# 2 4 3 M A Y 2 0
SEASPRITE PATROLS TRAINING IN THE BUBBLE NAVY BAND ANNIVERSARY
STAND AT DAWN
Anzac Day 2020
Contents 05 Seasprite Patrols
18 Signals under Endurance
06 Our Ships at sea
24 Navy Band 60th
08 TE KAHA Upgrades
28 Recovery of Medal
10 Stand at Dawn
29 Farewell River Plate veteran
14 Training in the bubble
30 Game of Uckers
“As an essential service, we must
be ready to respond for missions such as search and rescue, border control and humanitarian aid and disaster relief.” ~ Commodore Mat Williams, Maritime Component Commander
06 Navy Today is the official magazine of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Established to inform, inspire and entertain serving and former members of the RNZN, their families, friends and the wider Navy Community. Published by: Defence Public Affairs HQ NZ Defence Force Wellington, New Zealand
NZNavy
navy.mil.nz
Editor: Andrew Bonallack Email: navytoday@nzdf.mil.nz Design and Layout: Defence Public Affairs
NZDefenceForce
Printed by: Bluestar Private Bag 39996, Wellington Distribution: Email: navytoday@nzdf.mil.nz
10 Contributions are welcomed, including stories, photographs and letters. Please submit stories and letters by email in Microsoft Word or the body of an email. Articles up to 500 words welcomed, longer if required by the subject. Please consult the editor about long articles. Digital photos submitted by email also welcomed, at least 500kb preferred. Stories published in Navy Today cannot be published elsewhere without permission. Copy deadline is the 15th of the month for the following issue. Subject to change. Views expressed in Navy Today are not necessarily those of the RNZN or the NZDF. Defence Careers: Phone: 0800 1FORCE (0800 136 723) www.defencecareers.mil.nz Changing Address? To join or leave our mailing list, please contact: Email: navytoday@nzdf.mil.nz
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Cover: LT Samuel Fox stands in his driveway for the Stand at Dawn ceremony, Anzac Day 2020. Photographer: Petty Officer Chris Weissenborn
Yours Aye
Commander Headquarters Defence Logistics Command What a privilege to be asked by the Chief of Navy to write this month’s Yours Aye.
“ We should be very proud of our continued efforts to deal with whatever we are called upon during this crisis. It is, of course, not over yet, and we stand ready for the next change in COVID-19 level or operational challenge that comes our way.”
I write this from a very different and unfamiliar environment of ‘working from home’ where the only contact I have with my work/shipmates being virtual meetings and telephone conversations. I am very aware that many of our sailors have had much worse, with having to isolate themselves in service accommodation whether in our bases/camps or overseas such as our Anzac ship crews in Canada. Some of us have had to ‘stand to’ and continue with our duties. I have been very impressed with the way the Navy and wider NZDF has responded to the COVID-19 crisis, supporting the All of Government response while protecting ourselves and continuing to deliver operational outputs. All of this while keeping a watch on our Pacific Island Nation partners whom have been responding to their own COVID-19 challenges and dealing with weather events such as Cyclone Harold. Within my own command, the commendable way the sailors of the Defence Logistics Command (Maritime) and staff of Babcock New Zealand have worked as a seamless team to deliver logistics and engineering support throughout the various lockdown levels, all while keeping themselves safe and assisting our Navy and Defence colleagues with the Operation Protect Task Group North contribution. The word ‘agile’ comes to mind and as members of the Navy and wider Defence Force, we should be very proud of our continued efforts to deal with whatever we are called upon during this crisis. It is of course not over yet, and we stand ready for the next change in COVID-19 level or operational challenge that comes our way.
I have participated in Anzac Day commemorations for most of my life, including the privilege of attending Anzac commemorations at Gallipoli in 2005 while on a United Nations Mission in Kosovo. This year’s commemorations were very different with the ‘Stand at Dawn’ initiative and my reflections/contribution included standing at dawn on the balcony at our home in Wellington. I personally felt the whole occasion quite moving and was touched by how many neighbours were out paying a level of respect to those that have gone before us. As we stood demonstrating our individual acts of commemoration, I was reminded of the courage and commitment of our veterans, our service personnel, and the wonderful support we get from our family and friends. In closing I would like to pay tribute to a wonderful sailor who during the last month has passed on or as we would say ‘crossed the bar’. Mr Robert (Bob) Batt crossed the bar after a short illness on Saturday 2 May, aged 97. Mr Batt was one of the last surviving crew members of HMS ACHILLES and the Battle of the River Plate. The contribution of HMS ACHILLES, which was part of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, during this battle was a major contributing factor to the British government approving the establishment of our Navy in 1941. I had the privilege of meeting Mr Batt on a number of occasions when we remembered the Battle of the River Plate and celebrated our Navy’s birthday. On every occasion I engaged with Bob and his shipmates it was quite apparent that our Navy’s core values of courage, commitment, comradeship, and integrity were embedded in them. Rest in Peace Shipmate, your watch is over. Moe mai rā e Te Rangatira, kua mutu tō mataara.
Commodore Andrew Brown Commander Logistics
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ICER O F
WA
E N AV Y
RRANT
FF
TH
From the WON
O
Warrant Officer of the Navy
When I am out and about speaking with our sailors, I often use terms like curiosity and innovation. The Navy’s next innovation challenge is just around the corner so I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce a term you may or may not be familiar with – innovation. The word “innovation” is skyrocketing in the business world; it is everywhere. We as a Navy have had an interest in, and promoted innovation, for over 20 years. Firstly with the introduction of the 4I chit, then through our Naval Excellence journey and currently with the establishment of a Maritime Innovation Manager within the Headquarters in Wellington.
“ You can’t do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and still be in business tomorrow.”
What does innovation really mean? Innovation technically means to introduce a new idea, or to take an existing idea and make it work better. The term innovation tends to refer to the process of introducing something new. This process starts from the origination of an idea and implementation of that idea, taking into account the system on which the process unfolds. When 3M, known for manufacturing adhesives such as post-it notes, noticed customers were leaving post-it and jotting down notes on cell phones and laptops instead, they knew they had to come up with innovative ideas. Noticing that digital photography was on the rise, 3M researchers asked to see their customers’ photos.
