HMNZS OTAGO arriving into Dunedin in August 2010 (MC 10-0234-001)
25 November 2010
Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMNZS OTAGO will be arriving in Dunedin on 26 November for a five day visit.
During her visit, OTAGO will be open to the public.
What: HMNZS OTAGO open to the public
When: Saturday 27 November, 2010 from 12:30pm to 3:30pm
Where: OTAGO will be berthed at Birch Street Wharf in the Dunedin basin.
The crew of OTAGO will be holding a sausage sizzle with proceeds going to the ship’s charity CCS Disability Action.
The regional affiliation for OTAGO is Otago and Southland with its homeports being Dunedin and Invercargill/Bluff.
OTAGO will depart Dunedin on 1 December for Bluff.
Specifications:
Displacement: 1,900 tonnes
Length Overall: 85 metres
Beam: 14 metres
Range: 6000 nautical miles
Speed: Maximum continuous 22 knots
Complement:
Core ships company 35
Flight personnel: 10
Government agencies: 4
Additional personnel: 30
Total: 79
Armament: One 25mm Bushmaster Naval gun and two .50 calibre machine guns
The Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV’s) are capable of many roles including maritime patrol, surveillance and response. They have the ability to conduct helicopter operations using a Seasprite SH2G helicopter, boarding operations using the ships Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats, or Military Support Operations with embarked forces.
The OPV’s have strengthened hulls which enable them to enter southern waters where ice may be encountered. They are not designed as ice-breakers or to enter Antarctic ice-packs, but have the range and capability to undertake patrols in the southern ocean where ice may be encountered.
The ships are highly automated and operate with a core crew of 35, plus 10 flight crew to operate a helicopter. The ship's power and control systems are fully computerised.
ENDS
The Offshore Patrol Vessels go further offshore, stay at sea longer, and conduct more challenging operations and enable the RNZN to conduct patrol and surveillance operations around New Zealand, the southern ocean and into the Pacific.
Please contact Lieutenant Sarah Campbell - Media Adviser- Navy on 021 244 0638 for further information.