Royal New Zealand Navy Discussions and Updates

Nighthawk.NZ

Well-Known Member
Our newest and largest-ever ship Aotearoa will sail into Auckland on Friday 26 June. We’d like you to join us in welcoming Aotearoa home to New Zealand.

JOIN THE FLOTILLA
We’d like you to be on the water with us – so join the flotilla in your yacht or boat and help escort her in.

Details:
⏰ 10:00
South of Bean Rock or in the vicinity of Orakei Basin

Auckland Harbour may become heavily congested, therefore safety is paramount for all vessels. Police, Coastguard, Harbour Master and Navy RHIBs will be present – please obey their instructions.

Vessels are invited to congregate in the recommended waiting areas, South of Bean Rock and in the vicinity of Orakei Basin as indicated, and escort Aotearoa up the harbour.

Vessels are asked to remain clear of Aotearoa and her escorting naval vessels as they proceed through the main channel, maintaining a distance of at least 100m on the beams and 500m ahead at all times.

Vessels are to remain South of Aotearoa’s intended track between North Head and Devonport Naval Base.

BEST VIEWS
Watch Aotearoa as she sails into Auckland harbour accompanied by the welcoming flotilla.

Best viewing points:
- North Head
- Anywhere along King Edward Parade in Devonport
- Bastion Point
- Anywhere along Tamaki Drive

⏰ Key timings:
- 0930 – Aotearoa commences Harbour Entry
- 1040 – Flypast by the Royal New Zealand Air Force
- 1100 – Aotearoa berths at Devonport Naval Base

HOW TO SHARE
Share your photos with us as you help us welcome Aotearoa home by tagging @NZNavy on Facebook and @NZDefenceForce on Instagram and we may share them.

Please note that, by:
* posting images on our Facebook page
* posting images and tagging us by our username @NZNavy on Twitter or @NZDefenceForce on Instagram

you grant the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) permission to share your images via our website, social media accounts and on occasion via other marketing activity.

If your photo is used by the NZDF in any way, your username or Instagram handle will always be credited and, where we wish to use it for marketing purposes, we will attempt to contact you beforehand to confirm and get your OK on the nature of that usage.

HMNZS Aotearoa due in Auckland June 26... So no long now. Those up north better go see if your old uniform still fits and iron out those creases, polish the old boots... or just go as you are and welcome her to her new home.
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro

HMNZS Aotearoa due in Auckland June 26... So no long now. Those up north better go see if your old uniform still fits and iron out those creases, polish the old boots... or just go as you are and welcome her to her new home.
Jeez I wouldn't fit my old uniform now. Be an absolute impossibility. Wonder if I could rabbit another one from stores :D
 

Gibbo

Well-Known Member

HMNZS Aotearoa due in Auckland June 26... So no long now. Those up north better go see if your old uniform still fits and iron out those creases, polish the old boots... or just go as you are and welcome her to her new home.
Hope the loony-tune 'air-heads' don't decide to gate crash!
 

KiwiRob

Well-Known Member

HMNZS Aotearoa due in Auckland June 26... So no long now. Those up north better go see if your old uniform still fits and iron out those creases, polish the old boots... or just go as you are and welcome her to her new home.
Here's hoping she doesn't come with the long long list of problems which recent replenishment vessels built in Korea have had. HNoMS Maud has been tied up for nearly 2 years now, the Norwegian hope to have her in service end of this year, and the RFA Tide's were also full of issues, which required rectification before they could enter service, Cammel Lairds have had a hell of time fixing more faults during the first maintenance docking.
 

MrConservative

Super Moderator
Staff member
Here's hoping she doesn't come with the long long list of problems which recent replenishment vessels built in Korea have had. HNoMS Maud has been tied up for nearly 2 years now, the Norwegian hope to have her in service end of this year, and the RFA Tide's were also full of issues, which required rectification before they could enter service, Cammel Lairds have had a hell of time fixing more faults during the first maintenance docking.
One is from Hyundai (HHI) and the RNZN is a repeat customer. The other from Daewoo (DSME). One company has a solid reputation the other not so much and is basically broke.
 

Gibbo

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, you know they will... :-/
Yep and here they are... "A "Cancel Rimpac" coalition has been formed from various peace-action and related groups and opposes New Zealand's attendance on multiple grounds"... multiple grounds, in other words it's a anti-military protest dressed up as a Covid concern...bollocks! Suggests they are an organised group and have PR people onside so potentially a very dangerous 'tail to wag the dog' if they gain traction in NZ MMP's electoral system...combined with the infernal nonsense media driven by social media trending.

