Massive crowd sees off HMS Prince of Wales as carrier leaves Portsmouth for CSG 25
Tim Cooper
22nd April 2025 at 2:00pm
Watch: Royal Navy flagship sets sail for historic deployment
HMS Prince of Wales has set sail from Portsmouth Harbour to the sound of cheering crowds as she heads out to sea to lead Carrier Strike Group 2025.
She’s on an eight-month mission to demonstrate UK and allied collective resolve and determination to maintain security and freedom from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Between now and December, the Carrier Strike Group (CSG 25) will conduct a series of exercises and operations with air, sea and land forces of a dozen allies in the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.
Some family members had been waiting since the early hours to see off their loved ones.
One lady explained that she had been staying at a campsite but had shifted to a location nearer the seafront.
“We thought we’d come over here and sleep on the street so we can get an early spot, but in a camper van,” she said.
She said being an early bird had been worth the effort, adding: “We’ve got one of the prime spots here, and we’ve just found out that our lad’s going to be on the top, in his number ones, which we weren’t expecting.”
Defence Secretary John Healey said the CSG was an “immensely complex operation” and thanked the personnel involved in Operation Highmast.
“This is a unique opportunity for the UK to operate in close co-ordination with our partners and allies in a deployment that not only shows our commitment to security and stability,” Mr Healey said. “But, [the CSG] also provides an opportunity to bolster our own economy and boost British trade and exports.
“As one of only a handful of countries in the world able to lead a deployment of this scale, the Royal Navy is once again demonstrating its formidable capability while protecting British values and sending a powerful message of deterrence to any adversary.”
Watch: HMS Dauntless joins Indo-Pacific deployment
A contingent of 18 UK F-35B jets will join the carrier in the days after departure, with that number increasing to 24 during the deployment.
The F-35Bs that operate from HMS Prince of Wales are a mix of Royal Navy and RAF units, and one father said: “My son’s sailing out today.
“He’s based in [RAF] Marham with 617 Squadron working with the F-35s. Got down there at 07:00 this morning. Just wanted to make sure we got a good spot. You snooze, you lose.”
HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s flagship, will sail alongside HMS Dauntless, HMS Richmond and an Astute-class submarine, which will shield her from any danger.
The 65,000-tonne vessel will be heading to the Indo-Pacific and onwards to Australia during the deployment.
Some 2,500 personnel – around 2,100 British personnel, and 400 from Norway, Canada, and Spain – will initially deploy as part of the CSG, and the personnel will increase to 4,500 in the Indo-Pacific region.
These families, who have been separated from their loved ones, will have to wait for a while as the personnel will be away for seven-and-a-half months.
Another man said: “Our daughter Meghan is on the ship, so it’s our last opportunity to see her for a few months, so [we’re] very proud to be down here.
“This is our second time here, so we know it gets very crowded. We’ve got our coffee. We’ve got our croissants, and we’ve got our banner – an eight-foot banner. We’re good to go!”
What: What we know about the vessels making up CSG 25
Spectators at the departure waved flags and banners from Portsmouth Harbour’s beach and walls as the vessel sailed past.
Gemma McConnell was with her children, Lachlan, seven, and Chloe, four, to see off Surgeon Commander David McConnell.
The 42-year-old from Plymouth said: “You’ve got to believe in the Navy to be a Navy wife, a proper part of it.
“It doesn’t ever make me sad when he goes away, because I think it’s an adventure, he gets to see the world, he’s getting to be with amazing people, and it just gives me an enormous sense of pride.”
Viv Pyatt, 61, came from Probus, near Truro, Cornwall, to watch her son, Able Seaman Harry Pyatt, 24, go on deployment.
She revealed that it had been an emotional send-off and added: “We all had a few tears, even my son, he had a few tears, but he’s got a girlfriend on board, so I think they’ll look after each other, so they’ll be fine.”
Submarine-hunter HMS Richmond and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec set sail from Plymouth to join CSG 25 earlier in the day.
Making up the rest of the Carrier Strike Group initially are air defence destroyer HMS Dauntless from Portsmouth, two Norwegian vessels, the tanker HNoMS Maud and frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen, which are coming directly from Norway, and tanker/support ship RFA Tidespring.
The ensign on the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales was at half-mast as a mark of respect for the late Pope, a Royal Navy spokesman said.
As usual, this morning I read Bungy’s RNZN In Memoriam 17 APRIL: and read about that yacht Evaine. I do remember reading of this tragedy on other occasions but did not know how it had happened so a bit of research and turned this up.
