HMNZS Taupo (P3570) approaches the Taiwanese fishing boat Kin Nan after Skyhawks from No. 75 Squadron fired warning shots across its bow. Kin Nan was fishing illegally in New Zealand's economic zone.

 

Starman loads Lake Class patrol boats for the New Zealand Navy 1974

 

Starman  loads Lake Class patrol boats for the New Zealand Navy 1974
	Photographs above © Dick Young
	Lake Class (PC) Patrol Boats
	Displacement (tons): 105 Standard, 135 Full Load Dimensions (feet): 107.8 x 20 x 11.10 Propulsion: 2 x Paxman 12Y JCM diesels, 3,000 hp, 2 shafts Max. Speed (knots): 25 Armament: 2 x 12.7mm MGs, 1 x 81mm mortar Complement: 21 Commissioned: 24/2/75  All built by Brooke Marine Ltd., Lowestoft, England.
	Link:  Lake Class (PC) Patrol Boats
	Starman  loads patrol boat for the New Zealand Navy. Several of these were carried from the UK to N.Z.

Renaming Campaign for New Naval Ships in Honour of Irish Polar Explorers

14th March 2022

 

Jehan Ashmore

Renaming campaign: In the foreground, HMNZS Rotoiti, one of the pair of former New Zealand 'Lake' class patrol cutters procured for the Irish Naval Service. Credit: Irish Examiner-twitter

A campaign is underway to get new Naval Service ships named after Irish-born polar explorers, including Ernest Shackleton whose ship Endurance was discovered a few days ago, and Corkman Edward Bransfield who's credited as the first person to see Antarctica.

Naval Service ships in recent years have been named after women and writers, but now lobbyists want the country's role in polar discovery recognised.

The Naval Service is to get three new ships and its reserve four smaller boats, so polar enthusiasts believe there's plenty of scope to honour Shackleton and Bransfield and some lesser-known Irish-born explorers.

Two of the new ships are coming from New Zealand, which is one of the closest countries to Antarctica, and the government is looking to build a much larger MRV (Multi-Role Vessel).

Irish Examiner has more on the naming campaign. 

NZ navy vessels sold to Ireland for $36 million

Ex HMNZS Pukaki. Supplied photos.

The New Zealand Defence Force will sell two decommissioned Royal New Zealand Navy Inshore Patrol Vessels ex HMNZS Rotoiti and HMNZS Pukaki to the Republic of Ireland Department of Defence.

The vessels are being sold for NZ$36 million.

A condition of the sale is for work to be undertaken to regenerate and modify the ships to an operational seaworthiness standard.

This work will cost about NZ$16-$19 million and be carried out in New Zealand commercial shipyards.

“We’re very pleased that the ship maintenance will be providing a local economic boost prior to them leaving the country,” says Commodore Andrew Brown, Commander of Defence Logistics Command.

Built in Whangarei and commissioned into the Navy in 2009, during their service the two ships have been deployed on fishery monitoring, search and rescue, border security and maritime surveillance operations around New Zealand's 15,000km coastline.

However, a few years ago a project team within the RNZN identified that a better capability outcome would be achieved utilising the current offshore patrol vessels HMNZS Otago and HMNZS Wellington, supplemented with a Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel planned for the future.

“Our Navy has a greater need to project a presence further afield,” says Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral David Proctor “and that's something the inshore patrol vessels simply weren't built to do”.

Ex HMNZS Rotoiti.

Formally decommissioned in October 2019, the two ships have been the subject of interest from a number of overseas navies but it was the Republic of Ireland that identified a key role they could perform.

RADM Proctor says the two remaining IPVs in the RNZN fleet, HMNZS Hawea and HMNZS Taupo, still have a valuable role to play in meeting the tasks required of the Navy.

“Local fishery monitoring and border protection patrolling will still be conducted but these ships also provide important Officer of the Watch training and command opportunities for our junior officers.”

Once the upgrade and modification work is completed on the vessels, they are expected to be commercially sea-lifted to the Republic of Ireland in late March or April 2023.

Irish Government Set to Purchase Pair of Patrolships from New Zealand

3rd March 2022

 

Jehan Ashmore

New Zealand Navy inshore patrol cutters: The purchase comes at a time when the Naval Service is critically short of personnel Credit: Irish Examiner-twitter

4 SHARES

The Irish government is set to shortly announce a deal to purchase two warships from New Zealand.

This is to bolster the country's maritime security while the Naval Service has gone into overdrive to recruit more personnel to fill its depleted ranks.

