LocaL hospitaL."


Lt Ben Langley and LtcDr tim gore aboard cLeVeLanD.

LtcDr gore in front of cLeVeLanD’s hangar door. as an amphibious ship cLeVeLanD is part of the ‘gator navy’.



by ltcdr Vicki rendall rnZn, J53m maritime Plans, hQ JfnZ

Earlier this year this year I was attached

for three weeks to the FFA Regional

Fisheries Surveillance Centre (RFSC) in

Honiara, Solomon Islands. The existing

and potential interaction between the

quadrilateral Pacific partners (France,

USA, Australia and NZ) and the FFA was

the key focus for me.

The theory: I was ‘to gain an understanding

how the RFSC could contribute to RNZN

ships’ Monitoring Control Surveillance

(MCS) patrols, and to share information

on the capabilities and limitations of the

RNZN ships and their ability to conduct

MCS operations.’

The reality: I conducted daily analysis

of VMS data, reviewed FFA processes

for conduct of operations, observed

coordination of regional surveillance

from the ‘other side’, and engaged in

many brainstorming discussions with FFA

surveillance officers, CDR Martin Campbell

RAN and Allan Rahari (Solomon Islands)

over what could be enhanced, overhauled

or amended within the RFSC.

The daily analysis determines possible

vessels of interest by identifying the risk

that a vessel might be involved in illegal

or unauthorised fishing activity based

on the FFA’s Compliance Index; these

forUm fisheries agency, honiara, soLoMon isLands

criteria consider the fishing licences of the

vessel, their history, and their recent track

amongst other information. The end result

is a Google Earth picture overlaid with dots

of varying significance (see the computer

screen at my desk in the accompanying

photo). This information is then passed to

individual Pacific Island countries for them

to determine the next course of action for

vessels in their EEZ. This analysis is also

provided to partner nations’ surveillance

assets during their patrols (eg RNZN ships

and RNZAF aircraft).

During our debates, Staff Officer

Operations (SOO) and I came up with a

range of proposals. As we recognise we

can’t change the world alone, a Discussion

Paper was prepared for the March working

group conferences to outline key proposals

and seek approval in principal for some of

the ideas.

At this point, RNZN readers may be

imagining their chances of getting similar

secondments to mine—this is one of the

initiatives now under discussion. The role

of the FFA in fisheries surveillance and

resource protection is important across

the South Pacific region and their staff

are eagerly anticipating a greater RNZN

presence in the Pacific, as our OPVs venture

north on new taskings. From later this year

there is likely to be increased engagement

by our ships within the region.

LtcDr Vicki rendall and allan rahari conduct daily analysis via the google earth surveillance picture in the ffa’s ops room.

interVieWed by amus nathan shore

after a mi l i tary career of a lmost three decades including being Band master of three austra l ian army bands and leading two c iv i l ian concert bands, LtcDr Kei th anderson's f inale was his 12 year commitment leading our navy Band.

AMUS Shore: What first inspired your interest in

wanting to play music?

LTCDR Anderson: At high school I had a music

teacher, John Hall, who wanted to start a brass

band. He inspired a lot of people.

Shore: What was high school like—were you

involved in any bands?

Anderson: Believe it or not I was the school sports

captain and captain of the cricket and soccer teams.

I was involved in a little Rock-Dixie type band, and I

was interested in the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.

That was my generation, girls screaming, flower

power … real music!

LtcDr Keith anDerson rnzn

Wo shaun Jarrett presents LtcDr Keith anderson with some mementoes of the rnzn, to mark his retirement from the navy Band. 02 20110426_PH_V1020230_0012.


r n z n B a n D

Shore: What made you decide to joint the Australian

Army Band Corps?

Anderson: It was 1974; I’d travelled around the

UK and then returned to Australia. I was itching to

get back into music—an advert for the Army Band

said join for three years and get a 3% housing loan.

I said ‘yes’ and have never looked back. I decided I

wanted to aim to become the Band Master. Box Hill

City Brass Band was my first conducting gig and I

took them to championships.

Shore: So after years of leading bands in Australia

you decided to cross the ditch and take up the

position of Director of Music in our Navy—who

approached you and what were your thoughts?

Anderson: I’d been in the Army Band Corps for 25

years; I got a phone call from Glen Parr, who was the

RNZN’s Director of Music at the time. We had a hand

over period of about three months and I thought the

Band was great. Over the time since, I believe it has

certainly grown and become more rounded.

Shore: Your favourite…

Instrument? I would say trumpet but I’ve always

loved classical guitar.

Hymn? Slane (an Irish folk tune) is an alternative

name for the hymn Be Thou my Vision.

March? Valdres (composed by Johannes Hannsen)

is a concert march.

Composer? Beethoven.

Rig? Winter 3’s.

Tour? Gallipoli, because of the history and

the people who went before us and what they

did for us.

Shore: How would you sum up your era with

our Navy Band?

Anderson: I’ve met so many interesting

people—Admirals and Generals from all over,

Prime Ministers and Governors-General … The

Navy Band is the most rounded and flexible

band that I have ever been involved in and I

like to see it continue to develop and grow. I’ve

loved every moment of my time in New Zealand.

Both Rosemary and I have really embraced our

journey. The Navy Band will always be in my

fondest memories and in my heart.

The Navy Band has undergone a big change with the retirement of our Director of Music, LTCDR Keith Anderson, whose last parade was on Anzac Day in Devonport.

the baton has been passed to woMus

shaun Jarrett, whose conducting debut

took place on 2 May for lunchtime

concert at the Bruce Mason Centre.

these concerts have a loyal audience

who were left in no doubt that the

high standards of the Band will

continue. Along with all our ceremonial

commitments, 2011 has already been

busy for us with waitangi day and the

Art deco Festival in Napier.

The jinhae International Military Band and Honour Guard Festival in South Korea.

we integrated the Navy Cultural

group with our Band for the Korean

performances and the end result

was received with great enthusiasm.

As well as the main show, the Band

also performed concerts for several

hundred school and university

students, most of whom wanted

a photograph—we felt more like

pop stars than military musicians!

the organisers and hosts at Jinhae

were fantastic—particularly with the

varied food offered from the range of

restaurants in the Masan area (even a

Burger King for some!)

After Korea we have had a Ball in Napier, raising funds for Canterbury after the earthquake.

the versatility of our ensemble was

on display, with a cabaret slot by the

Concert Band before two hours of

toe-tapping music by the Big Band.

our future commitments include: • Taupo to celebrate theCharter

with our ‘home port’. • September/October celebrations

for the 70th anniversary of our Navy’s royal recognition (changing from the NZ Naval Forces to the rNZN)

• thepresentationoftheNavy’snewQueen’s Colours.

we have an exciting year representing

the Navy around the country!

the Band playing at napier’s mission Vineyard.

LcDr Keith anderson conducting.01 20110321_PH_T1015674_0031


AFGHANISTAN

r n z n p e a c e K e e p e r s

General Petraeus Visits nZ ProVincial reconstruction team

by sQuadron leader John barrack

rnZafHe was welcomed onto Kiwibase with a

powhiri and rousing haka performed by the

NZPRT Maori Cultural Group—their first

performance since arriving in theatre in April.

Impressed by this New Zealand tradition,

GEN Petraeus thanked each member of the

MCG and presented them with his personal

commemorative coin.

GEN Petraeus met with NZPRT Director,

Dick Newlands, NZPRT Senior Military Advisor,

Lieutenant Colonel Hugh McAslan, and other

key NZPRT staff, as well as Bamyan Governor,

Dr Habiba Sarabi, and Provincial Government

officials. NZ Ambassador to Afghanistan,

Neville Reilly, and the NZ Senior National Officer

in Afghanistan, Colonel Grant Motley, were

also present. GEN Petraeus was accompanied

by senior staff from Task Force PATRIOT

Headquarters, the formation under which the

PRT operates.

LTCOL McAslan said the visit was very

productive and GEN Petraeus had asked what

he could do to support the NZPRT and Bamyan

as one of the first provinces to move towards

transition. For ISAF, it is important that the

Province is seen by the rest of Afghanistan as

a success, with a stable security environment,

a developing economy and a better standard

of living for the citizens of the Province.

“General Petraeus confirmed his support for

a number of initiatives proposed by Governor

Sarabi and the NZPRT to support the transition

process from ISAF to the Government of the

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The largely

stable security environment in Bamyan has

allowed the economy to develop and grow

which provides a better standard of living

across the province.”

Following a working lunch at the Governor's

office, GEN Petraeus also briefly toured the

alcoves of the Bamyan Buddhas, national

treasures destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

Though the Buddha statues lie in pieces the

site remains a fascinating place to visit and

is a potential tourist attraction as Afghanistan

reopens to tourism.

Mr Dick Newlands, a retired RNZAF officer,

was also on his last day as the Director NZPRT.

Mr Richard Prendergast from the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs and Trade will assume the

role NZPRT Director in June; another step

in the transition from military to civilian lead

for the PRT. As Mr Newlands departed with

GEN Petraeus, the MCG gave their second

performance of the day, a moving farewell to

the NZPRT's first civilian Director.

Genera l dav id Pet raeus , commander in terna t iona l secur i ty ass is tance force ( isaf) and commander us forces afghan is tan (usfor-a) , v is i ted the new Zea land Prov inc ia l reconst ruct ion team (nZPrt) in bamyan on 9 may.

general petraeus, escorted by LtcoL hugh mcaslan, being welcomed onto Kiwi Base.20110509_WN_m19193_005

Lmt(L) Kyle Brownlie offered the challenge, or wero, to gen petraeus.20110509_WN_M19193_003


r n z n p e a c e K e e p e r s

by lt andreW kuhn rnZn

the f i rs t adv ice f rom my boss in korea , ltcol eggers us army, was “noth ing tha t you have done before wi l l p repare you for th is miss ion .” as i approach the end o f my t ime here i rea l i ze tha t , coming f rom a mar ine eng ineer ing background, th is miss ion has put me comple te ly out o f my comfor t zone and i have exper ienced th ings tha t i wou ld never have expected.

