Final flags fly for Navy vessels 5:00AM Thursday November 29, 2007
Two of the Navy's remaining three inshore patrol craft will enter Auckland Harbour for the final time this morning, flying their decommissioning pennants.
HMNZS Wakakura and HMNZS Kiwi are being decommissioned, with four new ships being built to replace them.
The ships will enter the harbour at 7.30am, where they will carry out ceremonial manoeuvres in the Stanley Bay Basin before berthing alongside the Devonport Naval Base at 8.05am.
Navy public relations manager Lieutenant Commander Barbara Cassin said it would be the final task for the crews of the two vessels.
Both ships will formally be decommissioned from operational service on December 11. Sister ships Hinau and Moa were decommissioned in January.
A fifth in-shore patrol craft, HMNZS Kahu, will remain in service as the navigational and seamanship training ship.
Named after World War II minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Kiwi and Wakakura were attached to the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve Divisions in Christchurch and Wellington respectively until April 2005.
Built in Whangarei in the 1970s, the ships were used for basic seamanship and navigation training. The new vessels being built - Rotoiti, Hawea, Pukaki and Taupo - will be commissioned next year.
Sad maybe, but the new vessels are much more capable (over 55m in length). I'm told Navy excepts to be able to take one up to the Solomons within the first year of operating it.
Yes it's good news that new and useful replacements are on the way. Although, I think the two mini-Anzacs Otago and Wellington might be a better bet for upgrading to Pacific ASW deployments!
Following are pics of the first inshore patrol boat, Rotoiti, and then the new Wellington, still being farnacled-about-with in Melbourne.
I hereby state, and in the strongest possible terms, that all the official NZ sites I just looked through to find up to date pics for this were abysmal. Given the vast pool of first class site-designing hipsters in NZ, one would think the government pages would be more up to date than tomorrow, instead of looking like and being as contemporary as 1950s science fiction.
Last Edit: Nov 30, 2007 16:40:12 GMT 12 by flycookie
I agree with you Cookie Monster, the NZDF sites are very poor when it comes to multimedia content. Some months ago there was an online survey, which I and a few others here from meory took part in. They even asked for other sites that one thought were good examples. I think I gave the RAAF and RAF sites as good sites from which to follow, but alas, they haven't done much at all apart from add recruiting pages.
I know there's a lot of money in aviation because I put it there.
being an Otago lad from birth I have been trying to find info on how the new otago is getting on etc. It seems ages since she was launched. And yes the NZDF sites are pathetic
Before logging on 10 minutes ago, I spent five minutes all a-googling any decent and recent news re the new Otago.
Nothing out there, alas.
Write a nasty letter to Uncle Helen and/or Phuckup Phil, demanding some action on this front. Actually, don't do that at all, as they may well see that as due provocation to abolish something else.