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Hull damaged as NZ warship berths in high winds

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Royal NZ Navy frigate Te Kaha pictured at Devonport Naval base. (file photo)
PHIL DOYLE / STUFF

Andrea Vance

Andrea Vance

May 21, 2024

https://www.thepress.co.nz/politics/350284063/hull-damaged-nz-warship-berths-high-winds

One of the navy’s troubled frigates has limped into port with a gash in its hull after smashing into a wharf.

HMNZS Te Kaha sustained damage when it struck the wharf at Auckland’s Kauri Point ammunition depot on Thursday.

The Defence Force said the accident took place in “gale force winds,” the damage is minor and an investigation is now under way.

The vessel is now berthed at Devonport Naval Base, undergoing repairs.

It’s the latest setback for the beleaguered warship fleet, which recently underwent a $700 million upgrade.

Two surface combat vessels — HMSNZ Te Kaha and HMSNZ Te Mana — were purchased nearly 35 years ago for just under $1 billion.

In 2014, the Government approved weapons and communications upgrades first budgeted at $446m, but costs later soared in 2017.

The eight-year refit took place in Canada, and during that time New Zealand’s ability to run anti-piracy operations, monitor sea lanes, and participate in exercises with military partners was limited.

Te Kaha returned to New Zealand at the end of 2020 and Te Mana, in 2022. The ships are expected to be in service for another decade.

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HMNZS Te Kaha pictured in the Western Indian Ocean in 2015. The vessel is one of only two frigates in the Royal New Zealand Navy fleet including the HMNZS Te Mana.
SUPPLIED

A spokesperson for NZDF confirmed the incident at the munitions storage facility last week but did not answer questions about the estimated cost of repair.

“At Kauri Point Wharf in Auckland on Thursday 16 May, HMNZS Te Kaha experienced minor damage to its bow after coming into contact with the wharf whilst berthing in near gale force winds,” she said in a statement.

“This resulted in a small hole in the hull above the waterline. No personnel were injured in the incident. Port of Auckland tugs were in attendance at the time assisting the ship to berth.”

Repair work has started and is expected to be completed next week, she said. The Defence Force did not specify if this was a patch, or permanent fix for the damaged hull. A question about the dimensions of the damage was also not answered before publication.

“Whilst the repair work is being conducted, other maintenance and training will also be carried out which will mean there will be negligible impact to the ship’s longer term programme,” she said.

Te Kaha’s commanding officer is Commander Fiona Jameson.

An internal investigation began on the day of the incident, the spokesperson added. This “restricts further detail being released at this time”, she said.

The bungle comes as defence force spending comes under increasing scrutiny.

Under pressure to find savings, earlier this year military bosses warned the Government of a staffing crisis, which saw almost a third of uniformed staff lost over two years, and a pressing need to replace ageing military equipment, such as two Boeing 757s, used to transport VIPs, and Seasprite helicopters.

A Defence Capability plan is due to go before minister Judith Collins next month. Earlier this month she announced a funding boost of more than $570m for pay and equipment.

Minesweeper Hananui II

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Mine sweeper – Hananui II.
She entered service very late in feb 1919

This was owned by Messers Jagger and Hardy of Auckland and a Charter Agreement, similar to those for the other two vessels (Simplon and Janie Seddon) was drawn up.

Unlike the other vessels, there were no naval personnel on board for sweeping operations, probably because of a lack of suitable personnel in Philomel.

Hananui II began operations in the latter part of February 1919.

Having swept the field without finding any mines it returned to Auckland at the end of April, landing the minesweeping equipment at Devonport and was returned to its owners.”

Looks to have run aground

HMS/HMNZS “Simplon” 69 ton 1918 trawler/coaster

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HMS/HMNZS “Simplon” 69 ton 1918 trawler/coaster
Retired 1946.
Returned to Sanfords in 1946.

Simplon was a problem throughout. Captain Freeland had to be relieved of his command at the end of May 1918, subsequently being awarded compensation, apparently for mental strain and a nervous breakdown.

On 26 March the departure of the vessels from Wellington was delayed because of trouble in getting all of the Simplon’s crew on board.

On 20 May, Simplon was in Auckland, due to sail to rendezvous with the Nora Niven. It was not ready and the departure of the ships had to be delayed, with the hire of the Nora Niven having to be paid because that vessel was ready, as ordered.

Again in September there was a delay in operations because the Simplon was not ready and in October the vessel was waiting for four days for a crew.The fishing trawlers Nora Niven and Simplon were requisitioned by the Government and equipped as minesweepers. They swept seventeen mines off Farewell Spit and eighteen in the Three Kings area. Others had probably sunk or
broken adrift. The two little fishing boats of 1918 were the forebears of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s numerous minesweepers of the Second World War. The Nora
Niven herself survived to take a small part in their activities.

