HMNZS Aotearoa: Largest ever Navy ship commissioned in emotional ceremony

Two weeks ago, Captain Simon Rooke was undergoing brain surgery.

On Wednesday, he officially took command of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s largest ever ship, the brand new HMNZS Aotearoa, during a commissioning ceremony at Devonport Naval base in Auckland.

It is the latest milestone in a glittering Naval career for the officer, who is originally from Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty.

In his 40s, he has now held six ship commands and chalked up commendations including being appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his performance as a boarding officer in the Arabian Gulf in the 1990s.

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Rooke also earned a commendation for his performance and leadership during his deployment to Fiji after a tropical cyclone in 2016.

HMNZS Aotearoa was commissioned and Rooke assumed command during an elaborate ceremony with full Naval honours on the flight deck of the supply ship.

Speaking after the ceremony, Rooke said it had been a very poignant morning, but he was in high spirits.

“How could you not feel good on a day like today?”

He went through neurosurgery two weeks ago due to a growth leading to a build-up in fluid, he said, and his rapid recovery was a testament to the work of medical professionals.

He’s now “back on deck”, he said, but remains on light duties and is planning to ease his way back gently.

The ship was purpose-built in Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries.

New Plymouth, as the centre of New Zealand’s oil and gas production, is the home port of the Aotearoa, continuing the association of the Navy’s fleet oilers (refuelling ships) with the city.

However, it will be based at Devonport.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom was among those invited to attend the ceremony.

“It was a fantastic experience – I was really honoured to be there to represent New Plymouth,” he said.

There was already a “strong connection” between the ship and crew, he added.

“I’m really looking forward to growing that.”

The ship will spend the next few weeks undergoing the installation of specialist military equipment that could not be fitted in Korea, as coronavirus prevented contractors from travelling to the country.

AOTEAROA ENGINEERING CHIEF ‘AMPED’

Lieutenant commander Louis Munden-Hooper describes his role in the Navy as that of a “grey man”, working behind the scenes to keep all systems running smoothly as head of the engineering department.

“I joined the Navy to play with engines, and here I am playing with engines,” the 31-year-old said on Wednesday.

He has spent the better part of the past 14 months with the ship’s project team and was over in Korea for sea trials before sailing home to New Zealand aboard the vessel.

He served as the guard commander during the ceremony and said it was a huge milestone to finally see the ship commissioned into the Navy.

“I’m feeling pretty amped.”

Munden-Hooper knows the ship back to front and speaks with pride about its capabilities.

It is ice-rated to the degree that it will be able to head to Antarctica to resupply Scott Base and McMurdo Station and comes with a vast array of winterisation systems, including electrical trace heating on its upper deck walkways.

That allows the ship to keep working in the icy conditions of the Southern Ocean.

“Everything about this ship has been designed, built, tested and proven to operate in 20 degrees below zero, in that polar environment.”

At the core of the oiler’s role is the delivery of fuel to ships at sea while underway, Munden-Hooper said.

“That’s a uniquely naval activity.

“The thrill for me is going to be seeing this ship, side by side, maybe 50m away from another ship, we’ll pass our hoses across, fill them full of diesel, so they can continue to stay out.”

In the bowels of the ship are dual engine rooms which give the ship’s power and propulsion systems a degree of redundancy, as each can be isolated from the other in the event of damage.

The propulsion system features two huge Rolls-Royce Engines, rated at 5400kW (7344BHP).

It also features two reverse osmosis desalination plants. Each are able to provide 50 tonnes of fresh water a day, enough to supply a village on a Pacific Island during a disaster relief operation.

The ship will be fitted with remote controlled Mini Typhoon weapon systems and crew-operated machine guns.

Munden-Hooper said he believed the teething issues with the ship’s advanced propulsion system, identified during the trials off Korea, had been ironed out.

At 173m it is longer than the 169m HMNZS Achilles light cruiser, which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II, or the 118m HMNZS Te Kaha frigate currently in service.

HMNZS AOTEAROA FACTS

• Class: Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR)

• Shipbuilder: Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea

• Propulsion System: Combined Diesel Electric and Diesel (CODLAD) provided by 2 x Rolls Royce Bergen B33:45L9P diesels supplemented by 2 x electric power take in motors. 2 x flap rudders and 2 x controllable pitch propellers

• Power generation 4 x 2.6MW MTU 20V4000M53B, 1 x 410kw STX KTA19DMGE emergency generator

• Length: 173.2 metres

• Beam: 24.5 metres

• Draught: 8.4 metres

• Displacement: (full) 26000 tonnes

• Range: 6750 nautical miles

• Design speed: 16 knots

• Total liquid cargo capacity: 9500 tonnes

• Dry goods cargo capacity 22 x twenty foot equivalent units

• Core Crew: 64

• Bunks: 100 (including two in the sick bay and a VIP cabin)