What followed was always a clunky process: consumers would scroll through screen shots of photos or have to dig through a drawer for a few shots they printed. Thus, the Post-it Picture Paper, photo paper coated with adhesive that lets people stick their photos to a wall for display, was born. The opportunity to practise innovation is reliant on leaders to promote and create an atmosphere that positively promotes innovation. A negative atmosphere or environment can kill innovation just as much if not more than micro-management. Not every initiative needs to be top-down driven. Often, the most effective innovations are a result of bottom led-leadership (the Pasifika Island Community Group, for example). Not every initiative needs to drive change across the Navy or Defence. Some of the most effective innovations can only involve immediate work places. Not every initiative needs to be technology focused. Changing an existing process or methodology can have positive outcomes. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it has shown how innovative and agile we can be when the situation calls for it. There is no time like the present to closely examine what we are doing and challenge the ‘norm’. Use this time and innovate.
Wayne Dyke Warrant Officer Communication Warfare Specialist
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SEASPRITE PATROLS
Seasprite Patrols
Air crew on a P-3K2 Orion and an SH-2G(I) Seasprite helicopter responded to external agency requests for information to manage resources during the Alert Level 4 lockdown.
This flight was similar to frequent surveillance flights made by No. 5 Squadron to look for illegal, unregulated or unreported fishing vessels, yachts and boats.
Flight Lieutenant Jack Barnett, who is based in Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand, said the P-3K2 was requested by the NZ Police to take a flight around the top of the North Island to see how many pleasure craft were on the water during the level four lockdown.
The six-hour flight around the top of the country took in the area from Orewa to North Cape, he said.
Police in Northland had been working closely with Customs and the Harbourmaster to undertake regular patrols to ensure people were complying with the restrictions. They requested help from the Air Force, particularly to cover coastal areas where marine patrols involving Customs and the Harbourmaster couldn’t reach.
The crew were also able to carry out other work on that flight, as the Ministry for Primary Industries and Customs had also requested the Air Force conduct additional taskings during the patrol to report there were no unauthorised fishing vessels in the area. “Because of the border restrictions internationally, some of our overseas missions have been cancelled or postponed, so we had the capacity to take on those extra flights around the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.”
“We were looking for any yachts and boats that were breaking the level four restrictions. We reported 11 pleasure craft, which was a pretty low number. “The patrol was to give Police an understanding of where they should be focussing their efforts. They were pleased with such a small number – considering it was during a long weekend as well,” FLTLT Barnett said. Also during the Alert Level 4 period, Auckland Emergency Management requested assistance from No. 6 Squadron to record vessels moored around Great Barrier Island.
Lieutenant Nick Braun, from Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand, said they wanted to understand the drain on the local resources that the people on board the boats were having on the island community. “We flew a Seasprite out and took photographs – not so much around identifying each and every boat, but identifying how many boats there were in the bays.” The two and a half hour flight spotted about 75 vessels, he said. The mission was purely about collecting boat numbers. The local residents had complained to the council there was a strain on their local shops and that resources were being depleted by visitors, leaving shelves bare for the residents. “Normally it’s okay, but with the reduced number of flights going between the mainland and the island, everything was at a reduced level,” LT Braun said. “The crew on the Seasprite can identify lots of boats or ships in an area and then try to identify them from a long range. “They can identify fishing boats as opposed to sailing boats or pleasure craft as opposed to commercial vessels,” he said.
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Flexibility in response to
COVID-19
y Suzi Phillips B Senior Communications Advisor
Flexibility in a dynamic environment has been the key to the Royal New Zealand Navy’s ships maintaining operational readiness during these unprecedented times. “We operate in a very dynamic environment, more so now and as we are all seeing, this is changing all the time and often day by day,” says Captain of Fleet Operational Readiness, Captain Brendon Clark. The Lockdown from mid-March was for the protection of the force, to maintain readiness for outputs. Those sailors that weren’t required for essential duties remained at home with their families. At the end of April, HMNZ Ships MANAWANUI, OTAGO and HAWEA undertook training in the Hauraki Gulf to ensure they were ready to conduct operations such as search and rescue, border control, disaster relief, humanitarian aid and supporting other government agencies. Maintaining readiness is vitally important and is business as usual for the New Zealand Defence Force, says CAPT Clark.
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ships conducted their own internal training, including a variety of exercises to test responses to emergencies, team work, planning and execution skills. “Sea-training is vital to achieving and maintaining readiness. Personnel from the Maritime Operational Evaluation Team (MOET) also embarked in the ships to complete a number of exercises, providing coaching, external evaluation and assurance. MOET are world class subject matter experts who ensure that our ships can be safely operated and that they are operating safely. At the higher end they make sure the ships are also capable of delivering combat operations.” COVID-19 presented new challenges on board the ships with the requirements for physical distancing and increased hygiene measures.
OUR SHIPS AT SEA
HMNZS OTAGO
HMNZS HAWEA
HMNZS MANAWANUI
“Physical distancing for ship’s companies is the new normal, and we might have to change systems slightly or take a bit longer to do things on board,” said CAPT Clark. “One of the benefits of having MOET at sea is they can look closely at how we do things in this new environment, and we might find that we have to change our standard operating procedures, to make sure that it is safe and we are adhering to Ministry of Health guidelines.” All sailors on the ships are prescreened for COVID-19 symptoms before joining their ship’s company and maintain extra cleaning routines on board, physical distancing wherever possible and using PPE gear where physical distancing is not possible. “We are good at adapting to these new situations – it’s what we’re trained to do,” said CAPT Clark. “A lot of preparation work has been done in this space, and we’re liaising closely with the Ministry of Health and Defence Health, to make sure we have captured the risks and implemented the new procedures.”
The COVID-19 environment presented lots opportunities for doing business slightly differently, he says. CAPT Clark was appointed CFOR last December and has 28 years of naval and air experience behind him. That experience includes Commander of MOET, two years as Chief of Staff for CFOR, and Commanding Officer of No. 6 Squadron. “As CFOR I am the Deputy Fleet Commander and I have regular contact with Commanding Officers. I also work closely with the Assistant Chief of Navy (Personnel and Training) Captain Dave Fairweather; the Logistics Commander Maritime, Captain Mark Worsfold and the Maritime Regulator, Captain Richard Walker.