My role is the Assistant Joint Duty Officer

(AJDO). The role of the Joint Duty Office (JDO)

is to ensure that the Commander of the United

Nation Command (UNC) maintains the ability

to communicate directly with the Korean

People’s Army (KPA) or North Korean Army,

at any time. The JDO, my office, is located

inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a coast-

to-coast buffer zone established in 1953 when

the Armistice Agreement to halt the Korean

War was signed. The JDO is approximately

25 metres from the Military Demarcation Line;

only a few metres on the other side is a KPA

guard post!

The Armistice Agreement was intended to be

a temporary cease fire agreement until a more

concrete agreement was reached. The primary

role of the UNCMAC (United Nations Command

Military Armistice Commission) is to oversee

compliance with the Armistice Agreement and

resolve any violations through direct negotiation

with the KPA. Ironically, the DMZ has become

one of the most militarized zones in the world.

For over 60 years now, the UNC has stood face

to face with the KPA but no political agreement

has been made.

One of my duties is to ensure successful

communication between the UNC and the KPA

as directed by the UNC Commander (a US

Four-Star General). This means talking directly

with my KPA counterpart by a phone that has a

single connection to a KPA building a few metres

over the Demarcation Line. At times, the KPA

are not willing to receive a message after being

informed of the subject—in those instances I am

required to go right up to the Line and verbally

pass the message with a megaphone. Initially

it was quite nerve-racking being only a metre

from North Korea and bellowing a message

at one of the biggest armies in the world! After

four or five times, however, I have become more

comfortable doing that.

In my time here, tensions heightened after the

North Korean artillery attack against Yeonpyong

Island on 23 November last year. Although

attempts have been made to settle the incident

through negotiations, talks broke down between

the two sides and, as I write, we are at a

stalemate and are awaiting the next move.

With all the international attention, many

distinguished visitors come to get a better

appreciation of the situation here: Heads of

State, Chiefs of Defence as well as CEOs of

large international companies. I had the honour

of accompanying the British First Sea Lord,

Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, on his tour of the

DMZ in my area.

As part of the Armistice Agreement, we

maintain the right to operate one helicopter

landing pad inside the DMZ. Monthly we fly in

and conduct landings on that pad to reinforce

our right to fly in and utilize that Landing Zone.

We call the helicopter we use the ‘Bumble Bee’,

from its colour scheme—this is to indicate that

it is being operated by the Military Armistice

Commission and is not armed.

There are two other positions available to Kiwi

personnel. The Assistant Corridor Control Officer

(ACCO) is open to any SLT/LT or equivalent

from any Service. Through this position, the

UNCMAC monitors and controls the flow

of civilian equipment and personnel moving

back and forth between South Korea and the

Kaesong Industrial Complex. The complex is

made up of around 120 factories built in North

Korea and funded and managed by South

Korea. The AJDO and ACCO positions are

approximately 5km from each other and we

interact on a daily basis.

The LTCDR (or equivalent) position is the DMZ

Assistant Operations Officer (DMZ—AOPSO).

Again this position is open to all Services and

is located at the UNCMAC HQ in Seoul, which

is approximately 50km south of the DMZ. The

AOPSO arranges conduct of inspections,

investigations and operations in the DMZ.

I have gained a lot of satisfaction out of this

mission and I highly recommend it to any

eligible officer. I think the most moving part

of it is trying to understand and interact with

an ‘enemy’ who has a completely different

mindset and upbringing. Along with this I

have gained invaluable experience working

with a multinational coalition, in particular

the Americans. I will definitely talk about this

mission for the rest of my life and will maintain

a close interest in events on the peninsula in

the future.

‘in front of them all’ at the dmZkorea

"initiaLLy it Was qUite nerVe-racKing Being onLy a metre from north Korea..."

Lt andrew Kuhn rnzn

the ‘Bumble Bee’, the Unc helo that is allowed to land within the Dmz.


a n z a c D a y

on 25 april the men and women of the rnzn paused in their routine duties to attend dawn parades and civic services around the world, to remember and honour the anzacs—the men and women of australia and new zealand who fought, and those who died, in WWi and subsequent conflicts.[a] Devonport: at the memorial Wall in the naval Base, LtcDr Jennie hoadley lays a wreath during hmnzs ngapona’s dawn service.

[B] taupo: her excellency Lady susan satyanand (centre) joined the mayor rick cooper (l) and the hno LtcDr John smith and his wife mariquita (r) for a dawn service attended by some 500 people. Lt Kelly Begg rnzn, aDc accompanied Lady susan. Photo: J Lazo-Ron via Daily Post.

[c] Warkworth: Joct attended the dawn service at auckand before moving north to the Warkworth civic service, where the rain caught up with them. Photo: David Tate

[D] hastings: Lt paula robb with whanau (l to r): cayla Dunn, rosie Dunn, Bailey Dunn (in front), Lt robb, zavier Dunn and paula’s father geoff robb. Photo: Duncan Brown, Hawkes Bay Today

[e] Vanuatu: Lac Janine potter, Lt robert Buckland, pte hika rata and amt(p) andrew trinnaman after the dawn service on canterBUry during pacific partnership.

[f] singapore: the rnzn provided the catafalque guard for the dawn service at Kranji commonwealth War cemetery, where 5000 graves of servicemen and women are cared for, and over 24,000 missing are commemorated. Photo: Nikki Payne

[g] thailand: angus fotheringham, the son of the nz Defence attache in Bangkok, capt Brett fotheringham rnzn, lays a poppy on the grave of private J f mcKenzie, federated malay states Volunteer force. each anzac Day the nzDa and his family lay poppies on the grave of each new zealander interred within the chungkai and Kanchanaburi cemeteries in thailand. pte mcKenzie, from Dunedin. was a poW on the Burma-thailand railway and died on 22 november 1943. he is the only Kiwi in chungkai, but a further 8 are interred at Kanchanaburi, near the Bridge over the river Kwai. ten nzers are also buried or commemorated at thanbyuzayat in Burma, at the northern end of the railway.

[h] Vanuatu: canterBUry’s ships company and embarked force paraded on the flight deck for a dawn service while alongside at port Vila in Vanuatu. in 1942-43 Vanuatu was the key forward base for the allies during the guadalcanal campaign.

[i] United Kingdom: LtcDr Jon clarkson, on course in the UK, took his son Liam to the service at the anzac memorial, Weymouth.

[J] malaysia: at the penang cenotaph in downtown george town, air Vice marshal Ludwig, the commander hq integrated area Defence system, led the wreath laying for anzac Day. Kiwi personnel attending were (l to r): LtcDr tania Kobestein, her husband fLt Lt charlie Wood; sqn LDr Leon fox & LtcDr nikki sinclair; LtcDr iain shearer; capt Logan mcLean holding isabella and his partner maJ Jane Derbyshire; with cDr pete Kempster, his wife maria, daughter Julia and son nick. they are seen with members of the penang Veterans association, who paraded and laid a wreath.

[K] singapore: cpL adam moss, Lhcm tiffany Kalin & cpL ron hopokingi from te Kaha’s ship’s flight at Kanji commonwealth War cemetery. Photo: Nikki Payne

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[a] at a reception aboard te mana in singapore on 30 april, our minister of Defence Dr mapp presented singapore’s assistant police commissioner yap and Ltgen neo with ponamu meres, to say thank you to singapore’s Urban search and rescue teams and armed forces for their assistance to nz after the christchurch earthquake.[B] at the same reception the frigates’ combined cultural group performed (l to r): cpocss catterall (front), acss stafford, pors hill, poch Boocock, poWtr Latu & aco Keenan.[c] at the dedication of the memorial to hms pUriri, the chief of navy spoke with 91-year-old survivor Dudley mcnabb. 20110514_PH_L1020290_0043

[D] the weather forecaster for D-Day in 1944, LtcDr Lawrence hogben rnzn (rtd) now lives in france; seen here with his son Julius (l) he was visited by our London-based naval adviser, cDr James routledge.[e] LtcDr Jeremy miller, currently in melbourne with the integrated platform management system project (for upgrading our frigates) was awarded his armed forces award for 15 years’ service. LtcoL Darren Beck from the nz high commission made the presentation on 16 may, Jeremy’s fiancé Dr ilana Burton, attended too. [f] cDr David Wright, Director of the naval museum at torpedo Bay, won the 2011 individual achievement award in the nz museum awards, announced at the museums aotearoa national conference on 14 april. the award recognises his vision and tenacity in developing the new museum at torpedo Bay. the award judges were ian athfield, greg mcmanus and priscilla pitts. our new naval museum is hosting about 10,000 visitors a month.[g] WoWt Keri Weeks ( r) communicates with the aircrew of the french puma helo, when it was flying from canterBUry during pacific partnership. 20110409_PH_T1015674_0013

[h] LtcDr (hon) neville smith, mrs Diane smith, mrs carole parr and ra tony parr at the napier fund-raining dinner for christchurch. the dinner raised $108,000 for the earthquake relief funds. the navy Band also took part—see page 15.[i] LtcDr ryan Brown, flight commander of te Kaha’s seasprite flight, seen in his ‘office’ during exercise Bersama shield. [J] June Barker (l) and yvonne maxwell are the daughters of the late ivan Brown, a former petty officer and survivor of hms pUriri. in memory of their Dad, the two attended the dedication of the hms pUriri memorial on 14 may. they are wearing his medals which include the British empire medal, 1939-45 star, pacific star and the 1953 coronation medal. 20110514_PH_L1020290_0048

