Royal New Zealand Navy Discussions and Updates

When New Zealand can find the crews, acquiring two British Sandowns would make a nice minehunter force for New Zealand.
 
RNZN MCM Equipment Purchases

Came across some news on www.DIAR.com about the RNZN purchasing HYDROID REMUS 100 AUV -- three of them. Sounds like its not all doom an gloom in this area. Remember seeing a tv documentary on Discovery Channel about these - being used by US Navy - quite impressive

Also from the same site - SeeByte Ltd a Scottish firm is to supply quote: "Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) sidescan embedded mine Computer Aided Detection and Classification (CAD/CAC) systems, including its ‘SeeTrack’ military-grade software" end quote

Link to site:

http://www.diar.com/data/news07.htm
 
HMS Canterbury's RHIB

mug said:
Not the Tasman - somewhere off the BoP, port RHIB lost.
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In tuesday's NZ Herald, there was a small article about a farmer on Great Barrier Island, swimming out through the surf to attach a line to the RHIB, and he then towed it a shore with his tractor

RHIB had substained heavy damage -- wave hit the Canterbury "broadside" -- wind gusts up to 140 kmh
 
dave_kiwi said:
Came across some news on www.DIAR.com about the RNZN purchasing HYDROID REMUS 100 AUV -- three of them. Sounds like its not all doom an gloom in this area. Remember seeing a tv documentary on Discovery Channel about these - being used by US Navy - quite impressive

Also from the same site - SeeByte Ltd a Scottish firm is to supply quote: "Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) sidescan embedded mine Computer Aided Detection and Classification (CAD/CAC) systems, including its ‘SeeTrack’ military-grade software" end quote

Link to site:

http://www.diar.com/data/news07.htm
Click to expand...

Not unexpected as RAN purchased similar units about 4 months back. the kiwis were in the region testing "product" along with RAN and DSTO colleagues.
 
First IPC launched

Yesterday's DominionPost and today's NZ Herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=32&objectid=10455469
feature an article on the launch of the first Project Protector IPC which was actually on Tuesday, although it will be formally named tomorrow. Those with a hard copy of the Herald will see a decent sexy picture of the Rotoiti!

The DP article (not on-line) is reproduced here as it is a bit more informative regarding getting the vessel to the launcing point.

"First new patrol boat launched"

by HANK SCHOUTEN

"The first of the navy's four new in-shore patrol boats has been launched
in Whangarei. The 340-tonne, 55-metre Rotoiti was floated off a slipway near the Tenix Shipyard without ceremony on Tuesday.
Deputy secretary of defence Bruce Green said it was moved to the slipway on a special trailer from the dockyard where it was built. Jacks were used to lower it on to the slip-way and it was floated on the tide.
No ceremony was held because it was uncertain how long the process
of shifting it a kilometre to the slipway would take, but all went smoothly.
The boat will be officially named by Defence Minister Phil Goff at Whangarei on Saturday.
The new patrol craft are bigger and faster than the boats they have
been built to replace, and are designed to cope better with rough seas.
They have a top speed of about 46kmh, carry up to 26 crew and can
accommodate 12 other passengers.
Rotoiti is the second of seven new boats being built for the navy under
the $500 million Project Protector.
The largest of the new ships, the multi-role Canterbury , has just
entered service.
Two 85-metre, 1600-tonne offshore patrol craft are being built by Tenix
in Australia".
 
Gibbo said:
Yes IPV very sexy looking...pity there won't be a 25mm MSI mount up front!

Article with picture attached at link below...enjoy!

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0708/S00036.htm
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Agreed, a 25mm MSI would also be a great training platform to allow the crew (and the VR) to become familiar with these guns as found on the larger OPV's etc, eg would allow the crew to train on spotting and tracking targets at nighttime and in times of low visibility etc (not that they expect to run into trouble but again it would be great for training). Maybe a future low-cost upgrade consideration?
 
recce.k1 said:
Agree, today's warships are far more superior than the previous generations in just about everyway you can think of etc. Hence despite the drop in numbers, we have more capability and versitility (but less hulls in the water)! Agree that in today's environment (post cold war, terrorism, regional instability etc) would be better to assess the alternatives to simply an all Frigate force (the Frigate's no doubt were/are important for coalition type/ASW situations eg the minimum that NZ could contribute to be seen to be affective and useful etc). In today's environment, policing the region and showing the flag ie not operating as part of a task force, then agree, more OPV's/Corvettes would be useful (I read once, actually the last time a Frigate visited Samoa a couple of years ago now, that a NZ Frigate only visited Samoa (and other neighbours) once every two years! Personally I'd like to see at least 3 Frigates and at least 3 OPV's/Corvettes eg something that would be suited to Pacific and Southern Ocean patrolling, but could range further into SEAsia if required etc). Personally on the other hand, if the "world situation" deteriorated and we ever needed to increase our "fighting forces", rather than a 4th or 5th Frigate etc, I like us to have at least a couple of subs a la Collins (ouch, that'll get some reaction, but seriously back in the 80's when NZ looked as though they would participate in the original project, I recalll one selling point was they would only be half the cost of a Frigate. I wonder now though, seeing all the enhancements and planned upgrades that the RAN has for the Collins, whether they would actually cost alot more than an ANZAC Frigate nowadays, which if so, would price them out of our reach)?

