Dec 08 - Naval Seasprites take to the air
On Tuesday 16 December, 5 Naval Seasprites took to the air for a flypast over North head, Devonport Naval Base and a circle of the Auckland Harbour.
The purpose of this was to celebrate the rare opportunity to have 5 Seasprite Helicopters airborne at once - there are normally one or two on operational deployments or in scheduled maintenance at any one time. There was also the celebration of the return of the HMNZS TE KAHA Seasprite rejoining the squadron after 3 months in South East Asia and Australia. The Air Crew have worked very hard to get all 5 Seasprites serviceable, fully operational and ready for any tasking.
The Seasprite Helicopters arrived south of North Head, flew down the harbour, then over the Naval Base to coincide with a medal ceremony awarding 28 medals to Naval personnel, then completed a circle of the Auckland Harbour.
Above Image: 5 Naval Seasprites take to the air in formation over the Northshore of Auckland (AK 08-0605-30).
Facts:
Seasprite SH-2G Helicopter specifications:
Standard Displacement: 6 tonnes
Length Overall: 16.1 metres
Beam: 3 metres (Main Rotor Diameter: 13.4 metres)
Height: 4.6 metres
Speed: 120 knots. Operating maximum 150 knots.
Range: 450 nautical miles (Endurance 3.5 hours)
Complement: 3 crew: pilot, tactical operator and crewman Plus up to 5 passengers Evacuation capacity of 2 stretchers and 2 attendants
Propulsion: Two General Electric T700 Turbines (1600 hp each)
Armament: Can be armed with a combination of homing torpedoes, depth charges, Maverick Air to Surface missiles, M60 Machine Gun.
Other: Ceiling height 3048 metres
Lifting Capacity: 1814kgs,
Naval aviation comprises a mix of Navy and Air Force personnel who operate and maintain a fleet of five Seasprite SH-2G helicopters, known as No 6 Squadron. No. 6 Squadron is based at RNZAF Base Auckland in Whenuapai.
The helicopters are located, maintained and flown from there; they are then deployed onboard Navy ships TE KAHA and TE MANA. The aircraft will also be able to operate from three of the new Protector vessels (HMNZS CANTERBURY and Off Shore Patrol Vessels OTAGO and WELLINGTON - the latter when commissioned for operational service in the Navy - scheduled for mid 2009).