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On the move While Covid-19 has had an impact on the programme, work has continued throughout March and April on HMNZS TE KAHA and HMNZS TE MANA. Both ships are in Victoria, British Columbia undergoing an extensive Frigate Systems Upgrade.
supporting the project team and Lockheed Martin with Set to Work of the platform and combat systems.
‘This upgrade programme covers a complex and wide-ranging package of work,’ says FSU Project Manager Nick Proctor. “It includes the removal and replacement of both masts, the refurbishment of the Operations Room, the installation of a new Combat Management System and the integration of a new suite of sensors and weapons, including a new missile system.”
In April a significant milestone was achieved with the successful set to work of the Combat Management System. The CMS is the core of the frigate systems upgrade, into which the suite of new sensors and weapons will be integrated. This is a complex software implementation and required successful connectivity of around 600 cables containing thousands of connections. This success is due in part to the decision to select an off the shelf product, substantial factory testing and Lockheed Martin’s experience installing this product.
In November 2019 HMNZS TE KAHA was handed back to the Crown, and into the care and custody of Commander Brock Symmons, TE KAHA’s Commanding Officer. Since handover, the crew have been
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TE KAHA UPGRADES
HMNZS TE MANA is mid-way through her industrial upgrade at Victoria Shipyards (VSL) in Esquimalt. VSL have managed their shipyard through the Covid-19 situation extremely well and it is significant that they have remained open throughout this pandemic as other shipyards have had to close for a period. Commander Mike Peebles, TE MANA’s Commanding Officer, has a small team on site to carry out the maintenance routines required to ensure successful legacy systems reactivation once the industrial phase is complete. This approach has proven to be very successful for TE KAHA.
THE SEA CEPTOR MISSILE The Royal New Zealand Navy has taken delivery of HMNZS TE KAHA’s and TE MANA’s ultimate surface to air defence weapon – the Sea Ceptor missile. The supersonic missiles, replacing the Sea Sparrow missile system on the Anzac frigates, were delivered to New Zealand in January from the United Kingdom, ready for installation into the refurbished frigates as a Local Area Air Defence anti-missile system. Sea Ceptor, designed by MBDA Missile Systems, was originally developed for the Royal Navy for Type 23 frigates and Type 26 Global Combat Ships. They entered service in May 2018.
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ANZAC DAY 2020
STAND AT DAWN For the first time since Anzac Day was introduced in 1916, memorial services across New Zealand were cancelled, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus during Level 4 Lockdown. Instead, the tradition of commemorating our veterans and service personnel on 25 April followed the ‘Stand At Dawn’ campaign, initiated by the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association and the New Zealand Defence Force. Kiwis were asked to mark Anzac Day by standing at 6am within their ‘bubbles’ at home to mark the occasion and pay their respects. For many Kiwis, the preparation for Anzac Day was a welcome opportunity to engage in craftwork activities during Level 4 lockdown. In the week leading up to 25 April, New Zealanders decorated driveways, house frontages and windows with poppies, memorabilia and crosses, as well as messages of remembrance. Our Defence photographers captured these moments from Devonport, Ohakea, Linton and Burnham.
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Navy helps isolate returnees
Keeping nearly 200 people fed, safe and structured in one place is something the Navy understands. Personnel from HMNZS PHILOMEL have been co-opted to help run the Government’s COVID-19 isolation facilities, based in a network of 18 hotels across Auckland. From April 9, the Government introduced mandatory two-week quarantine or assisted self-isolation for anyone arriving or returning to New Zealand from overseas. Warrant Officer Physical Training Instructor Mike Kennedy, who is looking after the Navy personnel, says the hotel teams involve Navy, Army, Police, Aviation security, hotel security and Ministry of Health personnel, including nurses. The teams live at the hotel with those who are isolating, working seven days on, seven days off. “We’ve gone in to help with the coordination and leadership in running these facilities,” he says. “It involves a bit of everything. It’s not just checking people in. We make sure that the processes are in place at the hotel to receive people, we make sure their stay is as comfortable as it can be. There’s also a lot of information we need to collect from them, so we can have a process to get them home.”
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They are doing something that has never been done before, he says. “There are a lot of challenges, and we do the best we can, with the skills in our team. We’re calling on our Navy experience of being in high tempo, for long hours, in stressful situations. You have to be resilient and keep a clear head, because people can be emotional.” He says for the most part, everyone is on board. “To use the Prime Minister’s phrase, we’re all in this together.” Chief Petty Officer Chef Rowe Kaa says a typical day is an 0800 meeting in the ‘ops’ room at the hotel. “We find out what’s going on, and what’s happening at the other hotels.” They find out who is arriving that day – Aviation Security do the interviews and assess welfare and transport needs for those who are currently staying. “We received three flights in one day, from Brisbane, China and Fiji. That was a total of 53 people, which was a small amount compared to the last group we received. When they arrive, they have a health check at the door. When they are cleared, guests check in and are then issued with a room key. We photocopy their passports and take their names and room numbers. Guests then head to their rooms and we let them settle in for the rest of the day. The next day, Aviation Security (AVSEC) start the interview process. This is to find out what they need when their 14-days isolation is complete.”
She says many people arrive with no friends or family in New Zealand. “It is disheartening hearing their stories. We assist where we can and arrange welfare assistance. Then we move on to the next person.” In terms of personalities and cultures, they’ve had everything. “The Navy is about getting people on the same page and working together. The group I was working with, they were awesome. We had 175 guests when I left my shift yesterday. It’s a lot, although 10 per cent are kids, and you don’t need to interview them.” Chief Petty Officer Hydrographic Survey Technician Julie O’Hara says she put her hand up for duties as soon as lockdown started. She got a phone call asking if she could be a facilities manager for the hotels. She agrees there is quite a mix of people – and emotions. “Some people are grateful that there’s somewhere like this for them to isolate. But once, an elderly lady said ‘I’m stuck in a prison!’ People get their three meals a day, and morning and afternoon tea, but some don’t like what they’re given, and there’s people that need essential items. A list comes to the hotel managers, and they do a click and collect for people’s orders.” She says it was a great experience for her. “Usually, I’m used to running a really small team. I wanted to help. It was cool to be involved.”
