Pacific Islands - Polynesia and Melanesia.
- Thread starter ngatimozart
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Wellington arrived last night and along Matataua personnel have started assessing the approaches and port and divers have been inspecting the wharves. Aotearoa was due in this morning. Canterbury sails tomorrow with two NH90 aboard with Army engineers and plant operators to help purify water, assist with clean-up of debris, and help out with construction tasks to make buildings safe to use, if this help is needed. She should be there Tuesday.
Tonga Response - New Zealand Defence Force (nzdf.mil.nz)
Tonga Response - New Zealand Defence Force (nzdf.mil.nz)
Musashi_kenshin
Well-Known Member
The UK's decision to forward-base OPVs in the Pacific is already paying off. Delivering relief supplies is precisely the sort of job that HMS Spey can help with.
Twitter update from HMNZS Aotearoa following her arrival in Tonga and commencement of HADR operations.
recce.k1
Well-Known Member
Auxiliary vessel HMNZS Aotearoa berthed at Vuna Wharf (Tonga’s main Cruise Terminal).
Source: Malau Media
In other news international naval and air support efforts are under way from the UK, US, Japan.
Two Japanese Air Self-Defense Force C-130's are assisting and will be based in Australia.
Source: Malau Media
In other news international naval and air support efforts are under way from the UK, US, Japan.
(Surprised the French aren't (or yet) to be involved)!
Two Japanese Air Self-Defense Force C-130's are assisting and will be based in Australia.
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recce.k1
Well-Known Member
Japan to send the Ōsumi amphibious transport dock to Tonga to assist with the relief efforts.
english.kyodonews.net
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Japan defense force vessel departs carrying aid to disaster-stricken Tonga
A transport vessel of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force departs for Tonga as part of Japan's continuing relief efforts to the Pacific islands nation, which was hit by an undersea volcanic eruption and a tsunami earlier in the month.
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Ananda
The Bunker Group
From SCMP video. I put here as shown video on the impact in the interior of Tonga main island. Looking on the impact, whatever the burden Tonga people got at this moment, it's still also some need to be grateful that the casualties not as high if this impact on more densely populated region.
Similar Vulcanic tsunami in Krakatoa few years ago, smaller then this one. However since it's impact densely populated region in Java, cause hundreds fatality.
The problem now is because of COVID and Tonga damage infrastructure. Providing aid contactless is a must during this pandemic situation. Just it's going to complicate the speed of delivery.
Seems what Tonga need some kind of desalination equipment to provide fresh water from the sea. I don't know if interior Tonga can be drill enough Wells for fresh water. Perhaps mobile desalination equipment is more needed.
RAAF 37 SQN Hercules fitted with AN/AAQ-28 Litening pod and Ka-band SATCOM provided real time video imagery to HQ Joint Operations Command of the disaster in Tonga during recce flight from RAAF Richmond NSW on 18 Jan 22. The Herc, fitted with external fuel tanks, recovered at Auckland and conducted a second recce flight on 20 Jan.
news.defence.gov.au
A world class capability.
Hercules brings unique insight to Tonga response | Defence News
A specially-modified RAAF Hercules aircraft has proven its value over Tonga following a devastating underwater volcanic eruption on January 15.
A world class capability.
recce.k1
Well-Known Member
France is sending New Caledonia based P400 patrol boat La Glorieuse to Tonga, plus a Falcon Guardian maritime surveillance aircraft and a "cargo plane" (presumably their CN235? Unless they intend to bring out an A400M from France, which has been done before) to provide further aid and assistance to Tonga.
uk.sports.yahoo.com
France sends aid to volcano-struck Tonga from neighbouring New Caledonia
The French army is sending 10 tonnes of humanitarian cargo from New Caledonia to the Tonga Islands, struggling to recover from a powerful volcanic eruption on 15 January, followed by a tsunami. At the request of Tonga under the FRANZ (France-Australia-New Zealand) cooperation agreement, France...
Rock the kasbah
Active Member
Navy ship rocked by virus outbreak
Australia’s largest warship has been hit with a major outbreak of Covid-19, just days before it was due to arrive in Tonga on an aid mission.
www.news.com.au
Bugger
It was always a risk, but I doubt they'll turn around now, they can still unload all those supplies via contactless methods.Well it looks like Tonga will have to wait a bit longer for Australian aidNavy ship rocked by virus outbreak
Australia’s largest warship has been hit with a major outbreak of Covid-19, just days before it was due to arrive in Tonga on an aid mission.
Bugger
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- #173
Must've been stokers - can't take them anywhere
Yep, it's contactless delivery at the moment anyway. Aotearoa had been pumping water into road tankers as soon as it came alongside. They also had their desalination plant working flat out. Canterbury has an Army mobile desalination plant onboard. It got a good workout here in Christchurch after the Feb 2011 quakes. The Tongans raised a huge amount of money for us in Christchurch to help us out then.
