It is the first time “in peace time” that the Royal New Zealand Navy has lost a ship.
But the reasons behind the Navy’s first capsize since World War II remain unclear, with Defence Minister Judith Collins and Rear Admiral Garin Golding saying they will seek those answers at a later date.
Over the weekend, the HMNZS Manawanui hit a reef, started sinking, caught fire, and eventually capsized in Samoa. Its captain, Commander Yvonne Gray, made an order to abandon ship just before 8pm on Saturday.
Golding said her order would have saved lives. She made that decision about an hour after the ship became lodged on a reef off the southern coast of the main island of Samoa, Upolu.
What was it doing?
Manawanui is a the navy’s dive and hydrographic vessel.
It was an extremely versatile and well used ship. It carried specialist equipment to scan undersea land formations, remove explosives, provide disaster support such as fresh drinking water, and launch dive missions.
It left Devonport Naval Base on September 28, for a four-part mission.
On board were 75 people, including NZDF staff alongside scientists and workers from other Government departments. Surveying this coast of Samoa was the second of its four tasks.
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Collins said it was the first time since the 1980s that this coast had been surveyed, and they wanted updated sailing information ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting scheduled for the end of October.
To do that surveying, it was sailing about one nautical mile from shore.
The conditions
Samoa’s meteorology department issued a marine warning for the south coast over the weekend.
On Sunday, it predicted waves of up to four metres.
“Windy conditions continue across Samoa, driven by fresh to strong southeasterly winds,” the department said.
The marine weather warning remained in place for the entire weekend.
Collins acknowledged the conditions were not ideal.
“Rescuers battled currents, swells and winds that threatened to push life rafts and sea boats towards the reefs, and in one case did push one onto the reef,” she said.
As a result, there were injuries as the crew and passengers walked across the reef.
Golding said two people were hospitalised, one with a dislocated shoulder and the other with a back issue. About a dozen others suffered cuts and abrasions, he said.
The captain and her ship
Commander Yvonne Gray took charge of the Manawanui in 2022.
Collins spoke positively about Gray’s leadership in ordering that the ship be evacuated. She said she spoke to Gray on Sunday and was pleased to hear the crew were in relatively good spirits.
Golding said Gray was a highly experienced, skilled commander.
The Manawanui was the first ship Gray had commanded, although she started her career with in the armed forces more than 30 years ago. She started her career with the UK’s Royal Navy, training as a warfare officer serving on British air craft carriers.
She joined the NZDF in 2012.
The Manawanui joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in 2019, after serving 15 years for a Norwegian oil and gas company.
The Ministry of Defence paid $100 million for the ship.
Collins said she did not know if the ship was insured, or the cost of finding a replacement, on Sunday. She said those costs would need to be taken into account in with the Defence Capability Plan, which officials were working on.
Former Defence Minister Ron Mark and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern launched the ship in 2019, saying it would prove to be “a game changer” for the Pacific.
It frequently operated in the South Pacific.
It included a 100-tonne salvage crane and a remotely operated vehicle, meaning it was the navy’s primary salvage vessel.
Collins said there was unlikely to be a way to salvage the salvager.
Golding said the NZDF was in conversations with the Australian Defence Force who were also assisting the recovery.
She became the commanding officer of the RNZN’s Mine Counter Measures Team before taking charge of the Manawanui.