SAFETY
Navy, Safe to Fight ... COVID 19 y Commander Raymond McLaughlin B Director of Naval Safety and Health
There is a well-known phrase “May you live in interesting times”, which is undoubtedly appropriate with the unprecedented global challenges and uncertainty we face at the moment and for quite some time to come. While there has been much uncertainty as the COVID-19 situation has developed, there are some areas where unequivocal reassurance exists. One such area is the application of the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) (HSWA) to the NZDF and the Naval System – even in the face of the declaration of a state of national emergency in accordance with the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act. Public direction from Worksafe NZ acknowledges the move to the COVID-19 Alert Level Four has created an unprecedented situation, but they have asserted to essential service workforces that the HSWA applies just as much throughout the pandemic as at other times. Worksafe maintain that workplace health and safety risks must still be eliminated or minimised ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’.
The Chief of Defence Force has also directed that all NZDF operations in support of the COVID-19 response are to be conducted in accordance with NZ domestic and international law and has reaffirmed the HSWA applies. The Defence Act permits the use of the Armed Forces to perform any public service or to provide assistance to the civil power in time of emergency. CDF has directed that the NZDF provide support to the ‘All of Government’ response to COVID-19 in order to minimise the impact of the virus and maintain the well-being of the NZ population.
(including NZDF visitors, other government department workers and government officials of other states); and c. Comply with the instructions given by COMJFNZ to allow his compliance with the HSWA. Although there is an ability to seek an exemption under the HSWA for tasks classified by CDF as an “operational activity”, the threshold for an exemption is necessarily high and OP PROTECT has not been declared an operational activity for the purpose of the HSWA.
The HSWA continues to be reinforced by the policy within DFO 10 (Safety) for all NZDF members at all times while undertaking any activity with the NZDF and as a reminder when serving on OP PROTECT (while on duty or at work) NZDF members are to:
But even if an operational exemption had been sought then health & safety considerations could not be ignored and a robust risk management process would still be required to be applied through procedures such as Mission Analysis and the Military Appreciation Process.
a. Take reasonable care for his or her own safety;
This goes to the heart of ‘Navy – safe to fight’… COVID-19.
b. Take reasonable care that his or her acts or omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons
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Training in the bubble How does our basic and officer training fare under COVID-19 conditions? It turns out the divisions and classes lend themselves naturally to ‘bubbles’.
It would be easy, when seeing Navy trainees marching on parade or conducting team exercises, for the public to wonder if the Navy were falling short of social distancing guidelines or isolation directives from the Government. Far from it, says Commander Leadership Development, Commander Mark Meehan. “We live in mess decks, communities, or in COVID-19 language, ‘bubbles’,” he says. The training environment at LDG is set up to mirror the life a sailor or officer will have after graduation, as they serve at sea. “They sleep in bunks, have limited personal space, and cycle through heads (toilets) and showers. So our first ‘bubble’ is a messdeck, a class that could comprise up to 20 people, living in their isolation unit.” The two current intakes, Basic Common Training 20/01 and Junior Officer Common Training 20/01, are separate from each other. Each intake is divided into training classes, supported by a ‘bubble’ of instructors. “Social distancing occurs between each of these bubbles. If an instructor (bubble A) is required to engage with a trainee (bubble B) they are required to adhere to the distancing convention and large changes to our training are currently occurring to ensure we maintain this.”
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His message to the public is that a group of sailors, in close proximity, is in a social bubble. “An example would be if you see a group of trainees marching on our training parade ground, closer than two metres. That will be a discrete bubble, and their instructor will be clearly separate. Our ‘bubbles’ are created by the very nature of living together, how we must operate as a Navy, much like how a family would in a house.” Recruit Training Officer Lieutenant Commander Kerry Driver says the classes will help mitigate numbers affected if an outbreak was to occur. “This was maintained at Level 3 and we’ll continue it at Level 2,” he says. If staff have to go within two metres of another ‘bubble’, approved Personal Protective Equipment is available. But it is an ongoing adaption, he says. “We’ve done some remote delivery of lectures and instructions,” he says. “And there may be some changes when we get approval to do Damage Control training for the Basic Branch Trainees (persons who have graduated from BCT) and Sea Survival training for BCTs and JOCTs.
TRAINING IN THE BUBBLE
Basic Common Training Achilles Division Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 5
Class 6
Leander Division Class 4
Junior Officer Common Training Royalist Division & Bellona Division Class 1
Class 2
Key
Class 3
Males
Females
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AOTEAROA AT SEA
AOTEAROA PASSES TRIALS In this aerial image, AOTEAROA conducts a Replenishment at Sea Station Keeping Trial off the South Korean coast, supervised by contractor Hyundai Heavy Industries. Accompanied by a Phillippine Navy Light Patrol Frigate, the trials assessed the ability for a ship to approach and remain alongside AOTEAROA as a confirmation of the ship’s pressure and suction zones during refuelling or replenishment. AOTEAROA passed with flying colours.
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Lines of Communication y Andrew Bonallack B Editor
Effective communication informs the leadership decision. Or in other words: what’s the weather like where you are? Based on ‘lessons learned’ from previous Sub-Antarctic missions, Operation Endurance 2020 and HMNZS CANTERBURY embarked four signallers from 2nd Signal Squadron to set up an all-round communication network on Campbell Island. Traditional Very High Frequency (VHF) line-of-sight communication, from the ship to the shore, had been used for previous visits to Campbell Island, and would be again, but this had been unreliable. CANTERBURY, spending its nights going back and forth in the vicinity of Perseverance Harbour entrance, needed a means of communicating with Beeman Hut base, at the far end of the harbour, past substantial ranges over 400 metres high. But line of sight isn’t an issue for a High Frequency Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS), where an operator sends an encrypted HF signal straight up, bouncing off the ionosphere, and back down again to a receiver – HMNZS CANTERBURY.
