Three of the Navy’s inshore patrol craft returned to Auckland on March 28 as part of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s preparations for Project Protector, the provision of new in-shore and off-shore vessels.
The in-shore patrol craft from Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland will be based at the Devonport Naval Base, Auckland to fulfil training roles for the Navy following the decommissioning on March 31 of HMNZS Canterbury, which in recent years has been used for training personnel.
Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel will continue to participate in Naval operations and gain sea experience through shared use of HMNZS Kiwi, presently based in Lyttelton. This will ensure the volunteer reserve will be prepared to assist with the patrol vessels of the Protector fleet.