HMS/HMNZS Janie Seddon

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Scotland
1901
Built 1901 for NZ Government with a sister Lady Roberts.

She is reported to have laid a minefield at Wellington in WW1 and was used as an examination vessel in WW2.
She was HMS Janie Seddon 1939-1941 and HMNZS Janie Seddon 1941-1944

Janie Seddon also served as a liberty boat for the naval base at HMNZS Cook, Shelly Bay in Wellington.

HMS/HMNZS Janie Seddon at Queens Wharf – c1926 The ‘Janie Seddon’ in the foreground –
The ‘Mararoa’ (1885-1931) can also be seen
Sign on left reads: Eastbourne Ferry Service

HMNZS Janie Seddon –
Evans Bay Slip Way the three vessel’s are Uss Co SS TAKAPUNA , JANIE SEDDON , USS SS KOMATA

In 1946 she was purchased by Ivan Talley for the Motueka Trawling Co Ltd. and adapted to trawl fishing. This proved to be uneconomic as vessels of this size were not permitted to fish within three miles of the coast, so she was unable to fish in Tasman Bay which was rich in snapper. As her small coal capacity only allowed her to spend five days at sea at a time she often came into Port with her fish holds half empty. She was laid up at the Motueka Wharf in 1950 then beached near the ‘Old Wharf’ in 1955, and broken up for scrap. Her hull remains lying in the sand, a sad reminder of a once proud ship.

The Twin Screw Steamer, Janie Seddon (originally named Janie Spotswood), was built by Fleming & Fergusson Ltd at Paisley, Scotland in 1901 as a submarine mining vessel. Due to the fear of Russian invasion, she was the second such ship ordered and purchased by the NZ Government to lay mines in harbours around NZ.

Built of steel, 90′ long and 18′ wide and capable of 7 knots, she was powered by a single 320 hp steam engine driving two shafts. She was renamed ‘Janie Seddon’ after Prime Minister Richard Seddon’s daughter on 29 Nov 1900 and sailed for NZ in company with near identical sister ‘Lady Roberts’ via the Mediterranean through the Suez canal and the Indian Ocean, arriving in Wellington 16 Jan 1902.
It is believed that she was used in her original role as a mine layer in Wellington during the war.
Although personnel carried a Bren gun aboard for firing warning shots across the bows of errant vessels, Janie was not armed during the wars. When not on examination duty, she carried out gunnery target towing duties and served as a liberty boat for the naval base at Shelly Bay.

The Janie Seddon was the last surviving military ship to have served in both World Wars. She sank at her mooring in Motueka harbour on 23 April 1953. Over the next two years she was stripped of fittings until all that remained was her hull … lots more interesting info on her life (& great photos) at this link: http://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/22334/wreck-janie-seddon

The Janie Seddon was commissioned as an examination vessel in Wellington Harbour in both World Wars. She fired the first shots of World War II for the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy over the bow of a vessel entering the harbour. In 1946 she was purchased by Ivan Talley for the Motueka Trawling Co Ltd. and adapted to trawl fishing. This proved to be uneconomic as vessels of this size were not permitted to fish within three miles of the coast, so she was unable to fish in Tasman Bay which was rich in snapper. As her small coal capacity only allowed her to spend five days at sea at a time she often came into Port with her fish holds half empty. She was laid up at the Motueka Wharf in 1950 then beached near the ‘Old Wharf’ in 1955, and broken up for scrap. Her hull remains lying in the sand, a sad reminder of a once proud ship.

Castle Class – RNZN built, not completed as HMNZS Tawhai, later transferred to UNRRA still named Tawhai

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Tawhai launch

Tawhai sandwiched in the middle

Just a peek of Tawhai

Tawhai alongside

HMNZS Tawhai was a New Zealand-built composite Castle-class trawler built for the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II for the intention for use as a minesweeper, later being converted into a fishing trawler.

Background[edit]

The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the Castle-class design because it was simple enough to be built with the country’s limited ship construction facilities at the time.[1]

Operational history[edit]

The launching of the minesweeper Tawhai at Auckland.

Tawhai was the last of four composite minesweepers to be built for the RNZN, the others being Hinau, Manuka, and Rimu. Tawhai was originally built for use as an LL Magnetic minesweeper, but by mid 1943, it was clear Tawhai was not needed as another LL minesweeper, so was to be completed as a conventional minesweeper.[2] At the 28 September 1943 Navy Office conference, use of the Tawhai as a servicing vessel was considered but was declined.[2] Tawhai would be ‘work suspended’ at the date of delivery when 95% complete and was declared surplus to the War Assets Realisation board in October 1944 for disposal.[2] In 1946, she would be purchased by the UNRRA to rebuild the decimated Chinese fishing industry.[2] [3] She was last seen with the Awatere and Pahau fishing at Formosa (now Taiwan)