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Corporal Harry Parker, with three signallers, organised the establishment of an antenna and equipment at Beeman Hut, and ensured it was continually manned. It meant that even with inclement conditions at sea, or high winds at the harbour entrance, CANTERBURY’s Commanding Officer could be assured that conditions near Beeman Hut favoured anchoring in the harbour. “At the end of the day, this can be set up anywhere in the world,” says CPL Parker. “It’s not just for eight miles to the ship. We can go the length of the country. It operates between 3 to 30 MHz. Ultra-High Frequencies (UHF) will pass through objects but High Frequency (HF) is more malleable. It doesn’t go through the ionosphere, it bounces off.” The mission was a communication success for the Department of Conservation as well, who established a repeater antenna on a peak halfway along the harbour. But it still relied on line of sight.
SIGNALS
CPL Parker says their system was the ultimate backup, and could link in with all other systems in use on the island. “Even satellite phones are difficult here. There’s something about this area. They use a low earth orbit, more at equatorial latitudes, and so there’s less of them to pick up.” He says it was a new experience to work with Navy and experience Navy communications. The signallers’ usual mode of operation would be to drive somewhere and establish a communications set-up. “Everyone’s enjoyed their time down here. For us, lessons learned would be to have more frequencies. Our one frequency worked best at certain times of day. The sun hitting the atmosphere during the day can make things work differently than at night.” Commander Martin Walker, Commanding Officer of HMNZS CANTERBURY, says good communications was something they wanted this time around. “When the ship was fogged in at sea, it was clear there, and they could tell us, and it could aid my decisions. It's something we’ll definitely push for in future operations.”
Clockwise from top: SIG Elliot Ferguson and LCPL Desiree Arnold establish the NVIS antenna at Beeman Base, Campbell Island. OCSS Kieran Thomas, on HMNZS CANTERBURY’s bridge, takes a message from Beeman Base. LCPL Desiree Arnold tests the equipment.
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HMNZS MATATAUA recovers body By LT Teina Hullena
During the early hours of 19 June 1940 RMS Niagara struck two contact mines laid by the German Auxiliary Cruiser Orion six days previously. The ship sank without loss of life, but 590 gold bars went down with the ship to a depth of 121m. In the following years divers contracted by Her Majesty’s Treasury managed to recover all but five of the gold bars. Sadly, the sinking wouldn’t be the last tragedy in the ship’s history. On 15 March this year HMNZS WELLINGTON responded to a Search and Rescue call in vicinity of the Hen and Chickens Islands, off the coast of Whangarei. Two civilian divers had descended toward the wreck and one had failed to return to the surface. Seven days later, following rough seas in the area, a detachment from HMNZS MATATAUA were tasked to aid Police in the search and recovery of the missing diver. While the rest of New Zealand were preparing to go into Level 4 Covid 19 lockdown, a team of six personnel from MATATAUA’s
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Clearance Dive Group with specialist Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) equipment was deployed to Whangarei. Once the last known position of the missing diver had been found, the Clearance Divers assisted the NZ Police Dive squad to identify the wreck of RMS Niagara using sonar equipment deployed from Customs Vessel Hawke V. The ability of the Hawke V to hold its position precisely over the wreck would prove invaluable over the next nine or so hours. The next phase and overall success of the operation relied upon the expertise of the Clearance Diving Group’s ROV pilots. The Niagara is a large wreck, 160m in length, It was going to be a long, meticulous and very difficult search. Piloting the ROV requires absolute attention and concentration in order to control it at such depths and in open sea currents, which can be extremely difficult and disorientating. One small incorrect movement could result in the loss of the ROV. The ROV pilots conducted 20-minute rotations to ensure they remained fresh and focused and the search was carried out as accurately as possible. A zigzag pattern was devised to search the entirety of the vast ship’s hull, top deck, and the surrounding seabed, avoiding the many snagging hazards from the destructive mine explosions.
After many rotations and numerous hours, the search pattern proved successful. On the ROV video display, at the very limit of the underwater visibility, the outline of what could have been the missing diver was further investigated. A slow and careful investigation confirmed the missing diver had indeed been found. With extreme care and expert control the ROV was used to slowly recover the diver to the surface where he was passed to Police divers who conducted a formal identification and completed the operation. The depth and tidal conditions made this a very difficult and challenging job, but the seamless manner in which Police, Customs and HMNZS MATATAUA personnel worked together enabled the successful recovery of the missing diver, a colleague, a friend and a family member.
AUMANGEA
NAVY TOPS AUMANGEA The Royal New Zealand Navy has achieved the highest turnout of Navy volunteers for the gruelling Aumangea endurance programme, and the highest number of Navy to successfully pass in a single programme.
Aumangea is an Army-run five week programme designed to test the physical and psychological limits of volunteers while accomplishing tasks and missions in austere environments. Over February and March this year, Aumangea 20/01 was conducted in the Tasman district, with six Army, seven Air Force, four Canadian Armed Forces and seven Navy volunteering for the programme. Of those 24, 17 were awarded the right to wear the Aumangea tab, including all seven Navy volunteers.
Able Seaman Combat Specialist Janneke Olthuis, Aumangea training facilitator, has done the course. She says the Navy has built a strong reputation as being some of the most steadfast warriors to come through the programme despite predominantly consisting of Army tactics and exercises.
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The Aumangea Programme & the RNZN The RNZN has been involved in Aumangea since 2010 and since then have taken part in 11 out of 20 programmes.
RNZN Total Attempts
PARTICIPANTS IN THIS YEAR’S INTAKE HAD THIS TO SAY: “At the beginning of Aumangea we were taught the importance of being strong in spirit. I thought I knew what this meant, I thought it meant being mentally stalwart, but I was wrong. I found over the duration of the course that being strong in spirit was to be open, open to your emotions and to be able to pinpoint who you truly are and what you represent. On Aumangea, I learnt the strength of my spirit, and realised strengthening the spirit is like strengthening the roots of a tree, you may not see the roots getting stronger but the tree as a whole becomes strong.”
