Skip to content

Lake class inshore patrol boats

HMNZS Taupo (P3570) was a Lake-class patrol vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Taupo was commissioned in 1975 and decommissioned in 1991, serving for 16 years.

  • by
HMNZS Taupo

Taupo was one of three ships of this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is named after Lake Taupo.

HMNZS Taupo – Tutukaka

HMNZS Taupo chases the Kin Nan fishing ship through Taranaki waters.

Design[edit]

In the early 1970s the Royal New Zealand Navy sought a replacement for its ageing SMDL patrol craft, which dated back to World War II. These vessels would be used for fisheries patrols as well as for territorial surveillance, complimenting the existing capability provided by P-3 Orion aircraft and frigates. Tenders for construction of the Lake-class was awarded to the UK based Brooke Marine, with an initial order of six ships. This order was subsequently reduced to four. The names of the four ships were based on the previous Loch-class frigates that had previously served in the RNZN. The names chosen for the Lake class vessels were Hawea, Pukaki, Rotoiti and Taupo.[2]

Construction[edit]

Taupo was laid down in July 1974, and was built by Brooke Marine at their shipyard in Lowestoft, in the United Kingdom. Construction was completed by November 1974, with the ship being delivered and commissioned into the RNZN by July 1975.[3] Taupo was commissioned on 29 July 1975.

Service history[edit]

Service life[edit]

Taupo began her shakedown cruise on 5 August 1975. By August 1975, she took up fisheries and territorial patrol duties. Over the course of her service life, Taupo additionally took part in fleet exercises, as well as use with the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve.

During their initial service life the ship was beset with engine vibration problems. The Lake class gained a reputation for poor performance in heavy seas, with a number of sailors injured. Taupo would be regularly refit in order to attempt to resolve these issues. In addition, all patrol craft were subject to a number of fuel shortages throughout the 70s and 80s, resulting in significant time spent laid up at Devonport Naval Base.

Sinking of the MS Mikhail Lermontov[edit]

Main article: MS Mikhail Lermontov

Taupo was one of a number of ships that came to the assistance of the sinking Soviet cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov on 16 February 1986.[4] Commander by Lt. Batcheler, Taupo assisted in both the recovery of passengers, as well as helping to coordinate rescue efforts.

Decommissioning[edit]

Taupo served with the RNZN until 1990 when she and her sister ships were decommissioned and sold off. The ship was replaced by the Moa class, and later Lake-class inshore patrol vessels. HMNZS Taupo, commissioned in 2009, carries the same namesake and pennant of Taupo.

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

  • by
HMNZS Rotoiti

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).

HMNZS Rotoiti 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

HMNZS Pukaki (P3568) was a Lake-class inshore patrol vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Pukaki commissioned in 1975, deleted in 1991 and sold as a private launch.

  • by

Service history

The class was intended to comprise 6 vessels to replace the wartime harbour protection boats and old converted minesweepers HMNZS Kiama and Inverell used for fishery protection in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Lake class were politically justified as a means of enhancing New Zealand’s capability for patrolling the 200-nautical-mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone, established by the new Law of the Sea of 1977. However they were too small for the task, and gave the crews a roller-coaster ride, resulting in extensive injury and sea sickness. Originally the RNZN had requested slightly larger 37-metre (121 ft) boats from Brooke Marine, but the experience of the over-extended Lake class turned the navy strongly against this type of mini warship. Opposition politicians condemned their introduction as ridiculously expensive and militaristic for fisheries protection. On calm days and in protected waters they could be comfortable and they gave useful early command experience for officers. Pukaki and its class were used to escort the US Navy nuclear submarines Haddo and Pintado into Auckland Harbour in 1978 and 1979 .

Pukaki was one of three ships of this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is named after Lake Pukaki.

The Irish Naval Service’s newest addition to its fleet, the Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) LÉ Aoibhinn (P71) went to sea for the first time with a departure from the Naval Base on Haulbowline, Cork Harbour, on Monday morning.

  • by

For the first time, the newest addition to the Naval Service fleet, the Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) P70 class cutter LÉ Aoibhinn (P71), proceeded to sea from Cork Harbour as above this week. The IPV, will be used primarily for fisheries protection patrols, as Ireland is obliged to conduct such tasks as an EU member state. Credit: Echolivecork-facebook

The twin inshore cutters, LÉ Aoibhinn (P71) and LÉ Gobnait (P72) were delivered to Cork Harbour last May, having served the Royal New Zealand Navy as the former HMZNS Rotoiti and HMZNS Pukaki, respectively.

In March 2022 they were acquired from the New Zealand government.

LÉ Aoibhinn’s introduction, Afloat previously highlighted that the Naval Service would enter the IPV service this month, albeit on an Initial Operating Capability (IOC) and following this process, the IPV will then commence working up to Full Operational Capability (FOC).

Both the ‘Lake’ class cutters directly replaced the decommissioned LÉ Orla and LÉ Ciara which were recently disposed of when towed overseas to be recycled.

A Naval Service spokesperson confirmed to EchoLive.ie this week that the LÉ Aoibhinn had proceeded to sea for the first time and will commence its (IOC) process, as alluded to above.

“This process will take a period of time, and currently the Royal New Zealand Navy is assisting us in our familiarisation to the inshore patrol vessels,” the spokesperson explained.

More on this latest naval development here.