American mass communication specialist Cole Schroeder of the supercarrier USS Nimitz was recently granted the opportunity “to view life on the ocean from a New Zealander’s perspective,” boarding the Royal New Zealand Anzac-class frigate HMNZS Te Kaha.
This was Schroeder’s first time on a different ship besides Nimitz, “let alone one from a different country”, he writes for the Lenmoore Navy News.
“The accent. This was the very first thing that hit me. It played right into my imagination, and perfectly exemplified what I thought a New Zealand sailor would sound like. It rang as a mix between dignified British and laid back Aussie,” Schroeder describes.
“We walked through the passageways of the ship, and my eyes darted in every which direction. It was immaculate. This was the doing of all the sailors that were out and about cleaning when I arrived. They were all hard at work, but within the same moment of time, I felt their warm, inviting, relaxing faces hit mine. I could feel the warmth of each individual and the welcome they were extending to me with their body language.
“We headed to the bridge, and once again the ease and relaxed attitude pulled me into the space. It was after more introductions that it finally hit me. ‘Not a single person here has referred to me by my last name.’ Every person I met in my short time aboard simply called me Cole, which really only added to the feeling of family.
“Everything was so different here. They have carpet in their berthing!” Schroeder exclaims.
“Next stop on the tour was dinner. I couldn’t believe it. After sitting down with my plate, I decided to take a picture as evidence to everyone back on the ship. After the first couple [of] bites, we all extended our love for their food. When one sailor explained that he had never had chow like this on the boat, the same befuddled look we saw so many times throughout the day resurfaced on a New Zealand face. An explanation was once again given on the miscommunication. Like so many other navy terms, chow is simply called scran in the New Zealand Navy.”
https://www.nzedge.com/news/us-sailor-amazed-onboard-nz-navy-frigate/
Excitement and mystery flooded their system. They had found out just days before about the trip to an unknown platform. The step-by-step preparations only made them more anxious to find out what lay in further waters.
As they walked to their MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, from the "Eightballers" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, their emotions seeped to their faces, and the excitement crept into the corners of their smile. Their shining teeth revealing a subdued joy.
As the Helicopter left the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the short ride over open ocean left many of their unspoken questions unanswered. Will they be friendly? Will I understand their accent? Will the environment be uptight? What is their food like?
Before long, the helicopter was chocked and chained to the flight deck of the Royal New Zealand Anzac-class frigate HMNZS Te Kaha (F77). As the group exited the helicopter and walked through the compact hangar bay, Royal New Zealand sailors were eager to meet each and every one of us.
I was one of the few lucky Sailors that were granted the opportunity to view life on the ocean from a New Zealander's perspective. I can't speak for the rest of the Sailors who were afforded the same opportunity, but this was my first time on a different ship besides Nimitz, let alone one from a different country.
The accent. This was the very first thing that hit me. It played right into my imagination, and perfectly exemplified what I thought a New Zealand sailor would sound like. It rang as a mix between dignified British and laid back Aussie. Within minutes I felt myself asking questions just to hear more of the foreign jargon.
We walked through the passageways of the ship, and my eyes darted in every which direction. It was immaculate. There was no dust or dirt to be found. This was the doing of all the sailors that were out and about cleaning when I arrived. They were all hard at work, but within the same moment of time, I felt their warm, inviting, relaxing faces hit mine. I could feel the warmth of each individual and the welcome they were extending to me with their body language.
The first stop was the mess, which shouldn't be confused with their mess deck, which actually is what they call where they sleep. We all walked in and set our bags down. Being in media, I immediately got my camera and gear out and started documenting my adventure. The televisions in the room were filled with modern music videos. Decks of cards and board games scattered the tables, and joyful, welcoming smiles blanketed the faces of Sailors around the room.