“Resilience is everything. You will never be able to fully prepare yourself for the challenges that this course throws at you. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but regardless of those you are nothing without resilience. There will always be something that will hinder you. You must have the resilience to bounce back, be positive and face the next obstacle regardless of the less than ideal circumstances. Thus I have learnt that it is no different in normal life, you must be resilient enough to hold on to that never-quit attitude and always come out on top. Let adversity make you, not break you.” ~ AEWS Bella Adamson
~ ACWS Jack Coulston
“Aumangea will keep you on your toes that’s for sure! Being a Navy Chef, I was definitely out of my comfort zone as it wasn’t anything like my normal day at work. Some days were really tough, but that didn’t stop me. In the past I had relied on a lot of external motivation to get me through, however this programme puts you in your own head a lot. You have to learn to think and remind yourself of your WHY? Why am I here? Use that internal motivation to fuel you. I discovered that if your ‘why’ is strong enough, you will never waiver from accomplishing your goal.” ~ ACH Tayna Tihore
“As a team there were times when morale was low and destructive attitudes started to set in. I will be the first to admit that I had times when I didn’t want to be there. However, what I didn’t realise at the time was how negatively that affected the team’s performance as a whole. We would feed off each other’s lack of enthusiasm and our outputs would decline. It took time, but eventually I learnt that to bring the team back up, sometimes all it took was to take the lead in being an optimistic, understanding role model and be someone who people could genuinely talk to about how they were feeling. It’s not always easy to be that person when you’re hungry, physically exhausted and mentally drained, but it is necessary.” ~ LHST George Forrest
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7* Unsuccessful
Pass Rate RNZN
75.8% The highest of all NZDF Services NZA 73.2%
RNZAF 64.1%
The RNZN has the highest percentage of females attempt the programme per service by a long shot! 5 Females 20.83% 24 Males 79.17%
NZA 4.48%
RNZAF 0%
Aumangea 20 (20/01) produced a record RNZN turnout and a success rate of 100% Breakdown of Tabbed Sailors by Programme 10/02 – 1 (4.35%) 14/02 – 1 (4.35%) 15/01 – 1 (4.35%) 15/02 – 3 (13.04%) 16/01 – 1 (4.35%) 16/03 – 1 (4.35%) 17/02 – 2 (8.7%) 18/01 – 3 (13.04%) 18/03 – 2 (8.7%) 19/01 – 1 (4.35%) 20/01 – 7 (30.43%) *‘Unsuccessful’ data includes Voluntary, Compassionate and Medical Withdrawals (injury etc.) as well as people assessed as not yet ready to be tabbed.
Credit: ASCS Janneke Olthuis
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NAVY BAND 60TH ANNIVERSARY
60 YEARS OF TELLING THE NAVY STORY
Navy Today #243 | 23
y Andrew Bonallack B Editor
The Royal New Zealand Navy has been telling its story for 79 years. For 60 years, the Navy Band has charted the Navy’s journey through music. So it falls to Music Director Lieutenant Commander Michael Dowrick to make sure that the 60th anniversary will be one to remember.
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In future years the recall will be inevitable, as the band’s proposed anniversary events fell smack in the middle of COVID-19 lockdown. And yet one hopes the memories will be ones of innovation, when the band embraced the digital world of Zoom and YouTube music sessions and remote concerts with international buy-in. Not a temporary stop-gap during isolation, but a new skillset and culture change. A key role of the band is diplomacy, and the anniversary was all set to provide an excellent opportunity to combine with international partners from the US Navy, Royal Australian and Canadian Navies, the UK’s Royal Marines, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Band from Tonga and the Republic of Fiji Armed Forces, all of whom were sending musicians to perform alongside the RNZN Band. Instead, however, an online project was used to involve as many of these nations as possible. “It’s our job,” says LTCDR Dowrick. “Community engagement, defence diplomacy, morale, supporting our veterans or just getting people together. So when we looked like we were going into isolation, the team nutted out what we could potentially do, from one person performing, to the whole band.”
Online compilations and compositions were born. It started solo with ukulele lessons, then a cocktail pianist performance. It then evolved to collaborative music sessions with band members playing individually from their ‘bubbles’, with the compilation created later. Songs plugged the lockdown irony, including All By Myself; a bouncy Madness number, Our House; a Michael Bublé piece; and Dame Vera Lynn’s immortal We’ll Meet Again, with Pacific Island and Te Reo lyrics. An Anzac service was prepared and shared with local and national RSAs. It’s meant LTCDR Dowrick has created about 10 different arrangements to keep the band occupied, the morale going, and the band firmly in the minds of its audience – while growing a new online presence. The band have been kept busy with a host of other new pieces, all in preparation for when normal service can resume. In fact, the formal 60th anniversary celebration is still in play, now either mooted for October this year, or next year when the Navy achieves its 80th anniversary – and the band celebrates 60 plus 1. After 30 years with the Royal Marines, LTCDR Dowrick joined the band in 2016, in time for the Navy’s
NAVY BAND 60TH ANNIVERSARY
75th anniversary and International Naval Review. “As a band, we cover all the things naval musicians are expected to do, not just the ceremonial side of things. We’re about entertaining people at all levels, from primary school pupils to heads of state and everything in between. We’re always trying to make our performances enjoyable and memorable. For instance, we introduce the role of the band through concerts with the BCT and JOCT trainees and generally manage to succeed in getting them up and dancing. And then we provide support for their church service, in a very formal fashion. Over 60 years, this has been a part of our history. But this coming of age has seen a pushing of the boundaries. We’ve extended the potential to showcase the wider talent within the RNZN, through the Pacific Island choir, the ceremonial buglers, getting other trades involved in all these projects, and showing them what the band can offer and enhancing the outputs of the band at the same time.” A trademark of the Navy band is an inherent value of the Navy – teamwork. “No individual is more important than any other. I don’t subscribe to building up people to become stars. We are all part of a big machine, and we all have a crucial defence role to play. One day, you could be centre stage. Another day, you’re on guard duty at the gate at HMNZS PHILOMEL. Both are just as important.” With AOTEAROA’s upcoming arrival, LTCDR Dowrick will be preparing a march for the new ship. That, too, is part of the traditional ‘tellingthe-story’ role of the band. But the band members are enthused about the new technology they have been exploring. “Two of our leading rates watched our performances on Facebook and remarked that, ‘our stuff is just as good as what’s out there. Why don’t we get the recognition?’ I told them, it will come – it’s a new performance platform and we’re getting there. We are all here to perform the music, tell the Navy story, and the New Zealand Defence Force story.” The revised date of the RNZN Band Anniversary Concert is currently Monday 19 October, 7pm at the Town Hall, Auckland. Ka whanake reretau mātou. We move forward in harmony.
