Anzac Class – HMNZS Te Kaha

A former Onslow College student is showing the way to go as Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) frigate HMNZS Te Kaha builds up capability for future missions.

25 JUNE, 2024

Lieutenant Julian Grimmett, from Khandallah in Wellington, is the navigating officer on board Te Kaha, which visited Wellington recently.

The navigating officer is a warfare officer of four to seven years’ experience who specialises in navigation. They are responsible for the safe passage and navigation of the ship at sea. 

Lieutenant Grimmett studied Information Technology at Weltec in Petone but realised it wasn’t for him. 

“It wasn’t what I was passionate about. I looked at the police and looked at the Defence Force and applied for both. To coin a phrase, I was looking for better work stories, I wanted something active.”

 He joined the Navy in 2013 and found he really enjoyed the 22-week officer training course.

“You might not appreciate it at the time, but it was really cool.”

Part of the training included a stint aboard training ship Spirit of New Zealand, taking the vessel to Sydney for the Royal Australian Navy’s 100^th anniversary.

“It was 10 days over there, in tough seas. It was also my 21^st birthday when I was there, so there was a 100-gun salute at the same time, which was pretty nice.”

As Te Kaha’s navigating officer he’s not on bridge ‘watches’, but supervises a small team of bridge watchkeepers.

“I work pretty consistently from 8am to 8pm. There’s supervision and a lot of planning in my job. When you come in and out of a harbour like Wellington, you have to plan it out.”

For the Wellington visit, Te Kaha took aboard a CentrePort Wellington pilot to guide the ship to its berth at Queen’s Wharf.

“If a pilot comes on board, we don’t switch off. We have to be trained to fight regardless of circumstances. In a wartime situation a pilot may not be available. We train for visual navigation, and we need to be able do it anywhere in the world.”

He likes the mathematics side of the job.

“I know it’s a bit nerdy to say, but I’ve got a maths brain. Navigation is about triangulation, trigonometry and problem solving. There’s environmental factors, movement of the sun, the stars, the seasons.

 “The other thing I like is the personal skills. I’m the oversight for a small team, as the most experienced watchkeeper on board. I give coaching and advice to younger ones. I’ve previously been an instructor at the navigation training school in Australia.”

Next year Lieutenant Grimmett will further his warfare officer training in the United Kingdom, to qualify as a ship’s Principal Warfare Officer.

“My advice to people thinking about this career is to be open to experiences. I’ve been all around the Pacific and Asia, and made some amazing friends in New Zealand and other countries.

“I did a lot of growing up in my first years in the Navy. It gives you some pretty good life skills.”

Monday, 17 June 2024, 9:19 am
Press Release: New Zealand Defence Force

One of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Anzac-class frigates, HMNZS Te Kaha, will this week be making its first port visit to Wellington since 2016.

Te Kaha was last in the capital following the humanitarian assistance and disaster response it provided during the Kaikōura earthquake.

Since then, the ship has undergone a significant upgrade to its combat, surveillance and counter measures capability in Canada and has recently returned to sea after a period of extended maintenance.

Te Kaha is now in the process of conducting sea trials to ensure equipment and systems are fully functional, as well as enhancing the crew’s core mariner skills.

The ship will be berthing at Queen’s Wharf on Wednesday 19 June, and an Open Day for the public will be held on Saturday 22 June between 10am and 4pm.

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

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.

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.