Training for TOMORROW's NAVY Contents
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# 2 3 3 OPERATION J HIKI ANO U N OUR MARITIME 1 DOCTRINE 9 RELAY FUNDRAISER TRAINING FOR TOMORROW'S NAVY Contents 05 CANTERBURY’s Change of Command 25 Exchanges with the Australians 06 Operation Hiki Ano 27 The well-being runner 15 Dive Hydrographic Vessel arrives 30 No. 6 Squadron at Kerikeri 22 Our Maritime Doctrine 34 Relay fundraiser 23 A year as Flag Lieutenant “ Honestly, there’s no other job like it.” ~ POWTR Kayla Mitchell, Flight Deck Officer 10 15 22 Navy Today is the official magazine Contributions are welcomed, of the Royal New Zealand Navy. including stories, photographs and Established to inform, inspire letters. Please submit stories and and entertain serving and former letters by email in Microsoft Word members of the RNZN, their or the body of an email. Articles up families, friends and the wider Navy to 500 words welcomed, longer Community. if required by the subject. Please consult the editor about long articles. Published by: Digital photos submitted by email Defence Public Affairs also welcomed, at least 500kb HQ NZ Defence Force preferred. Stories published in Navy Wellington, New Zealand Today cannot be published elsewhere without permission. Editor: NZNavy navy.mil.nz Andrew Bonallack Copy deadline for the Email: [email protected] August issue 15 July, 2019. Subject to change. Design and Layout: Defence Public Affairs Views expressed in Navy Today Cover: NZDefenceForce are not necessarily those of the A landing craft marries up to HMNZS Printed by: RNZN or the NZDF. CANTERBURY's stern ramp. Bluestar Private Bag 39996, Wellington Defence Careers: Photographer: Phone: 0800 1FORCE A/CPL Naomi James Feedback to: (0800 136 723) [email protected] on the www.defencecareers.mil.nz print quality of this publication is welcomed. Changing Address? To join or leave our mailing list, Distribution: please contact: Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] 2 | Navy Today #233 O N E M P N T O C C O E M M M I A T N I D R E A R Yours Aye M Maritime Component Commander Operation Hiki Ano (OP HA-19), our In conducting OP HA-19, our Navy dedicated Output 1 training period has achieved our highest priority, ashore and at sea over the last two to clear a backlog of leadership months, is named for “lift up, again”. development and Damage Control We chose the name deliberately, training that was holding up promotion stating our intent to revitalise for our personnel. We’ve completed ourselves. a heavy schedule of training in both the MESTE and Bridge Simulators, as In preparation, we took a hard look at well as hands-on seamanship training what we were focused on. OP HA-19 and an inaugural safety course at helped us to reprioritise some Navy the BMSTF. Over 600 of us have efforts, to ensure we are trained, we completed conversion to the NZDF are fit for sea service, and we are both MARS-L weapon (about three times individually and collectively ready. our normal rate). Training ashore Our aim was to improve the Navy’s was matched by training at sea, personnel state, and accelerate our where HMNZ Ships CANTERBURY readiness for the new capabilities and WELLINGTON did a sterling sitting on and over the horizon. job supporting both individual and I believe that we have succeeded. wholeship activities, including what We found ourselves needing a I believe was the first light jackstay “ You have much to period like OP HA-19 due in part to within the Protector fleet. our operational can-do approach. OP HA-19 has taken the coordinated While we have responsibilities to be proud of – in the and dedicated work of many people Government to generate naval to meet our ambitious and audacious capability (Output 1) and conduct goals and through the contributions of coming weeks we domestic, regional and global security many, we have allowed our shipmates operations (Outputs 4 and 5), we to improve their individual readiness. will be able to share have always concentrated on the You have much to be proud of – in the mission first. As a result, we reduced coming weeks we will be able to share more stories about personnel levels ashore, particularly more stories about your individual and in some schools, in order to get ships collective successes. But until then, be your individual and to sea “to do the job.” Obviously, this content that your efforts have made failure to invest in ourselves could a measurable difference our ability to collective successes.” not go on forever and last year it was fulfil the Navy’s mission. determined that we needed to change our approach in order to maintain the skills and knowledge required to be BRAVO ZULU the masters of the maritime domain. He Hēramana Ahau Commodore Tony Millar Maritime Component Commander Navy Today #233 | 3 New Navy assets announced in Defence Capability Plan To assist our neighbours in For Navy it includes: • The SH-2G(I) Seasprite disaster relief and contributing