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HMAS CANBERRA
LargeScale Posting Australia’s largest class of naval ship should be excellent for one of our newest qualified navigators, destined one day for New Zealand largest navy vessel.
Right: LT Sophie Going receives her Principal Warfare Officer’s qualification from RADM Jonathan Mead, the RAN Fleet Commander.
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Last month, Lieutenant Sophie Going, a former Flag Lieutenant, graduated from the Royal Australian Navy’s Principal Warfare Officer’s course. She emerges from the year-long course as a Principal Warfare Officer (Navigation), taking up a post as Navigator aboard Landing Helicopter Dock vessel HMAS CANBERRA. The course starts with an intense 3.5 months of warfare theory, culminating in two major written exams, she says. The tempo eases for a few weeks, then ramps up with seven weeks in the simulator, focussing on gunnery and basic warfare skills. From there, the students split up into their specialisations, with LT Going tackling advanced navigation training – ship handling of large, deepdraught vessels, as well as ships with azipod manoeuvring, like HMNZS MANAWANUI. COVID-19 did affect the course, she says. “At the end of the course there is a Command Task Group phase, with a simulator component, but due to the social distancing requirements we were unable to achieve the simulator time. Instead, we war-gamed the outcomes of the plan we developed as the Command Task Group staff for an operation.” She says the Principal Warfare Officer qualification is a benchmark moment. “You officially become a warfare officer and you have chosen a specialisation that will shape the rest of your career.”
“ It’s a huge responsibility to be offered the opportunity to serve on a class of ship so different to anything we have in New Zealand.” LT Going is excited about her posting to CANBERRA. “It’s a huge responsibility to be offered the opportunity to serve on a class of ship so different to anything we have in New Zealand.” She will complete her time in CANBERRA during the middle of next year, returning to New Zealand to take up the role of navigator for the future HMNZS AOTEAROA.
Farewell Mow-Lam Cheung
Farewell to selfless civilian A laundryman who served nearly forty years aboard Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy vessels has been remembered for his selfless devotion to his work and family.
Mow-Lam Cheung, originally from Hong Kong, worked as a Royal Navy laundryman from 1960, when Hong Kong laundryman had contracts to serve the fleet based there. He worked on nine Royal Navy vessels before moving to New Zealand in 1984.
Mr Cheung retired in 1997 and was awarded a plaque for his service by Commodore J.G Leonard, Mr Cheung’s former Commanding Officer from HMNZS SOUTHLAND. He had a passion for fishing, and during his retirement was issued with a Recreational Pass from the Royal New Zealand Navy to access Devonport Naval Base’s wharves to cast a line.
He served as a civilian laundryman on board HMNZS SOUTHLAND (1984 to 1989) and HMNZ Ships CANTERBURY, WAIKATO and WELLINGTON from 1989 to 1997. He died on 24 April, aged 90, at North Shore Hospital with his son, Patrick Cheung, at his side – a concession from the hospital during COVID-19 lockdown. He was buried at Auckland Memorial Park, Silverdale. Patrick says his father was a wonderful person who would always put others first. “Dad was the most selfless person I have ever known,” he says. “He sacrificed himself for his children, and suffered huge
loneliness working in a foreign country, for his family’s well-being.” He says 95 per cent of his career was as a laundryman, far from his family in Hong Kong, despite not knowing much English. “My Dad was my hero, sacrificing so much for his friends and family.”
Tributes have flooded the ‘Crossing the Bar’ Facebook Group, with former sailors referring to Mr Cheung as “No. 2”, in reference to another long-serving RNZN laundryman, Shiu Hang Chee, or “No. 1”. Max Jackson posted that you could cut your fingers on the creases Mr Cheung put into the uniform. Others remarked how they looked forward to Far East deployments with a laundryman on board, and no more “dobeying” (laundry) in a metal bucket.
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Reunited on Anzac Day y Andrew Bonallack B Editor
Commander Kelvin Wishart’s Anzac Day will be remembered for an out-of-theblue return of his grandfather’s World War I medal.
Cambridge woman Diane Crisp, whose mother had possessed a random British War Medal for years, wondered if she could locate the descendants of the soldier. She knew the soldier’s name – Herbert (Bertie) Wishart – thanks to the engraved name on the medal and some extensive online research. She posted the details to social media on Anzac Day, and within two hours had a hit. A relative of CDR Wishart spotted the posting and forwarded it to him. He had, in fact, just been wearing his grandfather’s three replica miniature medals during his ‘Stand At Dawn’ ceremony. The idea of his grandfather’s original medal surfacing “was quite emotional”, he says. When my grandmother passed away, there was a bit of a free-for-all and lots of stuff got sold off and lost for all time, which can happen.” He still vividly remembers his grandfather as “a very old man in his dressing gown” and remembers the war stories told by him and his family. Trooper Wishart enlisted on 14 June 1915, aged 28, and was posted to the Auckland Mounted Rifles. He served at the latter end of the Gallipoli campaign and was among the last soldiers to be evacuated to Egypt in December 1915. He later received shrapnel wounds in Gaza and after the war was invalided in hospital with malaria. Bertie settled back in New Zealand, returning to
Above: The British War Medal and ribbon. Left: CDR Wishart’s grandfather’s war memorabilia, including three replica miniature medals, an Army paybook, and the Anzac Commemorative Medalion.