[K] seasprite observer in te Kaha, sLt christiaan robertson in the left hand seat of the aircraft, as it flies over the singaporean frigate rss tenacioUs[L] standing just 1 metre from north Korea with his translator, Lt andrew Kuhn conveys a message from the Un command to the north Korean army. see andrew’s story on page 17. [m] on behalf of the rnzn ‘augmentees’ in Uss cLeVeLanD, Lt Brad King gave captain roth Usn, the commanding officer, an rnzn pt shirt. see their story on p 12.[n] ach aishah robust prepares cold meats for a meal aboard canterBUry during pacific partnership. 20110405_PH_T1015674_0026

[o] the opening ceremony for the Vince mcglone galley at phiLomeL on 30 may; mr Vince mcglone and ra parr cut the ribbon. mr mcglone served in the nz Division and the rnzn from 1932 to 1946 and was in achiLLes at the Battle of the river plate. 201100530_PH_T1015674_0050

[p] five of the maritime survey team in Vanuatu, during pacific partnership: (l to r) ahso sam martin, Lt peter Jensen, Lt adam coles, Lhst Kieron Boardman & ahso coady clark.[q] amt antony hill after a recent Dc exercise aboard rotoiti[r] exercise Bersama shield, 7 may. te mana’s commanding officer, cDr John Butcher, meets some of the malaysians during a personnel exchange; the Kiwis in dark blue at right are: LtcDr Jamie steel, cDr Butcher & sLt Lachlan Whelan.[s] te mana’s communicators during the exercise: oco James cox (back to camera) & aco Jay reibel.

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hmnzs taUpoby ascs scott robertson & acss andreW seay

On 28 March TAUPO sailed for a four week

multi-agency deployment. In the Bay of Plenty

we met a strong Sou’ Easterly but soon found

our sea legs, knowing that this was going to

be the first of many rough days and nights at

sea. In fact during the patrol, while off the South

Island, we met some of the worst conditions

an IPV has ever seen,

We enjoyed a brief stop in Akaroa, where

some of our team got ashore, while others went

diving. It was a cold and wet Friday when we

arrived in Bluff; the next Monday we sailed with

four Fisheries and Customs officers onboard.

The seas were still rough so we headed

for Stewart Island to conduct checks of the

numerous Crayfishing boats in the area.

The waters were more sheltered, we spent

some time at anchor, but also kept busy with

damage control training and boat drills. This

was a fisheries patrol but we were also tasked

to support the Department of Conservation,

visiting all the hunters’ huts around the island.

Back in Bluff at the end of the week we

appreciated a tour of the aluminium smelter

and enjoyed some time off and camaraderie

at OMT Tuliau’s parents’ house.

Then it was off to Fiordland, which turned

out to be a busy week for us and our MFish

and Customs officers—TAUPO boarded over

40 vessels, and we interacted with over 200

members of the commercial and recreational

fishing communities. Fiordland is a stunning

‘lost world’—an amazing week for us! We

reached Doubtful Sound and took shelter in

Pickersgill Harbour, the location where Captain

Cook moored HM Bark ENDEAVOUR (March

1773). Some of our ship’s company had the

opportunity to go ashore and follow in his

footsteps. Many signs of Cook’s expedition

were easy to see, such as the exact tree that

he used as a bollard while moored in this

natural harbour.

Back to Bluff to disembark the MFish and

Customs staff, then to anchor off Stewart Island

(Super 15 rugby to watch) before heading to

Dunedin. In Dunedin, some of our company—

reacting to the cold weather—chose to wear

‘Onesies’* into the central city to mingle with

the local Uni students. While in Dunedin we

were informed that instead of heading home as

planned, we would be taking part in Operation

Deep Sea, to provide a platform for the NZ

Police off East Cape.

An oil company exploration ship was surveying

the geology of the oceanic basin off East Cape.

At the request of the NZ Police, the aim of Op

Deep Sea was to ensure the safety of all vessels

(including any protestors’ vessels opposed to the

surveying in the area) in the vicinity of East Cape

while the survey ship OCEAN EXPLORER trailed

her 6nm-long towed sonar. The protest fleet was

anchored at Hicks Bay but the Police had us

operate in the vicinity of the OCEAN EXPLORER,

which we accompanied for the next week.

"the aim of op Deep sea Was to ensUre the safety of aLL VesseLs in the Vicinity of east cape."

taUpo in pickersgill habour, fiordland.


a gUn creW prepare to fire a .50 caL machine gUnOn our first night, we encountered three

yachts getting close to the survey vessel. The

Police had us launch both seaboats, with police

staff embarked, to enforce the safety zone

around the OCEAN EXPLORER. All yachts

rapidly moved out of the area. The next few

days went uneventfully, until a fishing vessel

tried to take station about 10-15 metres on

the OCEAN EXPLORER’s bow. Again, at the

request of the Police, the seaboat crews were

scrambled with the embarked police making

a rapid boarding, so the vessel moved out of

the OCEAN EXPLORER’s path. This operation

resulted in an arrest, with the Police instructing

the vessel to head back to Tauranga.

We were at sea over Easter, so we decided

that an Easter Bunny was appropriate. Minutes

later, an anonymous male ‘bunny’, dressed in a

rather skimpy nurse’s outfit (much to the delight

of the police onboard) entered the Junior

Ratings’ Mess—where all police and some

of our sailors were watching a movie—and

proceeded to hand out Easter eggs. The sight

of our ‘bunny’ put many people off their eggs,

so with a surplus of chocolate we scrambled

the boats’ crews again, but this time it was a

goodwill mission to deliver Easter eggs to all

the protest vessels. This was well received and

resulted in us receiving some homemade Anzac

biscuits in return and a memento which is now

displayed proudly on board.

We berthed in Tauranga for a break (not

far from where the protest fleet had also

returned to harbour). Once our break was over,

TAUPO headed out again to the surveying

expedition. After a good set of boarding drills,

where TAUPO played a protest vessel for our

RHIBS, we followed up with a ‘mass casualty’

exercise where the police on board played

the shipwrecked crew of a sunken vessel.

It was hard work for us, but proved to be a

good exercise all round. TAUPO finally headed

home for Auckland, but the support to the

police has been a worthwhile operation and

we look forward to working with the police in

the future.---------------------

* Onsies are a polar-fleece lined all-in-one jumpsuit,

which are currently very popular (and very warm).

by lt andreW hoGG rnZn

After an early start to the year in

the Marlborough Sounds, ROTOITI

underwent a period of maintenance for

most of February, which offered time

for harbour training and refreshing the

crew’s skills. We also enjoyed receiving

the MONOWAI Trophy, which we were

awarded at Fleet Divisions. This was

a great prize to win and gave good

recognition to the hard work of ROTOITI’s

company during the previous year.

Once out of maintenance we resumed

patrols in support of the Ministry of

Fisheries, mainly covering the North Island,

with a respite in New Plymouth along

the way. That patrol gave our crew an

opportunity to gain valuable experience

with other agencies and put their training

into action. Back in the Hauraki Gulf we

then spent a week assisting the Minor War

Vessel Command Course assessments.

This was both exciting and entertaining

for our ship’s company and involved

us exercising with aircraft, conducting

gunnery and carrying out a lot of damage

control and man overboard exercises.

ROTOITI then moved on to other patrol

tasks, with our company keeping efficient

through dril ls and exercises despite

extremely trying weather conditions.

We handed over to TAUPO for a visit to

Tauranga, which allowed us to enjoy a

few days of beautiful weather and some

entertainment ashore and relaxation. Much

of April featured poor weather while we

were on patrol, but when at anchor our

sailors made the most of it by jumping in for

a dive or bringing out the fishing rods!

We returned to Auckland for a short

maintenance period in May, before we

resumed our pattern of patrols along the

North Island west coast.

hmnzs rotoiti

rotoiti Was aWarDeD With the monoWai trophy at fLeet DiVisons for the companys harD WorK Last year.

nz police practice sea-rescue techniques from taUpo’s rhiB.

off White island (l to r): Lmt smyth, ameD Wright, Lt hogg, ascs niao, ascs anderson & amt hill in rotoiti’s rhiB.

Lscs charlie green of taUpo makes a friend!



hmnzs otagoOTAGO is currently in the tropical Pacific, about

to head home from the Cook islands after

the first Pacific Islands patrol by an OPV. The

deployment lasted 38 days, and we visit Raoul

Island (twice), Tonga, Samoa, the Tokelaus,

Rarotonga in the Cook islands and Niue.

OTAGO was tasked with a range of activities:

surveillance, patrol, logistics and stores

transport. Our deployment is demonstrating

the Navy’s ability to undertake regular, long-

duration, security and resource protection, and

diplomatic missions, into the Pacific to support

the Pacific Island nations to protect their own

security and resources.

First, we took NZ’s Minister of Conservation, Kate

Wilkinson, and various supplies to Raoul Island.

One sailor, ACSS Fowler described the visit:

“On Tuesday morning [date] we set out on

our passage to the Islands; first stop was Raoul

Island. We anchored and launched both sea

boats to ferry the DOC stores and personnel

to the island. The sea was a little rough and

people were getting wet but we got everyone

ashore safely. We weighed anchor to moved

around to the southwest side, into the lee, to

anchor for the night and the next morning,

Saturday we returned to the landing place and

up-lifted about 17 personnel off the island and

set off for Tonga.”

Other Seariders embarked in OTAGO

included Dame Sian Elias, Chief Justice of New

Zealand, a group of New Zealand artists, DOC

personnel, Fisheries and Police staff and Pacific

Island Fisheries Officers. Their roles during the

deployment included:

• ThefirstvisitbyNewZealand’sChiefJustice

to Tokelau, an island group which is a

constitutional responsibility of NZ.

