Lake Class inshore patrol boats – HMNZS Rotoiti (P3569)

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

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.

These boats perform border and fishery protection patrols.

She was fitted out in Whangarei and on 20 November 2007 started contractor sea trials. After delays due to problems with gear and fittings, she was commissioned on 17 April 2009,^[1] and arrived at the Devonport Naval Base for the first time on 24 April 2009. HMNZS Rotoiti was the first of her class to be commissioned in the Royal New Zealand Navy. Rotoiti was the third boat of this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and named after Lake Rotoiti.

Rotoiti was decommissioned at Devonport Naval Base on 17 October 2019. Regulatory changes in 2012 resulted in operating restrictions around speed and sea states being imposed on them. Subsequently, the RNZN assessed them as no longer being suited to the heavy seas typically encountered off New Zealand and further afield, for which Protector-class offshore patrol vessels were more suited.^[2]

In 2022, Rotoiti, along with her sister Pukaki, was sold to Ireland for use by the Irish Naval Service.^[3] The two vessels arrived in Ireland in May 2023.