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From the September 2005 issue of Ships Monthly magazine. I knew I had read it somewhere, but it took a week or more to read through my years of old magazines to find it. The satellite photo of New Zealand's naval port is a pdf. Check to see if you have pdf operational, Acrobat Reader's web page turned on.
The Calliope drydock is 159.m x 83.4 m or 595 ft. x 80 ft.
I'll attempt to change it to a jpg with my Photoshop.
Here are several pictures of the Canterbury leaving Rotterdam on the 21st of August. She is carrying her landing craft finally, and several hull modules of the second OPV on her flight deck.
Yes, she is still flying the Dutch flag. She probably won't fly a New Zealand flag until she is fully accepted and officially commissioned in January next year.
HMNZS Canterbury is not expected to arrive in Melbourne until late September, I suspect the voyage will last four to five weeks. She appears fully fueled when she left, she is riding much lower now than before.
Tenix still has to complete the final fit out. Then more trials should be expected. Its great to see her finally bearing her landing craft.
Along the tidal reaches of Whangarei Harbour, the Tenix assembly sheds stand tall and imposing, but rather anonymous within the industrial area. Marsden Point oil refi nery is in the distance; further up the harbour, past various waterfront works, the local fishing boats and private yachts are berthed. This side of the harbour is not a scenic highlight, but it’s here that you can see how Whangarei’s economy is thriving.
And a key factor in that industrial health is Tenix Shipbuilding New Zealand Ltd (TSNZ), the company that was established in Whangarei in order to meet the NZ industrial commitments to the Anzac Ship Project. Ultimately the Whangarei firm not only met its NZ industry quotas through building the superstructure modules for the Anzac frigates, but exceeded them.
Their Australian parent company also awarded TSNZ with contracts to build hull modules for some of the later (RAN) Anzac frigates. Now, TSNZ is fully committed to the four Inshore Patrol Vessels of Project Protector; New Zealand-built ships to patrol New Zealand’s EEZ. Already, two-thirds of IPV1 (to be named ROTOITI) stands on the Bay One consolidation area, the paved hardstanding outside the tallest of the Tenix sheds. Even with only part of the hull assembled, the size and shape of the new ships is apparent. For this writer, well used to the Lake-class patrol craft of the ‘80s and the (now legendary) little wooden 72’ MLs, the future ROTOITI looks big, powerful, and mightily appealing. Indeed the finished ship will be longer than the MANAWANUI.
‘They will be like a seagoing Ferrari,’ enthuses WO Steve Bradley, who is the Project Director’s representative in Whangarei. He has watched IPV 1 grow from a pallet-full of precision cut frames and stiff eners, to the identifiable hull modules that are being worked on today. There are five hull modules per vessel, the after three for IPV 1 have been consolidated, one other is in the fully-enclosed painting bay ready to be painted inside and out (the quality of the surface coating is very important for corrosion prevention) and the bow module remains under construction in one of the fabrication shops. The stern module has a visible trim tab built into the hull – Tenix’s designers have applied the latest hydrodynamic theories to their ship.
In Assembly Bay 3 the bow module looks like an exotic sculpture, its carefully cut frames and stiffeners welded upside down. Even so the fine lines of the bow are apparent. In another bay the shiny aluminium panels that will make up the superstructure are being assembled with such precision that a theodolite is used to check the alignments.
The IPVs will have their hull assembled, then under go an internal fit out, ‘More like a super yacht, than like a frigate,’ Steve explains. Instead of shock-mounting components directly to the hull and structural bulkheads, there will be lots of ‘false’ bulkheads to take the internal fittings. He also points out the precision of the steel framing and plating: ‘They are assembled like a Swiss watch and their COs will need to drive them with a light hand,’ Steve comments. [Memo to future COs: no thumping alongsides at Calliope Wharf!]
But behind the steel cutting and welding there is also a success story of Kiwi innova-
tion, by Tenix and their supporting fi rms. Allister Taylor, TSNZ’s Manager General Operations is very proud of this aspect. ‘These will look nice vessels, the advances of panel fabrication [Friction Stir Welding – see sidebar] mean the ships won’t have that dimpled eff ect you often see on alu-
minium structures.