The Irish Examiner understands many months of negotiations between the Irish and New Zealand governments have resulted in an agreement to buy the two ships, which were decommissioned as they didn't fit into the New Zealand navy's long-range patrol requirements.

The short-range ships are, however, ideal for the Irish navy's requirements to protect the Irish Sea as they don't need to be as robust as the P60 vessels that have to endure wilder Atlantic voyages. They also can be crewed by fewer personnel.

While the cost of the ships has yet to be published, it's known that they are 'Lake Class' vessels as previously reported on Afloat. These inshore patrol cutters measure 55m (180ft) in length.

HMNZS Taupo is a Lake-class inshore patrol vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy.

 

Taupo was delivered to the Ministry of Defence on the 28 May 2009 and commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy on 29 May 2009. Taupo is the third ship of this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is named after Lake Taupo.

Top gun leaves the skies after six decades of service

Maxine Jacobs

05:00, Jun 05 2021

• 7

DAVID UNWIN/STUFF

Jim Jennings has finally hung up his bomber jackets after 60 years in the Air Force.

Sitting in his carefully curated home, surrounded by military emblems and aviation books, Jim Jennings smiles.

His eyes light up as he describes his countless adventures over his 60-year career as a pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

He is the only person to ever fire rounds at a foreign ship in New Zealand waters, he’s travelled the world for his country, and he’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

The 79-year-old retired from the force last week, but his passion for the skies will never waver.

READ MORE:
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Raised on a farm in Canterbury, Jennings knew he wanted a different life.

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Mechanically minded, he used to watch as the planes would take off from Christchurch Airport in Harewood.

He was tempted by commercial flying, but why drive a bus when you can ride in a sports car.

SUPPLIED

Jim Jennings sits in the nearest Skyhawk in a line-up at the ÅŒhakea No. 75 Squadron tarmac.

Nothing made his blood boil quite like the rush of speeding through the sky in a jet plane, he said.

He joined the service in 1961 as an aircraft mechanic, but simply working on the fixed-wings wasn’t enough.

“If you enjoy something, and you’ve put your heart and soul into it, you can get it.”

The itch to take the controls took hold of him, and six years later he took to the skies.

“You suddenly realise everything is up to you. There’s a bit of pressure on but once you get that milestone you're away.

“It’s one of the best decisions I ever made.”

He spent his time piloting jets like the Harvard Mk.II, the DH104 Devon, and the de Havilland Vampire, but it was the McDonnell Douglas A4-K Skyhawk that stole his heart.

SUPPLIED

A Navy ship (HMNZS Taupo) chases the Kin Nan fishing ship through Taranaki waters.

The Kin Nan, a Taiwanese squid boat, was lurking in New Zealand waters in 1976, which gave Jennings the story of a lifetime.

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“New Zealand was surrounded by fishing boats,” he said. “Just about every Asian country, plus the Russians, were pillaging our fisheries around the countryside.

“There was very little policing going on because the Navy only had small patrol crafts that were designed for inshore work, not out on the high seas.”

Navy ships were battling to bring Kin Nan in and away from the 12-mile invisible line that separated legal and illegal fishing. But, with limited firepower, they were helpless to stop them, Jennings said.

“Two of these [Navy] patrol crafts had been chasing this Taiwanese fleet, which had been cruising the Taranaki coast, and had finally caught one of these boats in the 12 miles.

“The boat turned due west and sailed and the Navy were in hot pursuit. They fired a few shots off the bow and the Taiwanese thing did not stop.”

HMNZS Rotoiti (P3569) was a Lake-class patrol vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy. It was commissioned in 1975 and deleted in 1991.

 

Rotoiti was one of three ships of this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is named after either Lake Rotoiti in North Island, or Lake Rototi in South Island (or perhaps both).

New Zealand

Builder: Brooke Marine, Britain

Commissioned: 1975

Decommissioned: 1991

Identification: Pennant number: P3569

Fate: deleted

General characteristics

Class and type: Lake-class patrol vessel

Displacement:

105 tons standard

135 tons full load

Length: 107.8 ft (32.9 m)

Beam: 20 ft (6.1 m)

Draught: 11.1 ft (3.4 m)

Propulsion:

2 × Paxman 12Y JCM diesels

3000 hp, 2 shafts

Speed: 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)

Range: 3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi)

Complement: 21

Sensors and

processing systems: Navigation radar: Racal Decca 916 I band

Armament:

2 × 12.7mm machine guns

1 × 81mm mortar