July 2010 - HMNZS HAWEA completes circumnavigation
By SLT Simon Wasley RNZN
During HAWEA’s five-day Customs patrol in Fiordland the weather conditions were our biggest challenge. With a massive Low to the west of the South Island, trying conditions of wind, rain and choppy seas were endured.
During HAWEA’s five-day Customs patrol in Fiordland the weather conditions were our biggest challenge. With a massive Low to the west of the South Island, trying conditions of wind, rain and choppy seas were endured. The Command Team and boats’ coxswains were kept on their toes, with the boats spending long periods away, deploying up to 30nm from the ship.
HAWEA left the fiords at the end of April and ventured across Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island, before making her way into Bluff. In Bluff nine Ministry of Fisheries Officers embarked to conduct training and inspections around Stewart Island and along the south-east coast of the South Island.
Caption Right: HAWEA rounding Puysegur Point
The bad weather continued with visibility frequently down to next to nothing—‘Chilled Pea Soup’! Despite the changeable conditions, we carried out boat drills, training, and boardings. On a number of occasions the weather changed within just a few minutes from 15 knots and good visibility to thunder, lightning, hail and 70+ knots of wind!
Over the next few days the weather continued to deteriorate making safe boardings virtually impossible. HAWEA returned to Bluff to disembark the Southland contingent of the MFish personnel and we headed north for Banks Peninsula, where there are a number of commercial fishing vessels. We also hoped for better conditions on the Peninsula. As we proceeded up the coast, we inspected fishing vessels operating off Dunedin, Timaru, Akaroa and Lyttelton.
In Lyttelton we had a Saturday training day where 20 RNZNVR personnel from HMNZS PEGASUS embarked. DC exercises, boat drills for bowmen and coxswains and general seamanship training, made for a high tempo day at sea. Two PEGASUS ratings put their refreshed skills into practice as they remained onboard for the final leg of our patrol back to Auckland.
On Tuesday 11 May HAWEA sailed to conduct the sombre and humbling task of a final farewell and scattering of the ashes of two former Navy sailors: Able Seaman Eric Walter (Wally) Donald and Chaplain Selwyn Hadlow. We stopped the ship and scattered their ashes onto the wide ocean to the east of Godley Head on that quiet and calm morning. On completion, we returned to Lyttelton to embark the Chief of Navy and conducted an overnight passage to Wellington. For HAWEA’s ships company it was a good opportunity to spend some time face to face with CN and the Warrant Officer of the Navy to find out where RNZN leadership sees the Navy progressing.
CN disembarked early on Wednesday with HAWEA’s passage home taking her up the east coast of the North Island. We had been in rough weather for the majority of the patrol, and this last week wasn’t any different. HAWEA spent two days zig-zagging up the coast in an attempt to limit the impact of each nor’easterly swell and the 40 knot wind. On finally rounding East Cape, the weather slowly start to ease and HAWEA enjoyed a relatively calm passage across the Bay of Plenty before arriving to a sunny, clear Auckland morning. HAWEA shared a short set of OOW manoeuvres and formation entry with MANAWANUI and ROTOITI before securing alongside, after five busy, but satisfying weeks patrolling.