Navy survey ship returns home from surveying duties

Having weathered typically challenging spring weather and sea conditions while surveying over the last 10 weeks, the Navy’s Survey and Hydrographic vessel, HMNZS RESOLUTION, is now heading home to the Devonport Naval Base, berthing at 08:30 am on Saturday 3 November.

RESOLUTION departed the Base to undertake surveying tasks on Monday 27 August. Whilst surveying, the Navy personnel must also maintain core naval skills such as fire-fighting, flood-stopping, weapons-handling, small-boat operations and also keep up overall fitness levels while operating in all conditions.

During her 10 weeks away, RESOLUTION has surveyed over 3300 nautical miles (over 6000kms) as part of an ongoing task for Land Information New Zealand to resurvey all of New Zealand’s shipping lanes with her state-of-the-art Multi-beam echo sounding system. This period saw the completion of lanes in and out of Hawke Bay with surveying also being progressed into Poverty Bay.

Interspersed with surveying, RESOLUTION’s ship’s company took respite from the conditions with brief port visits to Tauranga, Napier and her adopted homeport of Gisborne. The port visits provided an opportunity for rest and relaxation and restocking of provisions.

One of the highlights of the port visits was the opportunity for ship’s company to participate in Te Unga Mai held in Gisborne – the annual acknowledgement of New Zealand’s voyaging traditions as well as commemoration of the first meeting between the tangata whenua of Turanganui a Kiwa, Aotearoa and Captain James Cook (later to return to New Zealand in HMS RESOLUTION).

Commander Murray Tuffin and his crew of 48 men and women are looking forward to being reunited with family and friends on their arrival home on Saturday morning. RESOLUTION will remain in Auckland for the rest of the year to undergo an annual maintenance period