HMNZS MANAWANUI August 2011 - Update
HMNZS MANAWANUI Progess report from August 2011
By LTCDR Wiremu Leef, RNZN
At times it’s very interesting being in command of the Navy’s oldest ship.
Sunset over the MANAWANUI in the Hauraki Gulf
At times it’s very interesting being in command of the Navy’s oldest ship.
Sitting back watching the rest of the fleet with their shiny hulls, bristling array of sensors and big guns could drive a man to envy of his fellow Captains; however there is lot about MANAWANUI that makes her just as interesting.
To begin with, MANAWANUI is the current holder of the Chatham Rose Bowl and happily flies the RNZN Efficiency Pennant as well. Not bad I thought for a ship that, let’s be honest, not many of you have really wanted to post to. It is certainly a good feeling being able to say ‘we are the best ship in the fleet’ (well at least for another few months anyway). In saying this, my hat must come off in acknowledging the efforts of the current and previous ship’s company in achieving this, and in continuing to maintain these very professional standards.
Being CO of MANAWANUI I’ve come to appreciate that speed isn’t everything. Now while I could brag about achieving 12.4 knots recently (we have an ECPINS screen capture to prove it), it was with the wind and tide assisting so I’m not sure if I could really claim that we are faster than RESOLUTION, and we certainly can’t achieve 17 knots on a single engine like an OPV.
Although we don’t have speed, we do have an engineering plant built like a brick sh… house, and because of this we are able to keep things ticking along with a bit of elbow grease and an oily rag. It also makes an ideal platform for engineering training, which we have been able to offer up to numerous OMT’s stuck at NPRC over the last 12 months. It is a good feeling seeing many of the sailors who are stuck ashore enjoying time at sea.
For MANAWANUI, there are only three key systems that really count, the decompression chamber, the dive bell and the mooring system. For those of you who weren’t aware, MANAWANUI has four anchors (two forward and two aft), which are an integral part of our arsenal. They are certainly handy when you are asked to anchor directly over a wreck for the ODT. There is also the added value of actually being able to remain at anchor when things get a little rough. Not even 80 knots of wind (that’s what the anemometer said) is enough to make this old girl budge when she doesn’t want to go anywhere.
Having the people to use the systems is one of my key concerns. We have spent a significant amount of time working with the ODT and Dive School which has been great. From an operational perspective this relationship has grown considerably and we have continued to look at ways of improving how the divers integrate into the ship. One of the challenges we face is bunk space, which we don’t have. It isn’t uncommon to have people on stretchers so that we can maximise training and tasking while we are at sea. But in the end, that’s our job and I reckon we support the divers pretty well, as long as those crayfish continue to find their way to my fridge.
Finally one thing I noticed about this ship is that once you get here, it doesn’t take long until you love it. Yes she is slow, old, cramped and doesn’t have those sleek sports car lines like the newer ships, but she’s got it where it counts and she certainly has far more character than many of her newer sister ships. The fact that the crew see the ‘E Pennant’ flying from their mast every day reinforces this and instils that sense of pride in ‘their’ ship. We do the yards when we need to but we also enjoy it and have fun which is really important. It has been an interesting 18 months, and I would not have wished it any other way.