• Engagementwith Pacific Island nations,

including mentoring and training for

government personnel in those nations.

• Training with the Pacific Patrol Boats

operated by Pacific Island Nations.

• FisheriespatrolsoftheTunaBelt,insupport

of the Forum Fisheries Agency.

• Deliveringcharitablesupplies(toyssupplied

by Rotary Wellington to Tonga.

• SupporttoNZArmyandMinistryofForeign

Affairs for the forthcoming Humanitarian

Aid/ Disaster Relief training exercise, Tropic

Twilight 2011.

OTAGO’s deployment, like WELLINGTON”s

recent patrol to the Antarctic, is part of the

capability release process for the new Offshore

Patrol Vessels. This long-duration patrol into

the tropical Pacific has confirmed the capability

of the OPVs to operate in tropic waters and

temperatures.

H M N Z S o t a g o

otago with the tongan patrol Boat neiafU.

otago’s foc’sle party standby the windlass.

otago’s rhiB being loaded for raoul island.


by ltcdr s imon Griff iths rnZn, commandinG off icer

WELLINGTON is now back at sea after a

planned five week ‘Ship Repair Availability’.

Part of the time was used to apply the

lessons of the very rough weather we

experienced in our Ross Sea patrol (see

NT 160, April). While the maintenance

work went on our company dispersed

on courses or to other ships, some lucky

ones even got up to Singapore for the big

FPDA exercise!

Ou r f i r s t ma jo r even t was the

commemoration of the new memorial to

HMS PURIRI, sunk by a German mine in

1941. Following that we hosted the new

Junior Officers at sea and fitted in a visit to

Tauranga. This month, June, we begin our

Offshore Fisheries Capability Development

with MFish and undertake multi-agancy

taskings on an EEZ patrol.

hmnzs WeLLington

Petty Officer Yeoman of Signals Anthony

Nickel is the senior communications rating in

WELLINGTON and he has managed the ship’s

Communication Centre to an extremely high

standard. He made a significant contribution

to the overall success of WELLINGTON’s

Southern Ocean deployment and Antarctic

Sea Trials.

In planning the Southern Ocean and Ross

Sea deployment it was clear WELLINGTON

faced significant communications challenges

for its communication suite when at high

latitudes. POYS Nickel demonstrated great

attention to detail and unwavering dedication

to find solutions for both the high frequency

and satellite communications suites. His

ability to think ‘outside the box’ also ensured

that emergency communication links could

be maintained and used effectively, even

when operating in the far reaches of the

Ross Sea.

POYS Nickel is a valued member of the

ship’s team; for his loyalty, devotion and

dedication to the ship and his department,

he is to be commended.

HMS PURIRI was minesweeping off Whangarei

Heads when it hit a German mine and sank, on

14 May 1941. Five died in the sinking, including

the acting Commanding Officer, LT Douglas

Blacklaws, while 25 were rescued. PURIRI

was the only NZ warship sunk in New Zealand

waters as a direct result of enemy action. She

was a 940-tonne steel-hulled motorship built

in 1938, then requisitioned and converted as

a naval minesweeper in 1940.

At the time of sinking, PURIRI and HMS GALE

were searching for a mine which had fouled the

fishing nets and been reported by the fishing

vessel. The mine was one of a field laid by the

German raider ORION—the same minefield

sank the passenger liner RMS NIAGARA. About

eight nautical miles off Bream Head, PURIRI

struck the mine which blew up, sinking the

minesweeper.

An inquiry placed blame on the CO of GALE,

who—as the senior officer of the searching

ships—was judged to have failed to carry out

an organised search and take proper charge

of PURIRI.

The memorial was dedicated by the Chief

of Navy Rear Admiral Tony Parr at 11am on

Saturday, May 14, 70 years to the hour after

the sinking.

hms pUriri rememBereD

maritime component commander’s commendation for

poys a W nicKeL

WeLLington off Whangarei heads during the commemoration service.

cn speaks during the memorial unveiling.



H M N Z S r e s o l u t i o n

by lt t imothy erickson rnZn, enGineerinG chanGe GrouP, loGist ics command (marirt ime)

In mid-April 2010 the Engineering Change

Group (ECG) was given the project to replace

RESOLUTION’s aging hydrographic sonar,

the FANSWEEP 20. The old system had

significant reliability issues due to the age of

its components. For the Defence Force to

continue to meet its LINZ survey commitments,

a new hydrographic sonar system had to be

procured quickly. Our team at ECG had to

identify a suitable replacement system, procure

the equipment and have it installed in the ship

during her docking period planned for last

November.

T ime was a big challenge, due to the

comprehensive tender process the project

had to fol low. In early May 2010, ECG

released the tender and project requirements

documentation to industry. Comprehensive

responses (including recommended systems,

timeframes and costs) had to be submitted by

early June. An elaborate selection process was

undertaken by a number of key stakeholders

including many of our senior hydrography

experts, to assess not only the costings but

also the capabilities of the recommended

systems against RNZN requirements.

The system that was finally selected, the

RESON SeaBat 7125 Multi-Beam Echo

Sounder, is a leading edge technological

solution. The RESON SeaBat is a high

resolution MBES system that provides a turn-

key hydrographic survey system which is

capable of mapping seafloor/targets at 1-300m

over a swath of 140 degrees.

The RESON SeaBat is modular, which

enabled the detailed design to be completed

quickly and allowed a relatively straight forward

installation. The hardest part was to fit the new

transducer to the ship’s hull and interface it

with a number of the ship’s existing onboard

systems. It took a lot of interaction with a

number of organisations including the RESON

engineers, the RESON NZ agent (Colin Russell

of Ocean Systems Ltd) and the Babcock

Fitzroy Design Office, to get the design right

by the November deadline. As the project

manager, this was probably the most stressful

time for me!

Some aspects of the installation (cable runs

and deflector plate cutting) were begun before

the full design was completed, requiring a very

high level of project management supervision.

This enabled any issues to be addressed and

solutions put in place quickly, without detriment

to the project timeline. As well we had a change

in project manager (to LT Alex Walton) prior to

the completion of the system installation.

The installation of the RESON SeaBat

system went smoothly. However, one of the

unknowns identified during the trials period,

was the vast amount of data being captured,

stored and requiring processing both onboard

RESOLUTION and ashore. The previous

system gathered data from a 90-day survey

period onto 1TeraByte of disk space—the

new RESON SeaBat captures 1.2 Terabytes of

data every 10 days! Unfortunately, the existing

legacy data storage and processors lacked

the capability to undertake the all data analysis

and formatting from the new MBES, to the

standards required for LINZ. The project scope

had to be expanded to include the purchase

and installation of a 24TB drive and a new

computer system to process the survey data.

From a project management perspective,

it was essential to have input from key

stakeholders throughout each stage of the

project, especially from the various systems

‘experts’ including senior hyrodrography

personnel. Very posit ive feedback has

been received from our Hydrographers in

RESOLUTION. The RESON SeaBat provides

the users with a more user-friendly, Windows-

based processing system as well as a reduced

maintenance workload. The major outcome is

that the new system allows a greater swathe

to be scanned at a higher resolution; as well,

greater depths can be surveyed. This enables

RESOLUTION to survey a larger area either side

of the ship while conducting surveys at higher

speeds (6 - 8kts).

The project has been a success, with

RESOLUTION completing her first survey with

the new hydrographic sonar in April this year.

the neW mULti-Beam echo soUnDer (mBes)

the 3-D design of the transducer mount (grey) and deflector mounted on resoLUtion’s hull.


H M N Z S e n d e a v o u r

by slt mat Jamieson, rnZn

ENDEAVOUR has been berthed alongside

Calliope Wharf for defect rectification of our

main engine. As I write, the engine has been

stripped down to its various components which

are now being worked on within the Babcock

Fitzroy workshops. With engineers both

ashore and onboard working on these issues,

ENDEAVOUR’s engines are in good hands.

Continuation training has been progressing for

all ship’s company during this period alongside.

The Bridge Watchkeepers have utilised the

Bridge Simulator facility to keep their skills honed,

the Communications Department have been

busy building up their skills, and seamanship

evolutions and training are ongoing—with briefs

about coming to and slipping from a buoy,

lowering and raising the lifeboats and briefing

our company on lifeboat drills.

Damage Control training has also been

a major part of the last month—Toxic Gas

exercises, Main Machinery Space fires and

floods have kept us on our toes, ready to deal

with any incidents onboard. As well all that

training gave SLT Sam Fox and MID Benjamin

Flight the opportunity to earn their Officer of

the Day Qualifications.

We all were able to participate in inter-ship

sports tournaments during this time: Ships

vs Shore rugby and Inter-ship Hockey. A big

effort was produced by the combined Ships

rugby team, but unfortunately this was not

enough to see off the dominant Shore team.

ENDEAVOUR also put forth two teams for the

Inter-ship Hockey, who ended up playing each

other in a semi-final. One team finished fourth

and the team that made it to the final came

second overall—both teams finished in the top

half of the competition.

As the Engineers continue their work on

ENDEAVOUR’s engine, we look forward to

putting to sea for trials in June. Our programme

for the second half of the year remains

uncertain, but all things going well we will be

keen to return to sea and get back to our core

role of Replenishments at Sea.

hmnzs enDeaVoUr

ENDEAVOUR was heading across the

Tasman to Western Australia in April

when it had to turn back after it began

burning excessive oil in its main engine.