‘As well as Donovans’ friction stir welding, we at Tenix are keeping up with weld-
ing technology, too. We have adopted the Lincoln Electric STT (Surface Tension Transfer) welding technology for the welding of certain areas of the vessel’s hull plating. This technology was devel-
oped for the welding of pipes. We are not aware of any other shipbuilding company currently using STT for the welding of ship hull structures. STT welding allows us to produce a full-penetration weld from one side of the plate, something that could not be achieved with older technology. ‘We have qualifi ed weld procedures with both Lloyds and Bureau Veritas classifi ca-
tion societies. TSNZ fi rst used the process on a 50ft pleasure vessel built for a local Whangarei company in 2004/05. This was at a time when American industry was still coming to grips with the signifi cant gains to be made by using this process.’ Allister explains how work has also been contracted to other local engineering companies. ‘Tank sub-assemblies for IPV modules M3 and M2 are being fabricated by South Pacifi c Industries (SPI) at Ruakaka. The company has also been contracted to build Module M5 for IPVs 2, 3 and 4.’
‘SPI, along with Culham Engineering and McRae Engineering also built sub-assem-
blies of the OPV modules [that recently were shipped from Whangarei to Australia, see NT 112 July - Ed]. At over 14m wide, the transportation of one section from SPI meant that there was very little clear-
ance at bridges and rail crossings along the way. Traffi c (it was after midnight) was held in a passing lane while the section travelled past.’
Allister himself brings a wealth of marine and engineering experience to the fi rm; on completing his apprenticeship as a fi tter-welder he went to sea with Shaw Savill Shipping Company. Returning to NZ he held various positions with Hellabys and McConnel Dowell, along the way partici-
pating in the building of a freezing works in Taumarunui and having various roles for the NZ Steel Stage 1 and 2 expansion projects. Following this was a role as project manager for the McConnel Dowell/WECO Joint Venture which built two tugs for the Northland Port Corporation. Later, as a manager with Marine Steel Ltd he was involved with the building of tugs for the Tauranga and Taranaki Harbour Boards and a 70m general purpose vessel which was delivered to owners in Australia. He points out that TSNZ’s Whangarei facility ‘Has historically maintained a low profi le, yet our people here have achieved magic things.’ Allister comments that ‘Some of our people are formerly of WECO, so we embody much long-term ship building experience. The Protector contract takes us a step further, from assembling modules to being a ship builder.’
AS THIS ISSUE OF NAVY TODAY IS
PUBLISHED, THE MULTI-ROLE VESSEL WILL
BE TRANSITING THE MEDITERRANEAN,
HEADING FOR AUSTRALIA AND THE FINAL
PART OF ITS BUILDING PROCESS (FIT OUT
OF 25MM GUN SYSTEM AND MILITARY
COMMUNICATIONS, CONTRACTOR SEA
TRIALS, FIRST CREW TRAINING AND CROWN
ACCEPTANCE ACTIVITIES). BEFORE THE NEW
SHIP COULD DEPART ROTTERDAM, THE
BUILDERS HAD TO UNDERTAKE INITIAL SEA
TRIALS, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN JULY.
On 3 July the new MRV, known within the shipyard as NUSHIP CANTERBURY, began 48 hours of builder’s sea trials. The ship had been in the Merwede canal alongside the builder’s facility since her launch on 11 February. CANTERBURY was towed for two hours down the river, under 4 bridges, to the North Sea for commencement of the builder’s trials. [See sidebar]
Over the 48 hours the sea-going es-
sential systems such as main propulsion, bow thrusters, IPMS, radars, navigation and mission systems were progressively set to work, integrated with other systems and trialed. Due to the complexity of the setting to work, not all the trial objectives were achieved before the ship had to return to port for a planned dry-docking for a hull underwater inspection. The ship resumed sea trials on 20-22 July after more setting to work and fi ne-tuning.
A total of ten RNZN and MoD personnel boarded NUSHIP CANTERBURY at the Merwede shipyard in Holland. LTCDR Tim Cosgrove and LTCDR Mark Harvey, together with WO Jeff Reddecliffe, CPO Elliot Kendrick and PO Dan Johnston had been involved with setting to work of machinery and systems leading up to the trials period. MoD were represented by the Project Director, CDRE (Rtd) Gary Collier, CDR Giles Rinckes and LTCDR John Deere. Also from the MoD Project team, CDR Dave Gibbs and LTCDR Steve Gibson had spent the previous two weeks inspecting the ship for design, introduction-into-service, and ILS issues.
Their overall impression of the ship is that she is very comfortable and spacious inside, with good-quality fittings and well-designed cabins, messes and working spaces that will make living and working comfortable, easy and effi cient. They forecast that she is sure to be as memorable a ship as her predecessor.