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his pre-war job as a cheesemaker in Auckland. He died in 1968, aged 80. He would have received the 1914–1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Mrs Crisp says she was ecstatic and nearly in tears to find a descendent of TPR Wishart. “I tried it on Facebook a couple of years ago, but I hadn’t been long in New Zealand from Australia. This time I was a bit more diligent. It was Anzac Day and I thought, I’ve been in New Zealand longer, and surely it will have a hit on Anzac Day. So shared it around. It just went off from there. It took two hours from the time I put the post up.” She says the family has no idea why they have the medal, as there is no apparent connection to the Wishart family. “My mum has a box of family stuff, but she says she has no idea. We can’t work it out.” Her own family has strong military connections. Her husband is Army, and her own grandfather served in World War I on the Western Front. “I had a lovely time researching Bertie’s history, and my mum is absolutely delighted with the outcome. She’s had the medal for years and she said, it should be back with its family.”
Farewell River Plate Veteran
River Plate veteran dies
Former Petty Officer Robert Batt, a veteran of the Battle of the River Plate in 1939, died last month at the age of 94.
Ex POMEM Bob Batt was one of only two remaining River Plate veterans. He joined the Navy during a recruitment drive in Napier before the war. He was three days into service on HMS ACHILLES when war broke out and the ship changed course for the Atlantic to meet up with a British task force, in pursuit of German battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The engagement and resulting loss of the Graf Spee near Uruguay (her captain opted to scuttle his damaged ship rather than re-engage the British fleet and lose thousands of men) made
instant heroes of the ACHILLES crew back in New Zealand. Mr Batt later described the Battle of the River Plate as an important battle “because it showed the spirit and capability of New Zealand sailors”. Mr Batt, who served for 15 years, remained active with the Royal New Zealand Navy and took part in the 75th River Plate anniversary events, the Navy’s 75th anniversary and International Naval Review in 2016, and attended last year’s Sailor of the Year celebrations at the Navy Museum.
Top left: Able Seaman Bob Batt (left) and Arthur Hunt ashore in World War II. Above: HMS ACHILLES.
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Get on board with Uckers In an age where computer games can take on the level of a James Cameron special-effects epic, reputations stand or fall on Navy ships when the board game of Uckers comes out. The game, a more intense and spirited version of Ludo with two dice rather than one, has been a mainstay of the Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy for decades. In the case of HMNZS CANTERBURY (and other ships in the fleet), the game isn’t just some ‘boomer’ novelty pulled from a dusty wardroom drawer when there’s nothing else to do. It holds a prominent, ready position on the wardroom table, tempting both the young and old to do battle in between watches or after scran (meals).
a player can move two pieces relating to the value of each dice. Landing on opposing players pieces sends them back to their home to start again. Players can also block other players from advancing by landing on their own piece, creating a two-piece stack to thwart opposing counters behind it. The team that gets all eight pieces home first wins the game. This brief description does not do justice to all the rules and the full cut-and-thrust intensity of the game; a Google search will detail the full rules.
A traditional Navy Uckers board uses counters milled from the rear end of brass ammunition cartridges, ideally 25mm calibre, and painted inside, with four coloured counters as a set. It can be played by four people (two teams of two) or by two people manipulating two sets of counters.
Of note is the honour – or dishonour – board, depending on your point of view. On the reverse of Navy Uckers boards are the list of names of persons/teams who shamefully lost with all eight of their pieces still on the board. In the case of HMNZS CANTERBURY, the names start 11 years ago, and are an interesting historical record of officers who served aboard – and caught with eight pieces begging.
Simplistically, players have to throw a six to move their pieces out of their home colour, and subsequent throws move pieces around the board, aiming to return to ‘home’. Like backgammon,
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Above: SLT Charlotte Carew and LT Michael Linehan go to battle with HMNZS CANTERBURY’s Uckers game. The list of shame, on the reverse of CANTERBURY’s board.
NOTICES
NOTICES GOVERNMENT SUPER
HDML REUNION 2023 A reunion noting 80 years since the introduction of the Harbour Defence Motor Launches (HDML) is being mooted by enthusiasts and owners of the remaining ‘fleet’, for Easter Weekend 2023.
If you were a member of the Government Superannuation Fund (GSF) Armed Forces Scheme and elected to receive a lump sum and defer receipt of your retiring allowance to age 55 or 60 and are not yet in receipt of your retiring allowance and have not been in contact with GSF in the last 2 years, you should update your contact details with GSF.
The 16 HDML’s were split between two Flotillas, 124th and 125th. They were painted dark grey, with some being painted white in 1950 as survey vessels. Many were given a Black and White livery as Fisheries Protection vessels after 1960.
If you go to the GSF website, http://www.gsfa.govt.nz/ about-us/contact-us/ you can download and complete a Change in Personal Details Form, confirming your current contact details, and send it direct to the GSF Scheme Administrator, Datacom. You must sign and date the form and post it to Datacom.
Over the period from 1950 to 1984, many ML’s (both ex Fisheries and Survey ML’s) were used for other tasks and were stood down from active service, dispatched to the wreckers or sold privately. Many ML’s during that period were seconded to the RNZNVR and located in the four main ports.
If you have any other enquiries regarding your GSF entitlement, please call Datacom direct on 0800 654 731.
As of 2012 there were still 10 ML’s in private hands and in various states of repair. For more information on the reunion, or about all things HDML, email Thane Zander at nics_place@yahoo.com.
Recognise Outstanding Support CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: DESC/DIAC AWARDS, 2020 Awards ceremony hosted at Parliament by the Minister of Defence, Hon Ron Mark Help us acknowledge our Reservists, Cadet Forces, Limited Service Volunteers and the civilian employers who support them. Award Categories are: · Reservist of the Year · Reservist Employer of the Year · NZ Cadet Force Employer of the Year · Individual Contribution to the Limited Service Volunteers (LSV) · Employer Contribution to the Limited Service Volunteers (LSV)
How do I submit? Send nomination forms through to your COC and cc: enquiries@DESC.govt.nz Need a nomination form? Email: enquiries@DESC.govt.nz
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Our Navy Creed I am a sailor of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa I represent the proud heritage of those who have gone before me. I serve to protect our people and our whanau with mana. I will follow those above me and lead those below me. I embody the Navy’s core Values – TŪ KAHA – COURAGE TŪ TIKA – COMMITMENT TŪ TIRA – COMRADESHIP TŪ MĀIA – INTEGRITY and will challenge those who do not. He heramana ahau, I am a sailor.