Advance on the beach

The Defence Force’s amphibious capability takes a leap forward as we test our latest beach recovery vehicle during Exercise JOINT WAKA at Whangaparaoa. Navy Today editor Andrew Bonallack joined HMNZS CANTERBURY and 5 Movements Company to watch the action.

The concentration is evident on the face of Omar Statham, contractor for plant machinery company TerraCat, as he stands near the cab of his company’s latest innovation for the New Zealand Defence Force. He’s in the cargo deck of HMNZS CANTERBURY, wearing a life jacket and fluoro vest and staring at the open stern ramp and the expanse of choppy water between the anchored ship and Army Bay, Whangaparaoa. The ship is all action, readying for the amphibious landing phase of Exercise JOINT WAKA. There’s a lot of “if you don’t need to be here, move back to that line”.

Mr Statham will drive a substantially adapted 18.2-tonne CAT 555D Forestry Skidder from the cargo deck to one of CANTERBURY’s two Landing Craft Medium (LCM), once it’s

married to the stern ramp. The huge skidder, named the Beach Preparation and Recovery Vehicle (BPRV), has never been to sea and has never done this manoeuvre. “Nice and slow”, were the closing words from the ship’s Executive Officer in the briefing the night before. It’s unlikely Mr Statham needs reminding.

So he stares at the exit, and plenty of sailors and soldiers do as well, making pessimistic comparisons about the gap between two steel blocks on the stern ramp – buffers for the LCM’s ramp – and the substantial fourmetre wheel base of the BPRV. We’re told there is enough room – 65mm clearance on either side – and that was only made possible by putting on slimmer tyres than usual. But to a casual observer it doesn’t look doable.

The BPRV, one of two, is the culmination of nearly three years of planning and engineering by the Defence Force’s Capability Branch and TerraCat. Forestry skidders are used to push and drag logs, and it’s those strength elements that make the 275hp BPRV so useful, says Warrant Officer Class 2 John Flintoft. In a Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) situation, such as a Pacific Island damaged by a hurricane, the BPRV can be deployed ashore to “smooth the way”, pushing a path through cyclone debris, towing heavy items clear or helping to re-float beached landing craft from the ‘surf zone’ back into safe water.

A forestry skidder normally has a massive grappling hook at one end, but it’s not needed for a BPRV. “What we’ve done is re-engineer this, to suit

the task. There’s a big 18-tonne winch at the rear, and a 13-tonne winch at the front. You drive it using joy sticks. Young operators pick it up really easily. It can be used in 1.5 metres of water.” The driver can rotate the seat so that front becomes back, and camera screens in the cab provide views of blind spots. It includes a 360-degree view of the entire vehicle from directly overhead. Above the driver is an escape hatch, should the vehicle ever roll over.

Waiting behind the BPRV in the cargo deck is another behemoth, the CAT 938K loader with a FAUN trackway dispenser attached to the front. Also one of two, it was the first-phase vehicle in the overall Logistics Over The Shore (LOTS) project that Capability Branch started in 2015. Unlike its newer cousin, it has been

used by CANTERBURY before. The 20-tonne CAT 938K can roll out a modular aluminium trackway, 40 metres long, and can deliver more lengths to roll out and connect to the first. This allows less robust trucks to drive onto a beach with less risk of becoming bogged – although if they do, the BPRV is already on shore and can assist.

“We’ve proved the BPRV on land,” says WO2 Flintoft. “Now we do the maritime part, and that’s the exciting part. There’s a bit of apprehension – as there’s only a little bit of clearance on the ramp. Omar will be in the cab, and I’m on the ground, giving him hand signals.”

Captain Wayne Small, Capability Branch, says an Amphibious Beach Team (ABT) from 5 Movements Company will head ashore with the

BPRV. “The ABT will let us know what the conditions are like at the beach, and identify whether the land is suitable. Normally, if this was a HADR situation, we would likely be joined with an advance force of hydrographers and divers from HMNZS MATATAUA doing beach reconnaissance.”

The Landing Craft comes in, ready to be secured to the stern ramp. There’s a 35-knot wind and the sea is bouncy. To complicate matters, No. 3 Squadron flight crews in two NH90 helicopters are running continual landing and departure serials from the flight deck above, plus practising picking up underslung loads. The downdraft from an NH90 is substantial, capable of pushing a LCM off its course, and the LCM coxswains have to time their approach. There are the usual jokes about the Air Force

“ We train to be ready for cyclone season. It’s great to have this beach where we can work with CANTERBURY.”

setting the tempo while others wait, but the tri-service cooperation is invaluable and the experience useful. In a HADR situation, helicopters would be running constantly.

Mr Statham starts the engine and eases the BPRV down the ramp, neatly threading the gap. The front wheels drive on the LCM, and after a short pause Mr Statham guns the engines, to climb the slope caused by the weight. The front wheels of the BPRV carry six tonnes, while the rear wheels bear 12 tonnes, and the disparity rocks the LCM. CANTERBURY’s marine engineers have already conducted detailed stability calculations to find its best position on the LCM, and the BPRV finds its chalk-marked spot.

Reaching Army Bay, the Amphibious Beach Team has to wade ashore, while the BPRV makes short work of driving off. It’s now the ABT’s job to prepare the beach, setting up beach marker panels to guide follow-up LCMs. Next off the ship is the FAUN trackway dispenser, then a Pinzgauer troop carrier, driving over the newly-laid aluminium trackway.

Lieutenant Josh Morete, the ABT commander with 5 Movements Company, says every beach has its own challenges. “With this beach, the tide comes in really fast, and you have to adapt to it, and make changes on the fly.

“If something happened in the islands, we would be required to assist, embark on CANTERBURY, and get stores pushed across the beach. We train to be ready for cyclone season. It’s great to have this beach where we can work with CANTERBURY. And having all three services in one place, it feels more alive.”

Waiting on shore is a special attachment for the BPRV, an extension block with rubber pads. Soldiers bolt it onto the BPRV’s blade, and the BPRV is pointed towards the LCM, which has been deliberately grounded. It only takes a slight push, and the LCM floats back like a paper boat. It’s another tick in the box for the BPRV’s first sea trial.

Lieutenant Commander Jonny Bannister, CANTERBURY’s Executive Officer, says he loves the amphibious work. “It’s when we get to do exercises like this where all three services are working together, with excellent professional people all joining in to deliver a fantastic capability.”

From 23 October, cyclone season starts, with CANTERBURY on 24-hours notice to respond to a HADR call in the South Pacific. In that instance the ship’s captain, Commander Martin Walker, would become the task group commander for all three services, says LTCDR Bannister. “We’re using significant pieces of equipment, like the beach trackway, and the BPRV. People

thought it would be touch and go, with that gap. But the best thing of all was seeing the contractors watching 2.5 years of work come to fruition, to see their vehicle drive off a LCM and do what it’s designed to do.”

Amphibious operations are a complex business. “It makes me incredibly proud to represent New Zealand like this, with the ability to deploy to anywhere in the South Pacific with a credible capability to support any of our island nation partners, should any of them be unfortunate enough to be struck by a cyclone.”