Responding to questions by the NZ Press

Association, a Navy spokesperson said

the 23-year-old ship was likely to be at

Devonport through most of June while

the engine repairs were completed. The

repair involves lifting the main engine

cylinders of the large marine diesel engine

and removing the pistons for checking and

re-machining.

enDeaVoUr’s engine repairs

enDeaVoUr alongside at calliope Wharf, Devonport.MC 10-0206-002.

miD Ben flight awarded his ooD certificate by cDr robb.

the main engine stripped down.



rocKie refLections from rotoitiby asea barry dulieu, hmnZs olPhert

People ask me ‘Why did you join the Naval

Reserve?’ Those who have a mi l i tary

background are easy to answer, they know

the familiar tenets of courage, commitment and

comradeship. They understand the benefits

from being part of the armed forces.

For others, it requires a little more explanation.

I have a standard patter that describes what the

Naval Reserve is, its history and role within our

Defence Force. I point out that my involvement

leads to many privileges, including meeting

interesting people and seeing hidden parts of

our beautiful coastline.

But being in the Reserve presents personal

challenges as well. It makes for a busy life,

juggling work, family and training requirements.

None-the-less I would recommend it to anyone.

When I describe all those points, people are

quite affirming of my role as a Reservist.

Another question is: ‘What is it like to be a

Rockie on board a RNZN ship?’ The short

answer is: ‘great!’ However, it can have its

moments. I enjoyed a posting in HMNZS

ROTOITI for ten weeks—it was great to have

been part of the crew. But it is also good to

reflect on such deployments and build on the

insights they bring. There are some similarities

between a part-time worker such as an Office

Temp and a Reservist—the Office Temp and

the Reservist are hired to fulfil a supplementary

role for a specific time; they are expected to be

reasonably skilled and to be able to carry out

the work required.

It can be a handful for the Reservist when

first joining a ship—you need to get to know

people, phone systems, computer systems,

where things are located, standard procedures

and emergency procedures. It takes time to

adjust to the new environment and fit in to

the rhythm of what and how things are done.

Naturally, the regular force sailors are familiar

with their ship; they know what is required and

how things function.

My time in ROTOITI made me think about how

as Reservists we need to be respectful of our

regular Navy hosts. Whenever I join a ship, it

feels like I am some long-lost relative, making

a surprise visit! I go on board, make myself at

home, grab new linen, claim a good bed and

then take it for granted that somebody will cook

my meals. The sailors seem to take this sort

of invasion in their stride; I have always been

made to feel at home.

However, I still have to learn about the new

ship and my tasks for the voyage. I work fulltime

as a tutor at a polytechnic, teaching trade

apprentices. So I understand that to acquire

good trade skills, it requires time, hard work,

patience and determination. In the case of the

Navy, this means being at sea and undertaking

daily training.

So as a Rockie in one of our ships, it is like

being an apprentice again. I know I am under

tuition and must be willing to learn. In fact all

the crews I have worked with have been keen

to pass on their knowledge and expertise. I

would however like to highlight some aspects

to be considered by Reservists—these points

are probably common sense, but I think are

worth re-stating:

naVaL reserVe

N A V A L r e s e r v e

the nava l reserve is an in tegra l par t o f our navy. the pr imary ro les o f the nr are to supp lement the navy by f i l l ing complement b i l le ts a t sea , backf i l l shore posts , p rov ide spec ia l i s t sk i l l s to the nZdf through t ransferab le sk i l l s se ts and, prov ide mar i t ime trade opera t ions (mto) suppor t .

an rnznVr contingent about to take up cordon duties in christchurch during april.


• First,gettoknowthesailors’namesand

rank. It is people and relationships that

are important and vital to every-day living

aboard.

• Respectthelivingenvironmentofthecrew;

it is their home.

• Be punctual! Being late on watch will

aggravate people and give you and the

Reserve a bad name.

• Beasponge for learninganddon’tbea

font of all naval knowledge. (You probably

don’t know what you don’t know)

• Learn to listen carefully to instructions.

(Live in the moment of what your duties

require)

• Beopentocorrectionandcommendation

alike; both are for your own good.

• Getoveryourself.Ifyoumakeamistake,

move on and keep learning.

• Havefunandenjoyyourtrainingopportunity.

Not too many people will experience what

you will.

These days, the Reserve and the Regular

Force are on a course of re-acquaintance. A

redefined relationship is emerging with cross-

pollination to benefit the two parts. Whether

VR or full-time we share a common purpose;

let’s acknowledge, celebrate and utilise that, in

our work together.

by robert annesley, hmnZs PeGasus

I have been in the RNZNVR since 2006. I was

born in the UK but I came to NZ in 1993, where

I joined St John in Auckland then moved to

Christchurch as an Intensive Care Paramedic.

I am now the Regional Clinical Standards

Manager, covering the northern part of the

South Island, and I also make presentations to

the Joint Service Health School at Burnham.

I passed PEGASUS frequently, but thought

I was not eligible until I saw an advert in the

paper—they were looking for Seamen. I

grabbed the opportunity! When I first joined,

PEGASUS had just ‘lost’ the Inshore Patrol

Craft HMNZS KIWI and there was a lot of

apprehension about how we would fit in on

board the other ships. I did do a weekend at

sea in the old WAKAKURA, just as the IPCs

were phasing out.

I aim to be prepared for the sea time, to

accept that there will be mucky jobs as well

as good ones. I am impressed by the Ordinary

Seaman and young ABs—they all show a

good attitude

I was in CANTERBURY in 2008 during

the ship’s flying trials, then I went away to

Ex TROPIC TWILIGHT 09, to Pukapuka. I

got ashore there for 24 hours to help the

Engineers. They gave me the chore of simply

removing nails from salvaged timber – not a

huge task but one that had to be done—I built

up a rapport with them by mucking in and

getting the job done

Otherwise I undertook my task book and did

general seamanship tasks. There were about

10 Ords [Ordinary Ratings] working through

their task books; we got a lot done with the

help of the CPO/POs and the ship’s core

crew—a good bunch of guys. CANTERBURY

is well suited to training and being on board

was a good introduction to life at sea.

It takes me about a week to get into the

swing of things on board, but I am AB Seaman

only so I can’t supplement the sailors in their

specialist roles, such as the Seaman Combat

Specialists. I also appreciate the understanding

from the Senior Ratings to someone who is of

a similar age to some of them.

In my civvy work I make decisions and I have

to think things through for myself. However, I

can cope with a 25 year-old telling me what to

do—I realise that in the context of shipboard

seamanship they are the experts. I have

struggled with the terminology at times, but

people were all helpful; even on the Bridge the

OOWs would show me things—their attitude

was ‘How are you going, can I help you with

anything?’

I must especially remark on the support I

enjoy from my wife and my son during my

Naval Reserve deployments. This monrth

[June] I am deployed aboard ROTOITI.

aBLe seaman anD st John manager

transfer into the naVaL reserVe? regular naval personnel can register an expression of interest for future service in the NZdF Non-regular Forces when applying for release or within one year following release. this is referred to as a seamless transfer from rF to Nr.entry into the Nr is determined by Captain Naval reserve in consultation with the director Naval officers Career Manager and Captain Fleet personnel training.Career Managers within the reserve Management Centre will discuss your intent, options and conduct background checks within your trade; and check that you are FFs—Fit For service.

asea Barry Dulieu at sea on rotoiti.

canterBUry during a pacific aid deployment.



otago anD the artistsby GreGory o’brien, Poet/artist/essayist/curator

In recent decades, we have become familiar

with journalists being embedded with the

military, but the possibility of embedding artists

with our Navy must have been a disconcerting

prospect for officers and ratings alike. Between

01–16 May nine of New Zealand’s leading

sculptors, painters, poets and photographers

were seariders in HMNZS OTAGO, voyaging

from Devonport Naval Base northwards to

Raoul Island, from where, after two days

ashore, they proceeded onwards to Tonga.

Also embarked was broadcaster Marcus

Lush (eager to check out Raoul Island—the

northernmost landmass of New Zealand—which

he hadn’t managed to include in his television

series ‘North’). Minister of Conservation

Kate Wilkinson and various Department of

Conservation people, some of whom would be

stopping over on Raoul Island for six months,

were also amongst the seariders.

The art project was the brainchild of the Pew

Environment Group; their objective was to raise

public awareness of the Kermadec region and

the possibility of establishing an international

marine reserve there. DOC and the Navy

were generous and willing collaborators in

this endeavour—which now enters its second

phase as the artists, back on dry land, start to

create art inspired by the voyage.

Amidst the hurly burly of daily life in OTAGO,

the artists must have appeared a relatively

inactive bunch. Mostly, we spent hours

staring at sea and sky, taking photographs

and making notes. There were also valuable

opportunities to talk with naval personnel and

thr Captain, LTCDR Simon Rooke, was a lively

and congenial presence. We were granted

permission to linger for hours on the bridge,

hovering over the charts and asking the kinds

of questions naval personnel must get asked

all the time.

The ratings coped well with the artistic

contingent’s inability to distinguish port from

starboard and with those of us who, no matter

how hard we tried, kept referring to our ship

as a boat. Painter John Reynold’s penchant for

dressing up in shaggy army camouflage and

taking photographs of himself on deck certainly

raised a few eyebrows.

Getting on and off Raoul Island provided the

most dramatic on- and off-water action, with

the OTAGO’s RHIB ferrying the helmet-clad

seariders through major swells—a procedure

which involved everyone (including the Minister)

getting shaken and thoroughly drenched. For

most of us, the resulting adrenalin rush lasted

all the way to Tonga.

At Nuku’alofa the artistic brigade disembarked.

Three days later, with two other artists, John Pule

and Elizabeth Thomson, I rode a bicycle down

to the port to farewell the OTAGO as it began

the next leg of its South Pacific tour, heading

northwards to Apia. Fortunately our names

were on the list of people who had arrived on

the ship, so were allowed down to the wharf.

Waving farewell to captain and crew, we were

all surprised what a strong emotional connection

we now felt with the ship and its company.

