By John Lewis
Royal New Zealand Navy Anzac-class frigate HMNZS Te Kaha will be holding a public open day in Dunedin on Saturday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
After spending much of this year monitoring a Chinese Task Group in the Tasman and conducting an anti-piracy deployment in the Arabian Sea, HMNZS Te Kaha and its crew are looking forward to a less combative environment during their visit to Dunedin this week.
It is the first time in 20 years the Royal New Zealand Navy Anzac-class frigate has visited the city.
Te Kaha will arrive at the T/U Wharf, in Fryatt St, tomorrow for a four-day port visit which includes a public open day on Saturday, from 10am until 2pm.
Commander Andy Hunt said it would be a great opportunity for the public to see inside a naval warship and meet the crew, some of whom are from Otago.
“There’ll be a guided tour of the ship to get up close to some of the ship’s new defensive and combat capability.”
Queues were expected, so visitors were advised to arrive early and to wear closed-toe footwear. A good level of fitness was also required to traverse the gangway and negotiate a series of steep ladders and narrow corridors.
Cmdr Hunt said it had been a busy year for Te Kaha.
Aside from monitoring the Chinese task group and spending three months on an anti-piracy deployment, the ship and its crew worked alongside a United Kingdom carrier task group in the Indian Ocean and participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre, off the coast of Australia, one of the largest multinational military exercises in the world.
The 28-year-old vessel is one of 10 Anzac-class frigates and one of two in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
The 118m-long ship can travel at 50kmh, with a range of 11,000km, and is armed with guns and missiles including a 54-calibre Mark 45 gun; a Phalanx CIWS that can fire 4500 rounds per minute (75 rounds per second); eight M2 50-calibre Browning machine guns; Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missiles, and torpedoes.
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