Naval patrol craft take shape

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33417, 26 December 1973, Page 12

Naval patrol craft take shape

The first of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s four new patrol boats, being built at a cost of $6.7m, H.M.N.Z.S. Pukaki, is more than half completed. Her alloy superstructure is jin place, and the two Paxman Vl2 engines which will drive iher at speeds up to 21 knots jare ready for installation, j Two of the patrol craft are I being built side by side in I the open at Lowestoft, Suffolk, by Brook Marine, Ltd. The other two are taking ! shape in the large workshop. (All are due for completion 'next year.

Alongside, H.M.N.Z.S. Rotoiti has almost reached half completion, while the third vessel, H.M.N.Z.S. Hawea. is beginning to take on the form of a patrol craft inside the workshop. The keel of the fourth vessel is not yet in place, but prefabrication of the hull sections has started. The patrol boats have been named after New Zealand lakes, and will continue in service the names of four Lake-class frigates which saw service in the Royal New Zealand Navy for about 20 years.

One of the items of equipment for the patrol craft to arrive recently, not essential to the working of the vessels but nonetheless significant, is the ships’ bells. Each of these small chrome bells bears the ship’s number, name, and year of launching. Seven Navy and dockyard staff are attached to Brooke Marine—four Navy and three dockyard. The senior officer (patrol craft) is LieutenantCommander F. Arnott. (Gisborne) who arrived in Britain last August with Chief

Petty Officer A. Fraser (Hastings).

The marine engineering officer, Lieutenant-Com-mander C. Dixon (Auckland) and Leading Marine Engineer M. Belcher (Christchurch) have been with the project at Brooke Marine since February. The three dockyard menj are Mr K. Olsen, the prin-j Icipal naval overseer. Mr K.l Beattie, the electrical over-] seer, and Mr B. White, the] engineering overseer. Next year, some of the] 21-man crews will be sent to] Britain, for technical training with firms which have sup-, [plied the patrol craft’s equipIment. The arrival of the craft in New Zealand next year will see the end of a project which began in April, 1972, when the decision to order the patrol boats was announced. They will replace the Navy’s long-serving wooden motor launches and will have the primary role of patrolling territorial fishing limits—a task they will share with the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Orion long-range patrol aircraft. Each of the patrol boats displaces 120 tons and will carry three officers, four senior ratings, and 14 junior ratings. They will be armed with twin 0.5-inch machine-' guns forward, and two light, machine-guns and a flare-i .firing 81mm. mortar aft.

Shown above holding the ships’ bells for the four patrol craft are (from left), Chief Petty Officer A. Fraser (Hastings), Leading Marine Engineer M. Belcher (Christchurch), Lieutenant-Commander C. Dixon (Auckland), and Lieutenant-Commander F. Arnott (Gisborne).