Mar 06 - TE KAHA Maintenance
TE KAHA was in a maintenance period from March until May 2006.
During this period the ship moved from Calliope Wharf into the drydock where extensive work was undertaken on almost every part of the ship, ranging from hull blasting and welding, to the installation of new systems on the bridge. Although the ship remains a hive of activity, the period alongside in Devonport allowed many of the ship's company to catch up on courses and clear annual leave.
Ens Wakeham writes "For people staying on board, however, the working day is made more interesting by the constant sounds of our ship being pulled apart. Corridors packed with ventilation tubing, plywood and cables, make moving through the ship an adventure in itself. The ship also has no running water or drains, which means no cooking or laundry onboard. It's not all bad though, the morning brow staff get a laugh each day as the duty watch trudge out to the porta-showers in their coveralls, sandals and hardhats - with shower gears clutched under their arms."
The long stay 'alongside' allowed the duty watch and Officers of the Day to practice emergency responses, which keeps everyone up to the standard that was achieved during workup in February.
TE KAHA is programmed to sail in July for a deployment to Asia.
Plotting a course onboard Te Kaha.