SEA TRIALS, 3 JULY
0740: underway with tugs - destination Hook of Holland (by 1300)
-first bridge, only 30m wide; the ship has an extreme beam (including bridge wings) of 29.40m!
-the Dordrecht railroad bridge opens at preset times; MRV misses the first opening by only a few minutes – a two hour wait until the next opening.
-pass the fourth and final bridge at 1240; arrive Hook of Holland at 1330
At Hook of Holland the series of sea trials begins:
*adjusting the compass,
*testing the bow thrusters,
*anchoring and,
*test the Integrated Platform Management System software.
1555: Safety drill for all hands in the helicopter hangar.
1800: Proceeds to the open sea for a full power trial
-CANTERBURY reaches over 19½ knots.
One of the principal reasons why the Project Protector OPV's and IPV's are being built is due to the following type of situation reported in the press here last week.
[ Claim Japan ripping off $2b worth of Tuna
By KENT ATKINSON NZPA 24 August 2006
The Government would be very disappointed if Australia was correct in allegations that Japan has ripped off over $2 billion worth of southern bluefin through deliberate over-fishing, says Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton.
"We view over-catch by any country as a very serious matter," Mr Anderton said yesterday. "As a matter of principle, New Zealand has always believed that if, in international arrangements, you over-catch your entitlement, you should pay it back.
"Wherever New Zealand is involved internationally, we strive to manage fisheries to the same high standards that we would expect at home".
Australian Fisheries Management Authority managing director Richard McLoughlin is reported to have told a private forum on August 1 that "on a 6000-tonne national quota, Japan's been catching between 12,000 and 20,000 tonnes for the last 20 years, and hiding it".
"Essentially the Japanese have stolen $2 billion worth of fish from the international community and have been sitting in meetings for 15 years saying they are as pure as the driven snow," Mr McLoughlin said.
The Australian newspaper reported he also said there were many thousands of southern bluefin tuna being sold to Japanese companies but recorded as northern bluefin tuna or bigeye tuna.
The southern bluefin tuna are migratory, and management of the fishery at an international level is done by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT). ]
The above case is a sobering reason why responsible nations like New Zealand and Ireland, need to spend money on having modern capable Naval fleets and Maritime Patrol aircraft. Not only does it make economic sense, but environmental sense in terms of the conservation of valuable oceanic resources. I have found the "environmental" approach very much a trump card when debating Defence Issues with the liberal-left over what they see as "wasteful warships that could have been spent on reading programmes and hip replacements."
New Zealand has one of the largest EEZ's in the world, plus it also has the responsibility for the EEZ's of its Dependencies and former Colonies under defence arrangements - Niue, the Cooks Islands and the Tokelau Islands in the South Pacific. My main reservation with the Project Protector programme it is down to the fact that 5 IPV's and 3 OPV's were originally planned for alongside the MRV and this didnt see fruition because of Governments rigid $500 million spending cap. If only for another $50 million it would of greatly increased EZZ patrol capability. Though the case of Japan's alledged over-fishing is disturbing, there are potentially many other countries illegally over-fishing in the New Zealand EEZ, the South Pacific and the Southern Ocean as fish stocks in their own EEZ's are fast becoming depleted. No doubt the offenders are also starting to arrive in numbers off the West Coast of Ireland.
Yes, the numbers of both OPVs and IPVs were reduced one each when the decision was made during negotiations with Tenix to use six crews for four inshore patrol vessels. Similar to the US Coast Guard, the small inshore patrol boats are limited by their fuel range and food storage capacities. Using crew rotation for the inshore patrol boats allows the navy to deploy the ships at sea more, without placing a burden on the crews.
Furthermore, New Zealand will see more sea days from four IPVs with the rotational crews than with five IPVs with stationary crews. While doing so increases labor costs, it also decreases the capital expenditures for patrol vessels.
I have read on this forum that Irish sailors are facing burdens of too many days at sea. A solution would be to rotate the crews in a similar manner the Kiwis and Aussies do. Three crews for two ships works wonders for sailor morale.
With the Lake Class IPV's likely to be assigned to the RNZNVR Division it is hoped that the new vessels will generate recruitment interest from people wishing to join the VR which has had trouble finding and retaining personnel over the last decade. The four VR units have now less than 360 involved - well under establishment levels. I think that quite a few keen youngsters will be inspired to join the "Rockies" once they see the new Lake Class arrive. Maybe a few old hands could be motivated back and be involved also. As vessels they are a quantum leap compared to the five 90 ton IPC's we have at present. With an increase in the size of the Rockies over the next while that will help the RNZNVR support and supplement the RNZN in its designated tasks. With the IPV's built locally in Whangarei one cant dismiss a fifth vessel eventually coming into service without relatively much fuss or expense - even under a Clark Government.
