New Zealand Navy's Big Boat Shop At Devonport

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30588, 3 November 1964, Page 20

New Zealand Navy's Big Boat Shop At Devonport

Although the days of “wooden walls” have long since gone, the modern Navy still has a lot of use for timber for its small craft and for a variety of ship fittings. The Royal New Zealand Navy has in its Devonport dockyard the biggest fully-enclosed boat shop in the country, says a New Zealand Navy press release.

Built during World War II the boat shop was opened on the day the Allied forces landed on the beaches of Nortnandy. Designed to take three 112 ft Fairmile launches under cover at one time the shed is 165 ft long and 145 ft wide. It Was also the first building of Its type in New Zealand to have a single span laminated arched roof.

The boat shop has two slips. The smaller one will take boats up to 50ft long and 25 tons displacement while the larger can accommodate boats up to 112 ft in length and displacing 100 tons. One of the most interesting features of the shop is its unique side slip. The use of this slip means that a boat can be hauled out and then carried sideways across the building to a waiting billet. This means that the slip is kept free to handle more craft and it also allows boats to be moved without disturbing those already in the shop. These days the biggest boats worked on in the shop are the 72ft seaward defence motor launches used by the Fishery Protection Squadron, the Hydrographic Branch and the four Volunteer Reserve Divisions. There are five fisheries launches at present, one for

each of the Reserve Divisions and two for survey work. A twelfth boat is in use now as a cross harbour ferry.

Each of these 72ft launches displaces approximately 50 tons and is slipped regularly for maintenance and for annual refit.

In addition to these “big boats” the shop also maintains the Commodore’s barge, itself a show piece, a medium speed picket boat, an officers’ motor boat, the liberty launch and a flock of ships’ boats which include two 29ft launches, Acheron and Pandora, which are carried for survey duties on board H.M.N.Z.S. Lachlan. Maintenance is not the shop’s sole task. It builds many new boats. In recent years it has made three of the new type 27ft motor whalers which can be sailed, pulled or driven by an inboard motor. The shop has also built a dozen 17ft cutters for Sea Cadet units throughout the country.

At present the finishing touches are being put on a 32ft cutter for the training establishment, H.M.N.Z.S. Tamaki, and a 26ft American type whaler for the Antarctic supply ship H.M.N.Z.S. Endeavour.

One of the prettiest little craft ever turned out in the shop was a 12ft Kittykat catamaran which was built by the apprentices and presented by the New Zealand Navy to the Royal Australian Naval College.

Not all the construction in the boat shop is done in wood. Six years ago, in keeping with modern developments, the shop went into the fibre glass field when it glassed the upper deck of the fleet auxiliary Hauraki. This job proved

an outstanding success and the upper decks of the 72ft motor launches were done in their turn.

Two years ago work was put in hand to make a 9ft fibre glass dinghy suitable for use on fishery protection and other seaward defence motor launches. Nine have been made so far and they are replacing wooden dinghies which have been condemned as being beyond economical repair.

Normally the boat shop employs 30 tradesmen and labourers and 14 apprentices. An apprentice does a fiveyear course in the boat shop and it is considered generally as the most comprehensive training in boat building in New Zealand.

As part of their training, apprentices build the 17ft Sea Cadet cutters and on an average four of these a year are made. The youngsters are also encouraged to build their own civilan type boats at home and to become active members of local yacht clubs. To be accepted for an apprenticeship a boy must have passed School Certificate or have had at least three yeans’ secondary education. He should have good school reports and an aptitude for woodwork. The standards set are high, and although many lads apply the number accepted for apprenticeships is not high. Those who do make the grade join the Public Service staff, and later, when

they qualify as tradesmen, often stay on to fill higher posts in the dockyard. The boat shop sets a high standard in all the work it does, and the visitor can see the quality being built into its products.