You can guarantee these air-heads will have got wind of Aotearoa arriving and will have a presence...not that it'll probably amount to much & one assumes both NZDF & Police's water unit will be expecting such... so long as it's peaceful & not obstructive then I guess it can do no harm. Pity they can't comprehend that their freedom to protest was in relatively recent history fought for & if they were in some other countries they'd be in deep do-do for daring to show such contempt of 'official Govt policy' and it's enactors.


I just hope the NZDF ensures they have smart-up-top PR people employed to deal with the social media hype & these such groups going forward as the latter usually get themsleves media exposure very quickly these days... it has to be carefully managed with a reasoned, well-balanced counter argument based on facts & figures. At least Aotearoa & Manawanui aren't overtly war-fighting vessels I guess.
 
Regarding the proposed new Southern Patrol Ship, could the role be filled by a 2nd hand commercial ship similar to Australia's Ocean Protector or Shield? I'm not suggesting the Aiviq attached below is ideal, merely just showing what is currently on the market. Cheers Boats for sale USA, boats for sale, used boat sales, Commercial Vessels For Sale 360ft Ice Class A3 Anchor Handling Towing Supply Vessel - Apollo Duck
I expect that one requirement will be for an embarked helicopter, so that would mean converting the aft deck area on this ship to have a heli deck and a hangar and of course removing the forward heli deck. Whether that would be a cost effective modification, I don't know.
 

MrConservative

Super Moderator
Staff member
The Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel Project has a guideline estimate of between $300–$600 million to be IOC in 2027 (Thus a realistic amount for a solid capability). The RFT will be released in 2022. The DCP19 objective is that the new vessel will significantly increase the level of capability and safety for operations in the Southern Ocean, allowing for a broader patrol area and the ability to stay within fishing grounds for greater durations.

Known requirements are that the SOPV will have the ability to refuel at sea from HMNZS Aotearoa, support MAOT functions including the gathering of scientific data, and due to the Antarctic Treaty will only have minimal military capabilities. A Harry DeWolf-class derivative is the one that seemingly has the inside track at this stage. Though of course the ideal solution signposted from the Defence Community can sail off the edge of the earth as what happen to the LOSV project.
 

MrConservative

Super Moderator
Staff member
Regarding the proposed new Southern Patrol Ship, could the role be filled by a 2nd hand commercial ship similar to Australia's Ocean Protector or Shield? I'm not suggesting the Aiviq attached below is ideal, merely just showing what is currently on the market. Cheers Boats for sale USA, boats for sale, used boat sales, Commercial Vessels For Sale 360ft Ice Class A3 Anchor Handling Towing Supply Vessel - Apollo Duck
In some respects a vessel like this could have made a reasonable fist of a "presence role" between now and 2027 when the SOPV arrives if embarked with a small containerised rotary ISR UAV and a couple of CB-OTH's for boarding.
 

OldTex

Well-Known Member
The Southern Ocean Patrol Vessel Project has a guideline estimate of between $300–$600 million to be IOC in 2027 (Thus a realistic amount for a solid capability). The RFT will be released in 2022. The DCP19 objective is that the new vessel will significantly increase the level of capability and safety for operations in the Southern Ocean, allowing for a broader patrol area and the ability to stay within fishing grounds for greater durations.

Known requirements are that the SOPV will have the ability to refuel at sea from HMNZS Aotearoa, support MAOT functions including the gathering of scientific data, and due to the Antarctic Treaty will only have minimal military capabilities. A Harry DeWolf-class derivative is the one that seemingly has the inside track at this stage. Though of course the ideal solution signposted from the Defence Community can sail off the edge of the earth as what happen to the LOSV project.
The Harry DeWolf vessels for the RCN and the unarmed version for the CCG would seem to be well suited from both a general capability aspect and a possible build schedule aspect between the armed and unarmed versions.
 

spoz

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
I’m not sure you would get a Harry de Wolf, built in Canada, for the kind of money NZ has suggested it wants to pay.
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
Now that GoC has committed to 6 vessels for the RCN and 2 for the CCG, a cost of 450-500 million CDN dollars might be doable for a NZ copy. The only direction the CDN dollar is heading is south so that should help as well.
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
I’m not sure you would get a Harry de Wolf, built in Canada, for the kind of money NZ has suggested it wants to pay.
We could build it in South Korea because Vard whilst a Fincantierie company, is a multinational in its own right. The Harry de Wolf is the VARD-7-100-ICE-OPV and we could license the design just like we did with the Protector class OPV which is also a Vard design; VARD-7-85-OPV.
 

Rob c

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
My personal view is that a Harry de Wolf while it would do the job well, it is not the ideal option. The reasons I have are that the ice breaking ability is not needed and this ability leads to a hydrodynamically less efficient hull shape which would increase running costs for an ability that would have to be said would be nice to have but not essential. The other question I have would be hull length, would they be long enough for the Southern Ocean, Though I don't have the wave data or knowledge to be definitive on this.
 
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