After an initial meet and greet, we headed to the kitchen. Organized, relaxed, and fresh. As we looked through the galley, three New Zealand sailors were hard at work, preparing the mid-day meal. The food was fresh, the equipment was extremely organized, and the sailors were talking and joking as they cut fruit, tossed salad, and prepared different pans and dishes for baking.
We headed to the bridge, and once again the ease and relaxed attitude pulled me into the space. It was after more introductions that it finally hit me. 'Not a single person here has referred to me by my last name.' Every person I met in my short time aboard simply called me Cole, which really only added to the feeling of family.
As we exited the bridge, our next stop was an enlisted mess deck. The equivalent of a U.S. Navy Berthing. As we reached the space, I looked around at some of the other U.S. Sailors.
Collectively in body language, but singularly with one voice, we all asked the same question, "Why are all your boots and shoes lined up outside the space?" With a peculiar look, one of the New Zealanders answered, "because we like to keep them off the carpet inside." it was a small detail, but it really embodied my entire experience.
Everything was so different here.
They have carpet in their berthing!
We moved on with the tour, and I mentally created a list of all the oddities I'd seen throughout the day. Men with beards, women with pony tails and jewelry, coveralls with no undershirt, first names with no formalities. The list went on and I really started to appreciate this different way of life.
Next stop on the tour was dinner. We headed back for the small but quaint galley and joined the short line of New Zealand sailors. I grabbed a white ceramic plate from the shelf and turned to the large oblong serving window in the bulkhead. I couldn't believe it. The food looked like something out of a magazine. Without tasting it, I turned to Riley, our guide for most of the day, and asked him if the feast I saw was only for the visit. He looked at me with wonderment and told me it was really one of their more average meals.
I couldn't believe it. After sitting down with my plate, I decided to take a picture as evidence to everyone back on the ship. After the first couple bites, we all extended our love for their food. When one Sailor explained that he had never had chow like this on the boat, the same befuddled look we saw so many times throughout the day resurfaced on a New Zealand face. An explanation was once again given on the miscommunication. Like so many other Navy terms, chow is simply called scran in the New Zealand Navy.
After dinner was over, there was plenty of time for cards, games and socializing. It was during these final hours that I reflected on my day and my experiences. I realized that although I would go back to Nimitz with New Zealand coins, patches and stickers, the biggest possession I was taking back was the experience of a different perspective.
PACIFIC OCEAN -- HMNZS Te Kaha (F77), an Anzac-class frigate from the Royal New Zealand Navy, conducted bilateral operations with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in the Western Pacific, June 30 - July 5.
The Royal New Zealand Navy provided HMNZS Te Kaha to augment U.S. 7th Fleet forces after the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) sustained damages caused by a collision at sea. This event emphasizes the coordination and deep relationship between the two navies.
Bilateral interactions such as this with partner nations improve teamwork, readiness and the capability to respond quickly to various situations in the region, ranging from disaster relief to maritime security activities.
“The development of navy-to-navy relationships extends over many decades and it’s this history that allows for a combined approach to challenges in our region and further afield,” said Rear Adm. John Martin, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). “The opportunity for HMNZS Te Kaha to work with the Nimitz Strike Group and support the 7th Fleet speaks to this relationship. It demonstrates the RNZN’s operational competencies, levels of interoperability and underscores the trust between mariners and war fighters.”
U.S. Pacific Fleet ships routinely train and operate with allied and partner navies. Recent combined training exercises in the Western Pacific have included ships from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Philippines and Republic of Korea. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations June 21, and is currently deployed in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
“Over the past several days it has been incredible to witness how well the Sailors of the Nimitz Strike Group and Te Kaha have integrated into a formidable team,” said Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group.“Working together and being able to see our navies joint commitment to excellence has been a great honor. I look forward to future cooperative endeavors between our two countries.”
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Princeton (CG 59), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, CSG-11 staff and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9. The deployed units from DESRON 9 include the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Howard (DDG 83), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Pinckney (DDG 91) and USS Kidd (DDG 100).