Since then, the artists have gone our separate

ways, back to their studios to produce work

which will feature in the exhibition ‘Kermadec’,

due to open at Tauranga Art Gallery in

November. The voyage was a broadening

of horizons, in so many respects, and the

challenge now facing us is to find a way of

re-inhabiting the exhilarating and illuminating

reality we experienced during our time at sea.

the KermaDec Voyage

marcus Lush with fish and fiona hall. Dame robin White sketching.

otago seen from raoul island, 13 may.Photo: Fiona Hall

artists group at sea in otago’s rhiB.

performance artist John reynolds in his swamp outfit.

H M N Z S o t a g o


A R O u N D T H E F L E E T

NOTE: th is forecast is subJect to chanGe

c o m p i l e d b y LCSS (A) KyLE LOMAS, J33M, HQ JFNZ

DNB Devonport Naval BaseDSRA Docking and Selected Reduced

Availability.EEZ Exclusive Economic ZoneESRA Extended Ship Repair

AvailabilityHATS Harbour Acceptance TrialsIMAV Intermediate AvailabilityPASSEX Passage ExercisePAL Part Annual LeaveSATS Sea Acceptance TrialsSRA Ship Repair Availability

gLossary

NAVAL SUPPORT FORCEShmnzs enDeaVoUr (cdr K.a robb, rnZn)

jUNE15 – 19 DNB–Maintenance20 – 23 HATS23 – 27 SATS27 – 30 Passage

jULY01 – 06 Sydney06 – 12 Passage12 – 16 Madang16 – 22 Passex22 – 25 Port Vila25 – 29 Passex29 – 31 DNB

HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY FORCEhmnzs resoLUtion (Ltcdr M.r. wray, rnZn)

jUNE15 – 30 DSRA–DNB

jULY01 – 24 DSRA25 – 28 DNB–HATS28 – 31 SATS

mine coUnter measUres team (Ltcdr K barrett rnZn)

jUNE13 – 17 EX BLACKADDER17 – 30 Harbour Training

jULY01 – 03 Harbour Training04 – 15 PAL16 – 31 Harbour Training

hmnzs WeLLington (Ltcdr s. griffiths rnZn)

jUNE15 – 20 DNB–Harbour Training20 – 30 EEZ Patrol

jULY01 EEZ Patrol01 – 25 DNB–Harbour Training25 – 31 Sea Training

otago in rarotonga, 2 June


INSHORE PATROL VESSELShmnzs rotoiti (Lt a. hogg rnZn)

jUNE15 – 30 Harbour Training23 Change of Command (to LT L Bakewell RNZN)

jULY01 – 22 Work up22 – 31 DNB–PAL

hmnzs haWea (Lt M.d.h. Kaio rnZn)

jUNE15 – 16 EX GuARDIAN16 – 20 Harbour Training20 – 24 Sea Training24 – 27 Great Barrier Island27 – 30 Sea Training

jULY01 – 22 Workup 23 – 31 PAL

hmnzs pUKaKi (Lt a.L. hansen rnZn)

jUNE15 – 20 DNB–MCC Stand Down20 – 30 EEZ Patrol

jULY01 – 10 PAL11 – 13 Harbour Training13 – 21 OP KAuWAE21 – 26 Nelson26 – 31 OP KAuWAE

hmnzs taUpo (Lt L.a. tayLor rnZn)

jUNE15 – 30 DNB–DSRA

jULY01 – 31 DSRA

NAVAL COMBAT FORCEhmnzs te mana (cdr J w bUtcher MnZM, rnZn)

jUNE13 – 18 Passage18 – 22 Ho Chi Minh City22 – 27 Passage27 – 30 Shanghai30 Passage

jULY01 – 05 Passage05 – 10 Brunei10 – 22 Passage/Passex22 – 25 Port Vila25 – 29 Passex29 – 31 Devonport

DIVING AND MCM FORCEhmnzs manaWanUi Ltcdr w.w.K Leef rnZn)

jUNE15 – 17 Sea Training17 – 20 DNB20 – 30 EX TRIDENT WARRIOR

jULY01 EX TRIDENT WARRIOR01 – 04 DNB04 – 15 EX NAuTILuS15 – 25 DNB Harbour Training/PAL25 – 31 Sea Training

hmnzs te Kaha (cdr J.e beadsMore, rnZn)

jUNE06 – 30 Ship Repair Availability

jULY01 – 31 SRA

hmnzs canterBUry (cdr J.L. giLMoUr, rnZn)

jUNE08 Change of Command15 – 19 Passage to Brisbane19 – 30 Docking & SRA (Brisbane)

jULY01 – 28 DSRA & HATS28 – 29 SATS30 – 31 Passage to NZ

LITTORAL WARFARE SUPPORT GROuPoperationaL DiVing team (Ltcdr a.g. LesLie rnZn)

jUNE13 – 17 EX BLACKADDER17 – 20 DNB20 – 24 EX CLuSO24 – 30 Harbour Training

jULY01 – 04 Harbour Training04 – 15 EX NAuTILuS15 – 31 Harbour Training

OFFSHORE PATROL VESSELShmnzs otago (Ltcdr s. rooKe rnZn)

jUNE15 – 17 Passage17 – 24 DNB–Self Maintenance Period25 – 30 Harbour Training

jULY01 – 11 Harbour Training11 – 15 Passage15 – 18 Apia, Samoa18 – 29 EX TROPIC TWIGHLIGHT29 – 31 Nuku’alofa, Tonga

J U n i o r o f f i c e r t r a i n i n g

After six weeks of university study, Junior Officers from the Navy’s university scheme,

Tangaroa Division, were keen to get into the great outdoors and away from their desks.

The Division and their Divisional Officer, LT Rip Takhar, were put to work combining

with the Department of Conservation and the Motuihe Trust to complete conservation

and restoration work on Motuihe Island.

Motuihe Island is rich in history, starting during Maori settlement during which time at least

two Pa sites were established there. European settlers farmed the land from the 1840’s

until 1873, when a quarantine station was established. During WWI the Island was used

as a Prisoner of War camp, with its most famous captive being Count Felix von Luckner.

Following the outbreak of WWII, a new naval training establishment, HMS TAMAKI was

established on the island in January 1941 [in October 1941 it became HMNZS TAMAKI]

and during the war over 6000 naval ratings were trained there. TAMAKI remained in the

island until 1963 [when it shifted to Narrowneck]. Today Motuihe Island is undergoing

an extensive conservation effort to restore it to the condition that it would have been in,

before European settlement.

On a cool Monday morning, members of Tangaroa Division were transported via RHIB

to Motuihe Island where they were greeted by the Chairman of the Motuihe Trust and

the DoC Ranger, John Mills. Having served as a gunnery rating in the Navy in the 1960s,

John Mills wasted no time in putting us to work. We spent our time pulling out fence

posts, planting trees, installing ceiling insulation, putting in signs and removing foreign

tree species. The days spent on Motuihe included a range of weather conditions, ranging

from clear skies and sun to 50 knot winds and horizontal rain; needless to say the Division

endured and put in a solid effort towards the Island’s restoration.

After our work we received the following message from John Mills: “Thank you for

the great support and work done by you and your team… It is much appreciated and

assisted greatly with the work programme on the island. Please convey my thanks and

that of DOC and the Trust to all those involved.”

eager hanDs for conserVation WorK

tangaroa DiVision

seLf-serVice for aDmin anD payself-service is now the way Navy personnel

manage their Hr admin and pay. Naval personnel

changed the way they complete their basic Hr

administration and pay tasks from 28 February

and NAVpAC is now closed. Navy personnel now

need to do most of their basic Hr administrative

tasks, such as leave bookings, themselves—

online, using KeA.

personnel who have an Hr admin query that

they can’t resolve get information from the

Military pay and Admin site and, if needed, can

get help from staff in the new defence Force Hr

service Centre (HrsC) by email or phone.

toni Janes, HrsC director, says most Naval

personnel have adapted well to the new way of

working. However, there are still some personnel

who are ringing the service Centre with work that

they should be doing themselves.

“we provide back up via email and phone,” she

says. “And that’s what it is—back up. personnel

need to realise that—if they are not already—

they need to be doing most of their basic admin

and pay themselves using KeA.”

only personnel who do not have access to

KeA should contact the service Centre to have

their administration tasks completed. Ms Janes

also reminds personnel to ensure that their

details in KeA, particularly for next of kin, are

kept up-to-date.

D e f e n c e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n

tangaroa Division with the Doc ranger. shovelling mulch.


t r a i n i n g a n D e D U c a t i o n D i r e c t o r a t e

"We neeD to heLp prepare oUr LeaDers in the WiDest sense, creating pathWays for them in a range of roLes. We neeD to DeVeLop the right professionaL miLitary sKiLLs."

The new Defence

Lea r n i ng Cen t re

brought together

all three Services’

education operations

on 26 April, within

the Tra in ing and

Education Directorate

(TED) and is the

responsibility of Colonel John McLeod.

The Centre is headed by Major Amy Brosnan

and will include 21 personnel from across the

Services at camps and bases throughout the

country. Operating alongside the Command and

Staff College within the New Zealand Defence

College, the Defence Learning Centre’s role

combines elements of all the Services’ education

delivery in three key areas:

• international/culturallearning,

• literacyandnumeracyatalllevels,

• management of the education study

assistance programme.

The Defence International Learning Centre

(DILC) at Trentham runs cultural and language

acclimatisation for Mutual Assistance Programme

(MAP) students and also has a deployable ESL

(English as a Second Language) role for overseas

militaries.

For ‘literacy’, the Centre’s role is helping

personnel develop the literacy levels they need

throughout their career as they move through

the ranks and different roles. “We want to foster

the development of ‘cognitive agility’ in our

people—this is really about people’s problem

solving and thinking innovatively, whether on the

battlefield or in a leadership role at all levels of the

organisation,” COL McLeod says.

