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Ocean survivor Rob Hewitt says you ‘never want to give up’
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122849436/ocean-survivor-rob-hewitt-says-you-never-want-to-give-up
‘OPERATION GRAPPLE’ EXHIBITION – WE WERE THERE
A photographic exhibition at the Navy Museum is the work of artist – Denise Baynham. To view click on this LINK The exhibition tells the story of Operation Grapple through the words of the veterans who were there. The portraits are to honour and recognise the veterans – this is their story. Opens in the Navy Museum Temporary Gallery Saturday 19th September until mid-December, 2020.Free admission. 10am – 5pm – 7 days a week. 64 King Edward Parade, Devonport Please note: The exhibition includes sensitive themes and may not be suitable for young children.
AN UNSEEN COSEQUENCE OF COVID-19
Trapped by Pandemic, ships’ crews fight exhaustion and despair. When borders closed, seafarers on ships around the world suddenly had no way home. Half a year later, there’s no solution in sight. Ralph Santillan, a merchant seaman from the Philippines, hasn’t had shore leave in half a year. It has been 18 months since he reported for duty on his ship, which hauls corn, barley and other commodities around the world. It has been even longer since he saw his wife and son. “There’s nothing I can do,” Mr. Santillan said late last month from his ship, a 965-foot bulk carrier off South Korea. His time on the ship, where he spends long days chipping rust off the deck or cleaning out cargo holds, was supposed to have ended in February, after an 11- month stint — the maximum length for a seafarer’s ...
WORLD’S LARGEST CONTAINER SHIP
MSC Gülsün at the time of her launch in 2019 was the world’s largest container ship. Built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, she is almost 62 metres (203 ft 5 in) wide and 400 metres (1,312 ft 4 in) long. With a cargo system designed by MacGregor International AB the ship has a capacity of 23,756 containers (23,756 TEU) in rows of 24 across. MSC Gülsün is registered in Panama and operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company based in Geneva, Switzerland and The Netherlands. The vessel is equipped with more than 2,000 refrigerated containers, boosting the trade of food, drink, pharmaceutical and other chilled and frozen items between Asia and Europe. Her Gross Tonnage is 232618t and maximum...
Royal New Zealand Navy’s Te Kaha Frigate Starts Post-Upgrade Sea Trials
The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN)’s frigate HMNZS Te Kaha started sea trials in Canada following a mid life upgrade. It is the first of two Anzac-class frigates set to receive the Frigate Systems Upgrade (FSU) at Seaspan shipyards with Lockheed Martin Canada acting as prime contractor. Read more from the Naval News here
RAN’S NEW AUXILIARY OILER REPLENISHMENT VESSEL
NUSHIP SUPPLY, the lead ship for the RAN’s Supply class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) ships has sailed from Navantia’s Ferrol shipyard in Spain for Australia. NUSHIP SUPPLY will arrive in WA early October and will be based at HMAS Stirling where the installation and testing of the combat and communications systems, as well as some logistics areas will be completed by Australian industry. Once in-service the AORs will operate in a joint manner with the wider maritime force and ADF to provide operational support for the deployed naval or combat forces operating far from the port on the high seas for longer periods.
Royal New Zealand Navy delivers medical supplies to Tonga
The Royal New Zealand Navy dive hydrographic vessel HMNZS Manawanui will make a contactless port visit to Tonga next week to deliver medical supplies on behalf of a New Zealand charity. Read more of the NZDF story here
DEFENCE FORCE LONG SERVICE AWARDS
Defence Minister Ron Mark has welcomed the news that Her Majesty The Queen has approved a range of changes to the New Zealand Defence Force long service awards system. “A fairer system has been developed to recognise the vital contribution Regular Force and Reserve Force military personnel make by serving the New Zealand Government and the public,” said Ron Mark. “The changes will resolve a range of legitimate grievances held by both serving and ex-serving personnel, relating to inconsistencies in the eligibility criteria between the various awards. “The eligibility criteria changes will immediately qualify about 650 current military personnel for their first long service award, and entitle more than 1700 other current military personnel to a clasp to a long service award they have already...
GOLDEN RAY – SALVAGE
Tuesday marked a year since the South Korean freighter Golden Ray capsized off St. Simons Island soon after leaving port on Sept. 8, 2019. Experts determined the ship was too badly damaged to be floated out intact, so they plan to slice it into eight massive pieces for removal by barge. Cutting on the ship had been scheduled to begin in late July, but was delayed after nine workers tested positive for COVID-19. The multi-agency command overseeing the salvage opted to delay until after August and September, typically the most active months of the Atlantic hurricane season. Beached on its side, the Golden Ray measures 656 feet (200 meters) long and still has 4,200 automobiles inside its cargo decks. A towering, floating crane will straddle the shipwreck and saw it into pieces using massive a...
‘I wish to hell they’d hurry up’: WWII navy veteran recalls witnessing war-ending Japanese surrender
Jack Pringle recalls Japanese surrender 2 September 1945. Read the story from Stuff here.
NGAPONA TAURANGA SEPTEMBER LUNCH – POSTPONED
It is with great disappointment that we advise that due to Covid-19 the Assn has decided that, in the best interests of our members, we should postpone the Tauranga Lunch till next year.