There's a civilian ship leaving Auckland tomorrow with containers loaded with 44 gallon drums stacked with water, food emergency supplies for individual families in Tonga. Each drum has a family's name on it and it is being sent by family here. Not sure how many containers that they have going but they locked the gates to Mt Smart Stadium yesterday because they were overwhelmed by the response from Tongans in NZ. They get 110 x 44 drums into a standard 20ft ISO container.
Tonga collection drive organisers call for more drums to hold donations | RNZ News
Certainly and provided adequate distancing can be maintained, I would expect Adelaide would contribute to helo transfer to outlying areas and LCC inter island transfers, desalination, engineering support etc.
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- #175
I certainly hope so, but the Tongan government apparently turned back a relief flight the other day because or or two of the crew tested positive for COVID-19.
recce.k1
Well-Known Member
Indeed, I also read somewhere that (some) international personnel tested positive for covid when stabalising the Solomon Islands after their riots last November (I think it may have been Fijian and possibly another nations troops). Hence Tonga's preference not to have too many "international" forces' boots on the ground where possible.
Fiji is deploying RFMF troops and engineers to assist, via the ADF (presumably HMAS Adelaide).
French air surveillance is active and maritime forces are en-route.
Fiji is deploying RFMF troops and engineers to assist, via the ADF (presumably HMAS Adelaide).
French air surveillance is active and maritime forces are en-route.
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- #178
RNZN video of Aotearoa refuelling Tongan Guardian Patrol Boat.
fb.watch
Royal New Zealand Navy: HMNZS Aotearoa refuels Tongan Guardian-class patrol boat VOEA Ngahau Siliva | WATCH HMNZS Aotearoa refuels Tonga’s Guardian-class patrol boat VOEA Ngahau Siliva in Nuku'alofa Harbour. The refuelling is carried out in a... | By Royal New Zealand Navy | Facebook
WATCH HMNZS Aotearoa refuels Tonga’s Guardian-class patrol boat VOEA Ngahau Siliva in Nuku'alofa Harbour. The refuelling is carried out in a...
fb.watch
recce.k1
Well-Known Member
And to further demonstrate the usefulness of having a replenishment oiler "on station" for a HADR operation, HMNZS Aotearoa then completed a replenishment at sea with USS Sampson (DDG-102).RNZN video of Aotearoa refuelling Tongan Guardian Patrol Boat.
Royal New Zealand Navy: HMNZS Aotearoa refuels Tongan Guardian-class patrol boat VOEA Ngahau Siliva | WATCH HMNZS Aotearoa refuels Tonga’s Guardian-class patrol boat VOEA Ngahau Siliva in Nuku'alofa Harbour. The refuelling is carried out in a... | By Royal New Zealand Navy | Facebook
WATCH HMNZS Aotearoa refuels Tonga’s Guardian-class patrol boat VOEA Ngahau Siliva in Nuku'alofa Harbour. The refuelling is carried out in a...
The USS Sampson's MH-60R Seahawk has been busy conducting "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance damage assessment of remote islands Niuafo’ou, Fonualei, Ofu and Fonuafo’ou".
The replenishment oiler Aotearoa was meant to be traveling to the Antarctic soon, so far no announcement on when she is leaving, however could this provide an opportunity for one of the new RAN replenishment oilers to take over these sorts of taskings?
I suspect Aotearoa's ability to make "70,000L of fresh water every day for local consumption" could be another reason to keep her there longer?
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recce.k1
Well-Known Member
New news articles from tonight - HMAS Adelaide has docked in Tonga this evening (the article mentions "cargo was being offloaded by machines" presumably that's the ship's cranes?) and IIRC the 23 on board with covid are in isolation, hopefully meaning Adelaide's crew and other embarked personnel can carry on with their other critical tasks.
www.nytimes.com
Covid is also creating havoc with Japan's Air Self-Defense Force HADR mission, C-130 operations are suspended as they "can no longer secure sufficient personnel for the mission as 36 other ASDF members on deployment are suspected of having come into close contact with the four infected individuals now self-isolating".
An Australian aid ship with a coronavirus outbreak docks in Tonga. (Published 2022)
Twenty-three people aboard the ship have tested positive for the virus, prompting concerns that it could spread to Tonga. The volcano-stricken island has reported only one case during the pandemic.
Covid is also creating havoc with Japan's Air Self-Defense Force HADR mission, C-130 operations are suspended as they "can no longer secure sufficient personnel for the mission as 36 other ASDF members on deployment are suspected of having come into close contact with the four infected individuals now self-isolating".
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