COL McLeod says the Centre will grow to take

on a stronger role in supporting higher leadership

development. “We need to help prepare our

leaders in the widest sense, creating pathways

for them in a range of roles. To optimise personnel

in that position we need to ensure they’ve had

the right background through developing the

right professional military skills, subject matter

expertise and leadership training,” he says.

COL McLeod says the changes at a camps

and bases means NZDF educators can be

more readily available to help personnel when

needed, offering communication courses and

study support.”

enaBLing Learning to sUpport oUr operations

t r a i n i n g a n D e D U c a t i o n D i r e c t o r a t e

The former Voluntary Educational Study

Assistance scheme is changing to become a

Defence-wide scheme called ESA (Educational

Study Assistance) which retains the aims of the

VESA scheme. ESA is being set up to provide

for optional personal development study

programmes that are funded by the NZDF

and which individuals complete mainly in their

own time.

This supports the development of all personnel

through higher level education, and is of mutual

benefit for both the individual and the NZDF. The

education structures supporting the ESA scheme

have merged into a tri-Service organisation

(Defence Learning Centre) to deliver support for

the scheme on a tri-Service basis.

ESA is available for all RF personnel, civil staff

(with more than 2 year’s service/employment)

and TF personnel in certain circumstances. The

criteria for ESA are similar to VESA; these are:

• Assisted funding for papers is limited to

a total of $1600 (GST inc) per annum per

person unless otherwise approved by the

Defence Education Board.

• Nomorethantwopaperswillbeassisted

per year.

• Applicants need to indicate a direction

of study rather than a random array of

papers, and there will be list of approved

programmes/courses and providers.

• Programmesofstudyacrossseveralyears

can be applied for. These will be considered

by the Defence Education Board.

• Allpostgraduatestudywillneedapproval

of the Defence Education Board.

The Defence Education Board will sit twice-

yearly. This Board replaces the Navy Tertiary

Studies Board, the Army Education Board, and

the Air Force VESA Board. The Adult Learning

Tutors in each camp or base will have delegated

authority to approve study that does not need to

go to the Defence Education Board. For Navy the

ALTs are LTCDR John Fincham and Mrs Nicola

Allison, who are both based in Devonport.

COL John McLeod, Commandant of Defence

College, says “NZ Defence College is looking

forward to supporting the Defence Force through

administering the scheme in a fair and transparent

way. We recognise our responsibility to manage

this budget carefully and make sure everyone

who applies gets a fair go.”

For more information about ESA visit our intranet:http://org/hqnzdf-ted/default.aspx

esa, not Vesa. neW processes for accessing personaL DeVeLopment stUDy

the navy team at the nzDf hr service centre. Back row (l to r): WoWtr gareth farmer, aWtr chris Baldwin, cpoWtr Dean stelter, poWtr Logan Van der Vliet; front: LWtr Kayla mitchell, aWtr maria Joseph, aWtr Lauren snell, aWtr nicole Booth, LWtr susan Davies, aWtr Danielle murphy, LWtr Keri Brooking.20110308_WN_S1015650_0001


o U r n a V a L h e r i t a g e

A Kiwi SubmAriner

patrols, and in 1941 was the first British

submarine equipped with radar. Soon after Con

joined, he used the radar set to track a target at

night and set up a successful attack.

Thode was not the only Kiwi in the Alexandria-

based submarines, others like him were

RNZNVR men now mobilised, who volunteered

for the submarine service, while some were

Kiwis who had joined the RN pre-war. A total

of some 200 New Zealand officers and ratings

served in British submarines during the War. All

the Kiwis who served in submarines had to reach

a high level of training to earn their Dolphins, the

badge for the qualified submariners. Some were

unlucky; five Kiwis were lost with their shipmates

when their boats were sunk by the enemy.

Aboard PROTEUS, Con Thode and his

shipmates had a close call when the Italian

destroyer SAGITTARIO attacked the submarine

at night; PROTEUS turned towards the destroyer

and the two ships hit nearly head-on. PROTEUS’

forward hydroplane acted like a can opener,

slicing into the destroyer’s hull. The submarine

lost its hydroplanes and suffered serious leaks,

but amazingly the pressure hull was intact. The

submarine limped home for repair (the damaged

destroyer also had to head back to base).

From PROTEUS Thode moved on to become

First Lieutenant of ULTOR, a brand new U-class

submarine. The Royal Navy had a system of

naming each class of ships with a common

initial letter; the three classes of submarine

under construction during the war were the

S-class, T-class and U-class. Of course U-class

submarines should not be confused with

German U-boats. Another Kiwi, Larry Herrick,

Before the Second World War, Con was a keen

yachtsman. In early 1940 Con decided to get

himself to the UK where men with a Yachtmaster’s

ticket were eligible for a commission in the Royal

Naval Volunteer Reserve. Con embarked in a

merchant ship, working his passage as a deck-

hand. They met no German U-boats, but he

remembers that a ship in his convoy was sunk

by a magnetic mine.

After training he spent the next winter in a

corvette in the Battle of the Atlantic. By mid-

1941 Con decided to volunteer for submarines

and after his specialist training he was appointed

as Navigator of HMS PROTEUS, which was in

the Mediterranean Fleet, based in Egypt.

As well as battleships, cruisers and destroyers,

the Mediterranean Fleet included a strong

submarine force—PROTEUS was one of nearly

a score of British submarines there. The German

and Italian air forces dominated the skies across

most of the Mediterranean so submarines were

one of the few offensive weapons available to

the British. PROTEUS, along with the other

boats (traditionally submarines are called ‘boats’)

operated in the Aegean Sea, off the Greek west

coast and in the Gulf of Taranto, to intercept

enemy convoys re-supplying Rommel’s forces

in North Africa.

PROTEUS had had a number of successful

by r ichard Jackson, editor

In March this year, Con Thode of Auckland celebrated his 100th birthday at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Fit, alert and still driving, Con continues to live a full life, which has revolved around ships and the sea.

“A totAl of some 200 New ZeAlANd officers ANd rAtiNgs served iN British suBmAriNes duriNg the wAr.”

sycthian returning to the UK in 1945 with the Jolly roger flying.


o U r n a V a L h e r i t a g e

who had joined the Royal Navy in 1936 from

Napier, was given command of a U-class

submarine, which had previously had only a

pennant number, ‘P31’. Herrick was informed

that the boat was to be named ‘Ullswater’ but

that was not appealing to any sailor; Herrick

suggested instead UPROAR, which was

accepted.

As the young submarine officers gained

experience, so they became eligible for the

Perisher course, the submarine command

course. Larry Herrick had completed his in 1942;

Con Thode underwent his Perisher in 1943. As a

regular RN officer, even though a Kiwi, Herrick’s

opportunity to become a CO was not unusual,

but as a Volunteer Reserve officer, Thode’s

selection was rare. There were only a handful

of Volunteer Reserve officers who commanded

operational submarines, with just one Canadian

and only one New Zealander—Thode— among

them.

The newly qualified COs were first given

command of an old training submarine, before

being placed in an operational boat and sent

on war patrols off Norway. That completed

their training and, from 1943 onwards, they

were generally sent to commission a newly built

submarine, test it and work up their crew.

Con Thode commissioned SCYTHIAN in late

1944 and after a work up took his submarine

to Ceylon (today, Sri Lanka). SCYTHIAN’s first

patrol began in February 1945: four weeks in the

waters off the southern coast of Burma (today

Myanmar). There were few large Japanese ships

by that stage of the war; instead the British

submarines would board local junks to check

if they were carrying supplies for the enemy.

Those with enemy cargoes were sunk by gunfire,

after the crews were sent to safety. As well,

SCYTHIAN patrolled specified areas as an air-

sea rescue ship during major allied air raids.

SCYTHIAN’s third war patrol was with two

other British submarines to ambush a Japanese

cruiser. Their operation in the Japanese-

controlled Malacca Straits lasted one month,

but in the event the enemy cruiser, HAGURO,

was intercepted by British destroyers and sunk

in a classic night attack.

Next, SCYTHIAN trained with Commandoes,

who were to be landed in Malaya. Before the

mission could go ahead, the Pacific War ended.

Looking back at his time as a submarine CO,

Con commented “They were dire times. I was

in a leadership position, so I just did it, had to

make decisions, give orders and expect them

to be followed.”

For Con, being appointed in command

of an operational submarine was a special

achievement. The Kiwi submariners, although

dispersed throughout the submarine service,

were none-the-less a courageous group who

made a distinctive contribution to the war effort.

In October this year our Navy will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its Royal recognition – becoming the Royal New Zealand Navy. We will celebrate the achievements of all Kiwi naval men and women in WWII and subsequent years.

hms scythian in 1945. she was one of the few s-class boats to have a 4” (102mm) gun, instead of the more usual 3” (76mm). the radar aerial is the X-shaped antenna aft of the periscopes. Photo: Navy Museum

three Kiwi submariners: stoker po ‘froggy’ Le gros, Lt con thode rnznVr and stoker po B.e. Bennett Dsm.Photo: Navy Museum

U-class submarine hms UniteD


s p o r t

the roya l aust ra l ian navy ’s co l ts and Premier rugby teams came to the nava l base in the las t week o f may for the annua l contes t fo r the dowset t cup (named a f te r cdre mike dowset t ran and es tab l i shed in 1975) and the she l fo rd-stokes sh ie ld (named a f te r Wayne she l fo rd and Wo Geof f s tokes ran, and es tab l i shed in 2009) .

The RNZN Colts won emphatically, 44-8. The Premiers contested their trophy in a hard-fought, rain-soaked match, which ended in a last minute

draw, 6-all. Our Player of the Day was LT Damian Gibbs (Number 8). The RNZN retains the Shelford-Stokes Trophy.