Anyway talking about alternatives (to extra Frigates, OPV's, Corvettes etc), does anyone have an opinion on whether we should be putting more importance on upgrading the MCM vessels with something purpose built (ex-USN Ospreys, RN Sandowns, new built Aussie Huons etc), something the last Maritime Forces review supported (but Govt not actioning yet)? These vessels would also have a useful peacetime role (Gulf operations etc), but what would be the other issues, having enough specialised crew, divers etc?

And does anyone have an opinion on the opportunities the Naval Reserve will have with the new Lake IPC's? If I understand correctly the 4 RNZNVR's had their own Moa IPC's, which were all transferred to DNB a couple of years back due to shortages of ships for training (eg Canterbury decommissioning). Once the new Lake IPC's are commissioned, the local VR's won't have an IPC in their home port but instead an opportunity to spend some time on a visiting IPC etc. This is surely provide great opportunities for the VR's but I wonder whether not having a local boat around 24/7 will become a bit of a disinsentive? So, is this an issue or not? If it is, what's a better solution, replace the Moa's? Fund additional Lake IPC's for the VR (would that ever be likely)?
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I like the idea of submarines for the navy maybe germany's type 212/214 are possibilities as the collins seems to have a few problems. It acts as a very good deterrent to surface fleets and are excellent in recon activities as well as acompanying our vessels into conflict zones. As usual everything comes down to cost and whether we really need them but in terms of hostile encounters nothing puts an opposing surface fleet or submarines for that matter on edge to know that a sub is in the area but not knowing where???

As for the debate on extra frigates or a mix of opv's and corvettes NZDF will always be trying to make miracles out of a tight budget unless we increase our defence spending!!! I think the best defence is a good offence the lessons of world war 2 will be lost....... when Germany started to rearm in the thirties nations around them were idle in comparison the asian countries are in a arms race not that it should alarm us but to be left behind would be an injustice to all the men we lost in wars gone by. NZ's isolationist view of itself is a little immature for a nation that has been affected by every major war since, noone likes a war or hostilities but it is a fact of life. Finite resources together with exponential population on this planet means conflict when resources dwindle in well populated northern hemisphere it is logical the southern hemisphere will be exploited too it is only a matter of time with antartica the last of the continents still untouched till when?? and the great southern oceans fishing/oil etc. NZ cant sit idly by thinking trouble only exists over the horizon the landscape can easily change. NZ policy should be to promote peace but be ready for hostilities that destabilises our region or encroaches on our interests.
 
fob said:
I like the idea of submarines for the navy maybe germany's type 212/214 are possibilities as the collins seems to have a few problems. It acts as a very good deterrent to surface fleets and are excellent in recon activities as well as acompanying our vessels into conflict zones. As usual everything comes down to cost and whether we really need them but in terms of hostile encounters nothing puts an opposing surface fleet or submarines for that matter on edge to know that a sub is in the area but not knowing where???
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Submarines are Ok for the future (when NZ gets back to 6 frigates), but at the present time they lack the flexability that the RNZN needs to perform all its current roles. Thats the primary reason the RNZN opposed Muldoons submarine idea in the early 1980's. If we were to get Subs, we'd need something more like the collins than the 214 (they're too small for our region)
 
Lucasnz said:
Submarines are Ok for the future (when NZ gets back to 6 frigates), but at the present time they lack the flexability that the RNZN needs to perform all its current roles. Thats the primary reason the RNZN opposed Muldoons submarine idea in the early 1980's. If we were to get Subs, we'd need something more like the collins than the 214 (they're too small for our region)
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I heard that the RNZN has only two ANZAC class Frigates in service.:ar15

Mod edit: so? Go to the Royal New Zealand Navy website and you can read all about them.

If you're interested in staying here, start putting a bit more effort into your posts.

Otherwise you won't BE here for long.

AD.
 
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F-15 Eagle said:
Well why did they retire the other 4 frigates and 2 cruisers?:unknown
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Because, by the mid 60's they were worn out, too expensive to run for the limited capability they then offered, and were obsolete. They were replaced by British type 12 frigates {Whitby/Leanders) which were themselves replaced by two ANZAC class and, effectivly, the current group of patrol vessels.
 
Stuart Mackey said:
Because, by the mid 60's they were worn out, too expensive to run for the limited capability they then offered, and were obsolete. They were replaced by British type 12 frigates {Whitby/Leanders) which were themselves replaced by two ANZAC class and, effectivly, the current group of patrol vessels.
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But they still should have maintain 6 frigates and 2 cruisers.
 
F-15 Eagle said:
But they still should have maintain 6 frigates and 2 cruisers.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHA New Zealand with cruisers, what are you thinking? Do you really see the kiwi Navy with a Ticondegra or even the KDXIII? They struggle to crew the ANZACs as it is, and will be in trouble when the IPV and OPVs deploy. Considering the RAN deploy twice as much as the RNZN i'd see a cruiser as more appropriate here then there, but that won't happen anytime soon.
The kiwis have an unofficial isolation policy of sorts when it comes to Foreign affairs and defence. They choose to be more involved in the Pacific Islands under their Sphere of Influence then other global hotspots. The fleet they are going to have will only just cover that, lets start local before going global.
 
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