From memory I think that the IPV's will be funded for 940 sea days and the 2 OPV's will be funded for 420 sea days under the LTDP. Still there is a huge area to cover and a lot of business out there to be taken care of. Then again its the old NZDF bogey of governments politically maintaining a minimum capability baseline. Translated - "just enough to do so to look as though were doing something useful".
In 2000 the Frigate HMNZS Wellington, at the time one of the four frigates in the RNZN fleet and two IPC's the Tarapunga and Takapu were decommissioned and not replaced. Though tasked primarily for sea training and inshore survey their secondary duties involved EZZ patrol - thus a capability lost to us. Though the official "spin" is that the new MRV HMNZS Canterbury is replacing the old Leander class frigate HMNZS Canterbury as part of Project Protector - the truth is that it is really replacing the ill concieved Sealift ship the Charles Upham. The two new OPV's are in reality belatedly replacing the frigate Wellington. Which leaves the biggest question unresolved regarding Project Protector and the RNZN ship building programme. What will replace the now decommissioned Frigate HMNZS Canterbury currently alongside at Devonport? If the current government survives the next election - nothing as its not on their LTDP. If the opposition gets elected their intention (agenda) is to get at least another frigate next decade.
Yes the new HMNZS Canterbury will be a wonderful addition to the RNZN. She will have an active life ahead of her. Its a shame she wasn't ready for this years Navy Week held during the first week in October. This years Navy Week will celebrate the 65th birthday of the Royal New Zealand Navy. It would have been wonderful for the new Canterbury to arrive home at Devonport Naval Base on October 1st to start the birthday celebrations. In a couple of years we'll have 12 ships in the fleet - it'll be quite a sight to see them sailing up Rangitoto Channel in formation.
Above: MRV alongside awaiting delivery to Melbourne
The Navy’s future Multi-Role Vessel, currently known as NUSHIP CANTERBURY, sailed from Rotterdam in heavy rain on the late afternoon of 21 August. The formal handover from Merwede to Tenix occurred at 1400 then she sailed later the same day. Since the MRV is sailing to Melbourne as a commercial ship, it is required to be registered. She has been registered in Kingston as NUSHIP CANTERBURY under the flag of St Vincent and the Grenadines (West Indies).
NUSHIP CANTERBURY had successfully completed its second set of sea trials 20-23 July, before the delivery voyage preparations, which included the embarkation of 6 OPV hull modules on to the flight deck. Tenix had sub-contracted the building of these sections to shipyards in Rotterdam, while being able to utilise the transport capacity of NUSHIP CANTERBURY. The hull sections consist of frame and plating assemblies and will be fitted out and consolidated in Williamstown for OPV 2 (the future WELLINGTON).
Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.
Canterbury begins final pre-delivery fit-out
Monday, 25 September 2006, 12:05 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Government
Hon Phil Goff
Minister of Defence
25 September 2006
Defence Minister Phil Goff today announced that the first of the project protector ships, the Multi Role Vessel (MRV), Canterbury, arrived in Melbourne yesterday from the Netherlands for the final phase of construction.
"The Canterbury will remain in Melbourne for the next four months while weapon and military communications systems are fitted and the crew undergo training. Once the work is complete, the Canterbury will be commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy and begin the first voyage to New Zealand said Mr Goff.
"During delivery from the Netherlands, the ship encountered a variety of weather, including a series of deep low-pressure systems with 8-9 metre swells and near storm force winds. I am advised that the ship performed exceptionally well in the conditions and provided a very comfortable ride.
"The Canterbury will, for the first time, provide the New Zealand Defence Force with the capability to deploy personnel and equipment by its own means. It will greatly improve New Zealand's ability to respond to natural disasters in the Pacific and elsewhere, and will further enhance New Zealand's contribution to peace and security in our region and beyond.
"The MRV represents yet another significant and careful investment by this Government in our defence force".
"The first of the Offshore Patrol Vessels, one of two being built by Tenix in Melbourne, will be launched in November. The second Offshore Patrol Vessel and the four Inshore Patrol Vessels, being built by Tenix Shipbuilding New Zealand, in Whangarei will be launched and delivered throughout 2007. The total project cost is NZ$500 million with more than $110 million coming to New Zealand industry", said Mr Goff.
Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.
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