Post by vgp on Jul 17, 2008 15:05:14 GMT 12
Navy museum moving to Torpedo Bay
NZPA/Wayne Drought | 17 July 2008 02:03pm
The cramped Navy Museum next to Devonport Navy Base is gearing up for a move to a new site at one of the most historic bays on Auckland's North Shore.
The navy plans to move the museum to Torpedo Bay, which is overlooked by North Head.
Torpedo Bay is where the Tainui immigration canoe landed about 1350 and where the coal-fired navy steam spar torpedo boats were housed in the late 1800s.
It was also the bay where French explorer Dumont D'Urville landed in 1827.
Two years ago the navy set its sights on the Devonport Wharf for the museum. That move was estimated to cost about $11 million but was dropped after a year of negotiations with North Shore City Council failed.
Now the navy has decided on the historic navy site at Torpedo Bay where a large building already existed and which would provide enough space for the museum.
Devonport Naval Base commanding officer Captain Dean McDougall said the historic building would need some "tender loving care" to bring it up to scratch and the move had yet to be approved by the city council.
The move was estimated to cost more than $2 million but Cpt McDougall said the cost and the timing had yet to be finalised.
Spar torpedo boats had a top speed of 17 knots and were part of the national plan to defend New Zealand's main ports.
The "torpedo" they carried was an explosive charge mounted on a spar projecting from the bow.
To sink an enemy ship the spar torpedo boats would ram it at speed, setting off the explosive charge on the end of the spar.
They were never used in anger and were never considered a success. They were disposed of in 1901
"That whole area is steeped in military history," Cpt McDougall said.
Torpedo Bay was believed to be the longest-occupied military site in the country.
Cpt McDougall said the new museum did not plan to have floating exhibits because they were too expensive to maintain but the proposal was very exciting.
He said the existing museum had a "whole lot of stuff" which could not be displayed as there was no room.
Some of the buildings which were more than 100 years old.
New Zealand has two other military museums, the Army Museum at Waiouru and the Air Force Museum at Wigram in Christchurch.
clearnet.co.nz/news/national/2008Jul/9a96d751-edfa-4ab8-9ec5-bc68eb5b6be7.html
NZPA/Wayne Drought | 17 July 2008 02:03pm
The cramped Navy Museum next to Devonport Navy Base is gearing up for a move to a new site at one of the most historic bays on Auckland's North Shore.
The navy plans to move the museum to Torpedo Bay, which is overlooked by North Head.
Torpedo Bay is where the Tainui immigration canoe landed about 1350 and where the coal-fired navy steam spar torpedo boats were housed in the late 1800s.
It was also the bay where French explorer Dumont D'Urville landed in 1827.
Two years ago the navy set its sights on the Devonport Wharf for the museum. That move was estimated to cost about $11 million but was dropped after a year of negotiations with North Shore City Council failed.
Now the navy has decided on the historic navy site at Torpedo Bay where a large building already existed and which would provide enough space for the museum.
Devonport Naval Base commanding officer Captain Dean McDougall said the historic building would need some "tender loving care" to bring it up to scratch and the move had yet to be approved by the city council.
The move was estimated to cost more than $2 million but Cpt McDougall said the cost and the timing had yet to be finalised.
Spar torpedo boats had a top speed of 17 knots and were part of the national plan to defend New Zealand's main ports.
The "torpedo" they carried was an explosive charge mounted on a spar projecting from the bow.
To sink an enemy ship the spar torpedo boats would ram it at speed, setting off the explosive charge on the end of the spar.
They were never used in anger and were never considered a success. They were disposed of in 1901
"That whole area is steeped in military history," Cpt McDougall said.
Torpedo Bay was believed to be the longest-occupied military site in the country.
Cpt McDougall said the new museum did not plan to have floating exhibits because they were too expensive to maintain but the proposal was very exciting.
He said the existing museum had a "whole lot of stuff" which could not be displayed as there was no room.
Some of the buildings which were more than 100 years old.
New Zealand has two other military museums, the Army Museum at Waiouru and the Air Force Museum at Wigram in Christchurch.
clearnet.co.nz/news/national/2008Jul/9a96d751-edfa-4ab8-9ec5-bc68eb5b6be7.html