helicopters will be replaced. • An enhanced multi-role sealift to security in the Pacific. vessel to complement HMNZS • Further upgrades to systems Recently the Government CANTERBURY. on the Anzac frigates, like announced $20 billion in communications. • A dedicated Southern Ocean planned investments in the Patrol vessel. To protect and secure the New Zealand Defence Force life-blood of our trade and out to 2030. to uphold our maritime Our vision is to be a world-class responsibilities from the Navy for a large maritime nation. Southern Ocean to the Pacific The government has recognised and beyond, these planned this by allocating funds for asset purchases will certainly essential assets to ensure advance New Zealand’s we are a fit-for-purpose Navy interests from the sea. able to operate in a modern, strategic, and very dynamic environment. HMNZS WELLINGTON rescued two crew to leave the vessel and WELLINGTON two yachties last month, found be transported to WELLINGTON. aground close to midnight off Great The two crew were transferred to rescues yachties Barrier Island. NZ Police the following day. At time of writing the fate of the yacht was On 30 May WELLINGTON responded unknown. to a night-time Mayday call on VHF channel 16 from yacht Karamu who had lost its anchor and was drifting in the Hauraki Gulf near Great Barrier Island. WELLINGTON, near Port Charles, launched its seaboat and requested Karamu to use light signals to indicate her position. In less than half an hour, the seaboat located Karamu, now beached in mud and sand in less than a metre of water. From left, ASCS Ben Sutherland (Bowman), POSCS Jermaine Martinovich (IC), Ms Mariela Towing was unsuccessful, and the Martinov, Mr Quentin Ricard, LSCS Cameron decision was made with the yacht’s Robertson (Boat Coxn). 4 | Navy Today #233 Change of Command HMNZS CANTERBURY By Suzi Phillips “It’s fantastic to be back at sea “Earlier as Officer in Charge of KAHU, Senior Communications Adviser after the past 15 years based in I got to support the 2003 America’s the Wellington region with various Cup in Auckland. It was quite an Commanding Officer of HMNZS positions for the New Zealand experience for us, sailing out every CANTERBURY, Commander Martin Defence force at Joint Headquarters day in the Hauraki Gulf with the race Walker, says he enjoyed taking the and in Capability Branch.” yachts and supporting the Police ship to his home town recently. during the Cup.” While CDR Walker has previously CDR Walker took command of had command of inshore patrol Now, while the frigates are upgraded, CANTERBURY in late April and vessels such as HMNZS KAHU, (now CANTERBURY is the primary sea visited Port Napier twice for decommissioned), CANTERBURY is training platform for the Navy. Operation Hiki Ano and Exercise on a different scale. “This new role is also challenging— Talisman Sabre. Highlights from CDR Walker’s a challenge that we are happy to CDR Walker first arrived in Napier previous deployments include two accept,” he says. “CANTERBURY is from the UK as a youngster and did postings as Ship’s Executive Officer, providing additional sea training while his secondary schooling at Napier in HMNZS MANAWANUI and HMNZS our combat force is away - training not Boys High School. ENDEAVOUR. only our own Ship’s Company, but also sailors for positions in the frigates and Both postings involved deployments “I grew up in Napier and spent my in our new ships. formative years in Hawke’s Bay, and overseas with a five-month I have an affinity and affection for deployment to Asia in ENDEAVOUR “At the same time, we need to be Napier,” he says. After secondary that included port visits in Japan, prepared to respond to any events school and a year studying Hong Kong, South Korea, and such as a national disaster – which is geography at Massey University, he Australia. He also visited Singapore a key role for this ship. Sea training decided to join the Navy. with MANAWANUI while taking part in and maintaining preparedness are exercises there. our priorities there and that includes “It sounds a bit of a cliché, but I amphibious operations,” says CDR “I enjoyed the challenges of being enjoyed travelling and seeing new Walker. places, and I wanted a career that an Executive Officer and how that was outside of the normal desk role was involved in everything going job – one that provided variety and on board ship and in support of the excitement. I decided the Navy was a Commander’s role,” he says. good way to achieve that.” Navy Today #233 | 5 Getting ready for tomorrow’s Navy Operation Hiki Ano HMNZ Ships CANTERBURY and CANTERBURY positioned itself It’s not often you WELLINGTON became the training at the 20-metre contour line off vessels for an all-of-Navy professional Cook’s Beach, Whitianga, simulating see green-tabbed development and training surge during a Humanitarian and Disaster Relief May and June, dubbed Operation Hiki mission that required an amphibious Basic Branch Ano.