INTerNATIoNAl ruGby: rAN vS rNZN

by sPud murPhy

The RNZNFADC held its first ‘Live Aboard

Charter’ over 18-20 March, from Whitianga.

Our vessel was the former Team New Zealand

tow boat, now run by Black Magic Charters.

The boat was located in the Waterways at

Whitianga. After loading our gear and food we

set out for Great Barrier Island. The sea was

a bit lumpy—the weather over the weekend

was a moderate Easterly, so we were limited

to the western coast of GBI. The voyage up to

the Barrier sparked the typical competition of

who will catch the biggest Cray, Most Crays

and largest Snapper.

Friday evening: Spot X just outside of

Whangaparapara Harbour, a few crayfish to

supplement our steak for dinner

Saturday: a dive at the Broken Islands

outside of Port Fitzroy, more crays then

a spot of fishing followed by another dive

before anchoring for the night. Fresh snapper

and scallops were on the menu, along with

the ‘standard’ fare which was included in

the charter price. A few of us also took the

opportunity to have a night dive.

Sunday: wet and cold wetsuits, but who

cares when there is another good dive and

a haul of crays. We then headed back to

Whitianga via the Mercurys where we had a

very successful scallop dive in 7-8 metres.

Back along side in Whitianga around 1800, to

unload the boat, and head back to Auckland.

A fantastic trip—fresh air, fresh kaimoana

and a great bunch of people. The Skipper

and Deckie made us feel at home; they even

filleted our fish, shelled our scallops, and

cooked. When we got back they took care of

cleaning the boat! If you would like to ‘Beat the

Rat Race’ then come and join us on a Club

trip for a weekend! A trip like this, for a whole

weekend away, including food and air fills, was

$380 per person.

• Details: SDrive/Public Information/Sport

and Recreation/RNZNFADC.

• FaceBook—undertheRNZNFishingand

Diving Club.

rnzn fishing anD DiVing cLUB

premiers lineout in the rain; cpomt(p) chris henricksen (no. 5) jumping for possession.

colts game, miD guy mexted.

attack of the killer crayfish! Lt matt Kaio is overwhelmed!


D e p L o y e D t a s K g r o U p

by aeW tuuta

TE KAHA and TE MANA were invited to

participate in a netball tournament on 23

April, hosted by the Singaporean Cricket Club

and organised by the PTI and Mrs Shannyn

McLeod. The tournament consisted of 5

teams, the SCC team, TE MANA’s mixed and

women’s teams, and TE KAHA’s mixed and

women’s teams.

It was a long day in the 30+ºC heat, but

all sides showed their competitiveness and

fought through to the end. SCC vs TE KAHA

Mixed was close—taken by the SCC team by 1

point. Stand out players were SGT Taylor who

showed some astounding shooting accuracy

and POPTI Attrill who defended well against

the SCC shooter (who had been the shooter

for the Australian Men’s Netball Team).

TE KAHA Women also showed much talent,

in particular ACO Hall and ACSS Stafford.

Well done to all who participated; a lot of

hidden talents were shown that day! TE KAHA

ended up winning the tournament and was

awarded a plaque at the post-match function.

rUgBy Vs singapore cricKet cLUBby cPoPti matty Jeffries, hmnZs te kaha

TE KAHA’s rugby team mustered to play the

SCC, with this being the first match for the

ship’s team on this deployment. The game

started with a high level of intensity and the

forward packs drove hard. LMT Dinnell Mio

was fierce at the tackle.

The SCC was the first to score off an error

in TE KAHA’s 22; down 7–nil after 10 minutes,

TE KAHA worked their way up the field to be

rewarded with 2 penalty kicks before the end

of the first quarter. The second quarter saw TE

KAHA take the lead after a great individual try

from SLT Wasley: Half-time score 13 – 7.

The game started to loosen up as gaps

opened up around the rucks and out in the

mid field, but despite some great line breaks

by TE KAHA’s backs we failed to score against

a good scrambling defence. But we did score

after a good kick through was chased down

by AMT Michael Davys.

The last quarter was taxing on our players.

The SCC brought on fresh players and late in

the last quarter they crossed the line to close the

gap with an unconverted try. Desperate rugby

was played by both sides for the remainder of

the match, but at the full-time whistle TE KAHA

had held on, winning 20–12.

te mana’s footBaLLers in penangTE MANA’s Football Team arrived at the

Penang Royal Marine Police Grounds on 28

May to find a hard and unforgiving pitch. The

temperature was scorching; the RMN team

completed a quick warm up, showing they were

acclimatised, with energy to burn!

Within the first minute the Malaysians blitzed

through the defence to go 1-0 up. Despite this

start after 20 minutes we managed to level

the score. This bolstered our confidence and

TE MANA secured a second goal just before

half time.

The second half saw the Malaysians on

attack, and for 20 minutes they ruled the pitch.

Their pressure paid off, the scores were again

level. The game then see-sawed from one end

to the other; 10 minutes before full time, Muslim

afternoon prayers gave us a much needed

breather. A more aggressive formation resulted

in more possession and territory. Shot after

shot was put up, but the Malaysian defence

held. The break then came with less than 2

minutes on the clock as LMT Bowyer secured

his second goal of the day.

Our 3-2 win in trying conditions, made for a

thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Latest: TE MANA also won against an Indian

ship in Port Blair.

LoU smith cUp Our two frigates joined forces

in Rugby Union to contest the

Lou Smith Cup while in Western

Australia. Their opponents were

HMA Ships PARAMATTA and

BALLARAT, and the Kiwis won

convincingly.

netBaLL in singapore Lou smith cup

amt(p) Joseph Black is tackledPhoto: RAN

Lscs riki tawhara dives for a try.Photo: RAN

te Kaha vs scc.

Lt Kerry mayall (l) exchanges gifts with the rmn team captain.

the club members after their trip (l to r): spud murphy, poet Daniel Dewhurst, Jules Dewhurst, poet fiona atkinson, Lt matt Kaio, sgt chris Weissenborn, orlando seumanutafa and stu east.


Serving and former Defence Force personnel, including discharged and retired servicemen or women, will receive an onboard credit of up to $250 when booking a cruise with • P&OCruisesAustralia,• PrincessCruisesor• Cunard.Carnival Australia has introduced this program across its fleet to pay tribute to serving and former members of the Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces. The program is open to all three Services within the Defence Force,

including the RNZN, NZ Army and RNZAF.Carnival Australia Senior Vice President Jenny Lourey said the company was extremely proud to introduce the program. “We think it’s a great way of acknowledging the men and women who give so much for their countries,” Ms Lourey said.

To receive the benefit, servicemen simply need to provide documentation at the time of booking, demonstrating their service in the ADF or NZDF.

crUise Lines’ Defence DiscoUnt offer!

reUnions m a i n n o t i c e B o a r D

nO. 3 (AuckLAnD ciTY) squADROn AiR TRAining cORps No 3 Sqn ATC will celebrate its 70th Anniversary in September 2011. Expressions of interest from ex-cadets and officers are sought—we are planning an Anniversary Parade up Queen Street by the Auckland Air Training Corps Wing. Our 70th Anniversary Dinner on 10th September will be in the new MOTAT Hanger. Website, www.3squadron.org.nz, for details and a registration form.

Contact: FGOFF Kirsten McKenzie, NZCFExecutive Officer No. 3 (Auckland City) Squadron ATC Phone: (09) 6300 280Mobile: 021 988 864Address: PO Box 44 064, Pt Chevalier, Auckland

HMnZs TARAnAki ReuniOn 201150th Anniversary of “The Homecoming”New Plymouth, 28 – 30 October 2011

Contact:Reunion 2011 PO Box 3250New Plymouth 4341.Email: [email protected]

Rp/sn (AkA css) ReuniOn 2012Crowns and aboveDevonport Naval BaseQueens Birthday Weekend 2012

Contact:CPOCSS (A) Anaru MoaEmail: [email protected]

RnZn engine ROOM BRAncH ReuniOn30 March–2 April 2012, Masterton,

Contacts:Malcolm Harris90 Cameron StMastertonPh: 06-377-1606Dennis R BellPh 06-370-1901Fax: 06-370-1902Email: [email protected]

RnZn 1/70 inTAke (7TH jAn 1970) 3RD ReuniOn To be held in Hamilton 10 – 12 May 2013.All BCTs from the this intake are welcome

Contacts:Wayne TapsellPh 07 957 5624 or 029 2809 734 email: [email protected] BrimblecombePh 021 831 872Email: [email protected] Dave Franks Ph 07 8288 612 or 0274 978 925Email: [email protected]

On 1 October 1941 the ‘New Zealand Naval Forces’ became the ‘Royal New Zealand Navy’

after King George VI granted our Naval Forces his royal recognition. This year the RNZN will

celebrate its 70 years as a ‘Royal’ navy with a Fleet Review and related activities in Wellington.

Watch this space for more details as this major naval occasion develops.

rnzn 70th anniVersary ceLeBrations

reaDers’ sUrVey The survey has been mailed out to readers in New Zealand. If you didn’t receive a copy or what to send in your comments, please email us at: [email protected]

29 septemBer – 3 octoBer

royaL neW zeaLanD naVaL association We invite those currently serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy to join our Association, which is also open to those who have served (for a minimum period of 3 months) under any White Ensign. With Branches throughout New Zealand, we offer the comradeship of past and present sailors. To find a Branch near you please visit our Web Sitewww.rnzna.org.nz

Brian Gill, National Secretary


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NVY 0074 NavyToday_A4-finals-p.indd 1 21/4/10 12:11:23 PM

navy today issue 161, june · issue 161 june 11 royal new zealand navy three services as one force,...

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