LOGISTICS VESSELS Otago floated out
Work continues on the first Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) that forms part of Project Protector, Otago, seen here in a night shot being floated out of Tenix’s Albert Dock earlier this year.
Otago is undocked at Tenix.
of 35+ knots. It drives a Deon waterjet, allowing for shallow water operations. They also have fuel for an impressive endurance of 133nm at 20knots. In addition to their primary functions of boarding and life saving, the RHIBS will be a very effective way of transporting small numbers of personnel with equipment into areas where the LCMs or helicopters can’t reach. A key component of the ship’s capability are
the two 60tonne self-tensioning cranes located just forward of the flight deck. These cranes are capable of lifting a LAV (Light Armoured Vehicle) through one of the two flush hatches located on the flight deck. The onboard cranes mean that we can use ports that don’t have cranes on the wharf. In addition to all the sealift capabilities, Canterbury is a very versatile ship in terms of military shipping. She has seven engineering mode configurations, giving a top speed of 21knots. Canterbury is equipped with a 25mm
As with the other ships of the Protector fleet,
Canterbury has two new 7.3m self-righting Gemini RHIBS. These can carry eight personnel with boarding equipment. The power plant is a 300hp Yanmar diesel engine giving a top speed
Bushmaster Cannon located on the fo’csle. This is a versatile weapon controlled and fired from the bridge. Firing up to 200 rounds per minute, this device will give Canterbury a flexible weapon, especially when conducting EEZ patrols, which will be a major operational requirement of all Project Protector vessels. There are two Operations Planning Rooms allowing for effective operational planning and coordination. During Canterbury’s sea trials, one of the ship’s primary capabilities, the Ship to Shore
Sea trials - 25mm gun firing.
Transfer System (SSTS), was demonstrated. This included the transfer of a 20tonne vehicle from the MRV to the LCM in conditions approaching Sea State 2. This was an impressive evolution given that
it was undertaken in rougher conditions than was initially intended, and by a Tenix LCM coxswain with less than two weeks experience of operating its LCMs. This bodes well for the development of the full SSTS capability once the ship enters RNZN service. Overall, they were four successful days at
sea in Canterbury, indicating she is well on the way to being one of the most versatile and robust ships in the RNZN.
WARSHIP TECHNOLOGY MAY 2007
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