6 November, 2007
The Navy Diving Team is responding to a request for assistance from the Police Diving Team to ensure all the charges placed onboard the former Navy Frigate CANTERBURY, sunk in Deep Water Cove on Saturday 3 November as a diving wreck, have detonated.
The wreck of the former CANTERBURY will remain closed for all divers until this task is complete.
The Navy Operational Diving Team was called in for this task due to their capability to dive greater than 30 metres along with their surface supplied air and equipment (SSBA) which will make entering the diving wreck safer. The Navy Operational Diving Team are the premier divers of the Navy, trained for deep diving with mixed gases, underwater demolition and unexploded ordnance disposal.
The Navy Diving Tender, HMNZS MANAWANUI, with ten members of the Navy Operational Diving Team and the Officer in Charge of the Police Diving Team onboard, has arrived in Deep Water Cove, Bay of Islands, and the divers are now marking the extremity of the diving wreck.
MANAWANUI will be moored as close as possible to enable the Navy Operational Diving Team to use the SSBA effectively. This tasking is expected to take two days.
The Commanding Officer of MANAWANUI, Lieutenant Commander Mark Longstaff said, “This is a great opportunity to be able to assist. It will be an interesting feeling seeing a ship that so many of us have served on over the years in this condition”.
ENDS
For further information, and requests for interviews, please contact Lieutenant Commander Barbara Cassin, Navy Public Relations Manager, (09) 4455002 or 021-2440638
HMNZS MANAWANUI A09
HMNZS MANAWANUI, formerly the STAR PERSEUS, a purpose built diving support ship for North Sea operations, is the Navy’s diving support vessel.
MANAWANUI was bought by the Navy to replace a former, smaller diving support craft, due to the expansion of the role of the Navy’s Operational Diving Team. The new ship arrived in Auckland at the end of June 1988 and underwent a refit soon after.
The ship is fitted with a triple lock decompression chamber and a wet diving bell. It has a 13 tonne capacity crane, workshop facilities including electric and gas welding equipment and a lathe. The ship is also fitted with a photographic darkroom, various air compressors, and a four point self tensioning mooring capacity. It also has a wide variety of navigation, radio and radar equipment, auto pilot, bow thruster and twin shafts with control pitch propeller and a limited deck cargo carrying capacity. The Navy Operational Diving Team frequently work onboard HMNZS MANAWANUI.
The ships badge includes the traditional diver’s helmet and the four stars of the Southern Cross. MANAWANUI’s home port is Whitianga.
Specifications:
Standard Displacement 911 tonnes
Length Overall 43 metres
Beam 9.5 metres
Draught 3.2 metres
Speed 11 knots
Range 5,000 nautical miles
Complement 24 Officers and ratings
Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Mark Longstaff (Devonport)
Executive Officer Lieutenant Maurice (Muzz) Kennett (Whangarei)
Propulsion Two Caterpillar marine diesels (565 hp)
Two shafts
Bow thrusters
Combined Diesel or Gas Turbine (CODOG)