Rotoiti at Lyttelton

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33804, 29 March 1975, Page 16

Rotoiti at Lyttelton

H.M.N.Z.S. Rotoiti, one of four fast patrol boats built for the Royal New Zealand Navy, arrived at Lyttelton on Thursday in the course o." an initial routine patrol | in southern waters. She will circumnavigate; the South Island, sailing; down the east coast and up I the West Coast calling at! many points, including Mil-| (ford Sound. Immaculate and trim, she (is a credit to her ship’s company of 17, although normally she has a complement" of 21 — three officers, four senior ratings, and 14 junior ratings. After arriving at Lyttelton, her commanding officer, Lieutenant S.E. Yates, made official calls on the Mayor of Lyttelton (Mr J. B. Collett) the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H. G. Hay), the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr J. Brand), and defence heads. The Rotoiti, like her sister ships Hawea, Pukaki, and Taupo, is of all-welded steel hull construction designed to (give the craft high sea-keep-ling capabilities to enable her (to carry out extended pat-1 irols in heavy vVeather, primarily on fishery protection (and resources duties round | the New Zealand coasts. * Her twin Paxman diesel (engines are electric starting and give her an extended irange of operation at sustained high speed.