HMNZS Tutira re-fuelling from Bellona in Tasman Sea, 1949
Ordered during World War II, she saw service instead with the Royal Canadian Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Loch Morlich in Scotland. After the war she was returned to the Royal Navy and she was sold to the Royal New Zealand Navy and renamed Tutira. Loch Morlich which was ordered from Swan Hunter on 13 February 1943. She was laid down 15 July 1943 and launched 25 January 1944. Upon completion she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and commissioned on 17 July 1944, at Wallsend-on-Tyne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Loch_Morlich_(K517)
HMNZS Manawanui had been under the command of ex-Royal Navy officer Commander Yvonne Gray (Picture: New Zealand Navy Today)
A former Royal Navy officer who now serves in the Royal New Zealand Navy has been praised for her decision to evacuate everyone aboard the stricken HMNZS Manawanui.
Commander Yvonne Gray gave the order for all hands to abandon ship when it ran aground and caught fire off the coast of Samoa – it then listed heavily and 12 hours later was entirely submerged
Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, said she made the “right decision” to evacuate the 75 people aboard, which “saved lives”.
He added: “Evacuating a ship at night is an incredibly complex and dangerous task.”
Defence Minister Judith Collins says a Court of Inquiry will establish how the Navy ship crashed into a reef.
She called the evacuation “something of a triumph, frankly”, given the difficult conditions.
The decision of Cdr Gray to abandon ship has been praised as all 75 crew and passengers were rescued (Picture: Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority)
Originally from Harrogate in Yorkshire, Cdr Gray took the helm of the RNZN’s dive, hydrographic and salvage vessel HMNZS Manawanui in December 2022.
Her career began in the Royal Navy when she joined in 1993, after spending university holidays at a Sea Cadet facility in the Lake District.
She spent most of her junior career at sea, including on the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible and the minehunters Walney, Bridport and Cromer, after specialising as a Mine Warfare Officer.
After completing the Principal Warfare Officer course in 2004, she joined HMS Westminster as the PWO (Underwater) and Operations Officer, with operational experience in West Africa, Northern Europe and the Gulf.
Cdr Gray said taking command of HMNZS Manawanui in December 2022 ‘was that opportunity that made my eyes light up’ (Picture: Royal New Zealand Navy)
Following a posting to the Maritime Warfare Centre in Portsmouth, she took the opportunity in 2009 to work with the Royal Australian Navy at HMAS Watson, Sydney.
Cdr Gray then moved to New Zealand in 2012 after a campervan holiday where she and her wife fell in love with the country.
Speaking to New Zealand’s Navy Today magazine in 2022, she said: “How do we get to live here, we asked ourselves,” adding: “The most obvious thing was to apply to join the Royal New Zealand Navy.”
On taking command of HMNZS Manawanui, Cdr Gray said: “It was that opportunity that made my eyes light up.”
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship JS Sazanami sails behind Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Aotearoa while conducting a Dual-Replenishment at Sea with HMAS Sydney and USS Howard during a Maritime Cooperative Activity in the South China Sea on Sept. 28, 2024. Royal Australian Navy Photo
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippines held a joint patrol in the South China Sea that included forces from Japan, Australia, the U.S. and New Zealand on Saturday.
The joint patrol was the fourth multilateral maritime cooperative activity held to date. Participants included BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) , BRP Emilio Jacinto (PS-35) USS Howard (DDG-83), HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) , JS Sazanami (DD-113) and HMNZS Aotearoa (A-11). Naval aviation, including three helicopters and one Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, also joined the exercise. Activities, which included drills in maritime domain awareness, replenishment at sea and contact reporting, were held near the vicinity of the Philippine exclusive economic zone off Luzon.
Executive Officer HMAS Sydney, Lieutenant Commander Simone Macintosh, RAN takes a bearing as the ship approaches Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Aotearoa to conduct a Replenishment at Sea on Sept. 28, 2024. RAN Photo
“The conduct of the [patrol] manifests the AFP’s dedication to strengthening partnerships and enhancing collective capabilities with like-minded nations to address emerging maritime security challenges,” reads the Philippine military press release.
On the same day of the Philippines’ joint patrol, China announced its own drills around Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing gained de facto control of following a standoff with Manila in 2012.
This joint patrol comes amid the conclusion of a standoff at Sabina Shoal, which saw Philippine Coast Guard flagship BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) withdraw from the contested maritime feature earlier this month. According to the Philippines, the patrol ship had to depart Sabina due to low supplies, damage from a Chinese ramming incident and bad weather conditions. Despite claims from the Philippine military and Coast Guard that the shoal hasn’t been lost, it is unclear if Manila has managed to get another vessel to maintain the country’s presence at the shoal. AIS data reveals a near constant presence of Chinese forces around and within Sabina.
A brief respite occurred this week when Manila revealed that a resupply mission reached the Marine outpost onboard BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) at Second Thomas Shoal on Thursday. Philippine forces utilized MV Lapu-Lapu, a civilian boat reinforced against water cannon attacks contracted by the Navy for resupply missions, for the mission. This was the second publicly reported resupply mission since Manila and Beijing hashed out a provisional agreement regarding the resupply and personnel rotation of Philippine forces from the disputed maritime feature following a violent skirmish with Chinese Coastguardmen on June 17.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has accepted its second and third C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft at Base Auckland, Whenuapai.
The planes were flown by C-130 developer Lockheed Martin from its US center in Marietta, Georgia, and were received by Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb on behalf of the service.
Wellington noted that the platforms carried spares, propellers, engines, and a towing arm to support future operations in the country. Their journey was also observed for the program’s continuing trial and development works.
Tactical Airlifter Modernization
RNZAF procured its latest airborne assets through a 1.5-billion New Zealand dollar ($950.4 million) US foreign military sale to replace the service’s C-130Hs that have been operational since the 1960s.
The RNZAF’s Auckland-based 40 Squadron will manage and sustain the new fleet upon fielding.
Two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft during a ceremony in Base Auckland. Photo: New Zealand Defence Force
“The entire team will be getting straight down to business after the aircraft arrive with flights already scheduled around New Zealand and down to Antarctica for the summer season,” Webb remarked.
“The aircraft marks a once-in-a-generation change for No. 40 Squadron and it will continue the work of its predecessor, the C-130H, which was a powerhouse for New Zealand military aviation.”
‘Significant Investment’
The government highlighted that the RNZAF’s new cargo fleet will take on missions with “more power” compared to its predecessor, enhancing the force’s personnel and equipment transport capability for deployments locally, across the Pacific, and internationally.
“They are a significant Government investment in New Zealand’s ability to respond to national and international emergencies, whether they be natural humanitarian disasters or providing support in areas of conflict,” Webb said.
The Super Hercules
Lockheed Martin’s C-130J has a 98-foot (30-meter) long fuselage, a 133-foot (40-meter wingspan, and a 41-foot (12-meter) cargo bay.
It is powered by four 4,637-horsepower Rolls-Royce AE engines for a top speed of 417 miles (670 kilometers) per hour, a service ceiling of 40,386 feet (12,309 meters), and a range of 2,071 miles (3,334 kilometers).
The aircraft’s logistics function is supported by its capacity for approximately 90 warfighters or 42,000-pound (19,051-kilogram) payloads.
