HMNZS CANTERBURY
The last month for CANTERBURY was dominated by the Selected Repair and Availability (SRA) period which saw the maintenance of equipment onboard, the fitting of a huge new shiny satellite dish (easily recognisable by any discerning ship-recognition aficionado), and the annual Lloyd’s Register Survey to ensure our ship remains in ‘Class’.
On-going training has again been a large part of our lives with seamanship, damage control, medical and weapons training all taking place. Personnel have also been assisting the Fleet Personnel Training Organisation with support to the LCSS and MWVNO (Minor War Vessels Navigating Officer) courses, and with diving on CANTERBURY’ hull, which at the same time has helped to build and maintain individual skills sets.
NZ Army personnel hoping to post to the Ship in the future, as part of the Ship Amphibious Load Team, are currently living in and conducting a Ship Familiarisation and Crane Course.
That said though, our personnel have also been able to take some out from work to participate in the Intership Hockey tournament, while the Operations and Supply Departments undertook adventurous training on a White Water Rafting Exped to Rotorua (see the article by OMA Emma Stevenson).
We have also hosted numerous visits from a wide variety of folks, all interested in the new capabilities CANTERBURY has to offer. Visitors have included:
- MGEN Conant, US Pacific Command Director of Policy and Planning
- Senior Warrant Officer Aloysius Cheong, the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Senior Warrant Officer
- other government agency personnel visits from Immigration, Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and
- the NZ Army, who have also conducted several Ship visits, including the Kippenberger Officer Training Class, Catering Corps and 5 Movements Company.
Naval visits have included various Volunteer Reserve personnel attached for tours of duty, the Ex-WRNZN’s Association Visit and the Sea Cadets from TS LEANDER.
We also enjoyed a visit by young Kiwis from the local Vauxhall Primary School, wanting to know about their Navy, while potential recruits visited CANTERBURY for a bit of an insight to what they could be doing in the future.
Finally, the Ship awarded its inaugural Sailor of the Quarter Award in July and would like to congratulate ASCS Gan Elphick-Moon for being chosen as the Ship’s Sailor of the Quarter for April – June 2008.
First Ship Experience
By MID Natasha Stephens RNZN
I joined HMNZS CANTERBURY on 28 July, from a posting at the Naval Excellence Office. As I had recently applied for a branch change from Supply to Marine Engineer, I was posted to CANTERBURY to gain a better appreciation of the Engineering branch, and to ensure that changing to Engineer is right for me.
Since I have been on board, I have worked in the various departments within the Marine Technician branch to ensure that I got exposure to every facet of marine engineering on this ship. I worked first with LMT(P) Rob Comer, assisting with (but mostly learning) the routine maintenance on the fixed main fire pumps as well as the portable emergency pumps. I then spent a day doing electrical switchboard drills with LMT(L) King-Mosen, and a few days working on the generators. Since then I have learned pre-start and idle checks on the main engines, maintenance and rounds on the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats and the upkeep of the Sewage Treatment Plant, to name just a few.
In addition to my engineering roles, I have begun work on my Officer of the Day task-book, which, with the help of my fellow officers, has progressed well. My goal is to be qualified by the end of the year, an ambitious task which will take some dedication!
My first impression of CANTERBURY was of a very tight-knit ship. The familiarity and trust among the ship’s company was easy to see and I found myself quickly accepted by my messmates. The balance between professionalism and camaraderie is well maintained, and this makes for a very open, warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Whilst onboard CANTERBURY, I have learned just how much falls to the ME branch – I didn’t fully appreciate how much the different parts of ship rely on the ‘stokers’ in order to function effectively. I have a better perspective now of the vital and challenging role of an Engineering Officer, and this opportunity has made me more certain than ever that the Engineering branch is right for me. I also have a better knowledge of what is required to become qualified.
I feel I know a lot more about the branch, the opportunities it offers and the path that lies ahead of me. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be posted to ship so soon after passing out of training, and I can only hope that this posting might be extended to allow me to start working on my Engineering task-book before beginning university next February.