Bungy’s post – RNZN In Memoriam 17 APRIL:
DALLOW Jack William SIG NZ3594 RNZN yacht ‘Evaine’ 20………1940 RYAN William Albert OSIG A/1815 RNZNVR yacht ‘Evaine’ 23….1940 WAITE Desmond Clyde OSIG A/1867 RNZNVR yacht ‘Evaine’ 20 1940
The loss of three young members of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the yacht Evaine, near Tiritiri, on April 17, was recalled at an inquest yesterday into the death of Jack William Dallow, signalman, aged 20, of Oriental Bay, Wellington, whose body was found on the beach at Wliangaparaoa Peninsula on May 4. The, bodies of his companions, William Albert Ryan and Desmond Clyde Waite, have not been recovered. Evidence was given that permission was given to the men to go sailing in Ryan’s boat, which was found capsized five hours later about three miles from Tiritiri. All sails were set, and the leader sail appeared to have fouled the masthead. Robert Wilson Leitch, yeoman of signals, who had previously sailed with Ryan, said: “It appears to me that while hoisting the spinnaker Ryan handed over the tiller to either Dallow or Waite, who through inexperience might easily have allowed the yacht to gybe.” The coroner, Mr. F. K. Hunt, returned a verdict of accidental drowning in the case of Dallow, and intimated that later proceedings would probably be taken in respect of the other victims.
The switch will be made once the multinational Carrier Strike Group reaches the Philippines in August 2025. John Hill – April 22, 2025
View from HMNZS Te Kaha as the frigate exercises alongside partner navies in the Philippine Sea as part of Operation Crucible, the UK Carrier Strike Group in 2021. Credit: New Zealand Defence Forces.
New Zealand will send a warship, HMNZS Te Kaha, an ANZAC-class frigate, to join the UK Carrier Strike Group 2025 (CSG25) deployment when the multinational force reaches the Indian Ocean.
Shortly after, when CSG25 reach the Philippines, the Spanish Navy ship, Méndez Núñez (F-104), an Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate, will depart from the group, beginning its transit back to Ferrol Naval Base in Northern Spain.
The UK CSG, led by HMS Prince of Wales, the second of two British carriers, will depart from Portsmouth on 22 April on an eight-month voyage to the Indo-Pacific in a joint effort that the UK Royal Navy has designated Operation Highmast.
A consistent Royal Navy presence will lead the group throughout the journey, albeit some vessels from partner nations will join and depart when and where necessary under their own command. Other contributors include Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Spain, while Sweden provides some of its personnel.
Maintaining strength
It is notable that the Royal Navy will only provide half of what it had deployed in the previous CSG in 2021. At that time, the service sent two Type 45 destroyers and two Type 23 frigates to sail as escorts to the flagship carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The Royal Navy will lean slightly more on frigates from partner navies to help project a more credible deterrence throughout the deployment, which will enter contested waters in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Nonetheless, joint deterrence appears to be working as the UK Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Tony Radakin, was sent to China to speak with military counterparts in the weeks leading up to the CSG deployment. It is likely that Radakin would have put to rest any fears in Beijing about their presence in the South and East China Seas later this year.
This switch between Te Kaha and Méndez Núñez demonstrates the effort in maintaining a consistent power projection in a dangerous part of the world.
Te Kaha is nine-years older than Méndez Núñez. However, the two ships are both general-purpose vessels capable of meeting simultaneous threats from the air, surface, and sub-surface.
CSG: air wing component
Part of the strength of the CSG this year is with its airwing component, particularly the number of F-35B Lightning II combat aircraft that will operate from HMS Prince of Wales.
The Council of Geostrategy, in an update in TheBroadside, revealed that the Lightning force will be at full operational capability, which includes 24 aircraft.
“This is a significant moment,” Sea Power Research Fellow Dr Emma Salisbury observed, “which means that the aircraft and its associated support and engineering is working at its full potential to be able to deploy two squadrons wherever they are required in the world.”
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) arrived in Guam for a scheduled port visit, April 18, 2025. US Navy Photo
Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) made its first port call since departing its Indo-Pacific deployment, arriving in Guam on Friday with two of its escorts. Meanwhile the U.S. Navy and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) wrapped up a mine warfare exercise in South Korean waters on last week. Nimitz, flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11, destroyers USS Gridley (DDG-101), USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) arrived in Guam for a regularly scheduled port on Friday, according to the service
“The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group’s arrival in Guam highlights the island’s vital role as a strategic outpost in the Western Pacific—essential for projecting power, deterring adversaries, and responding to crises across the Indo-Pacific,” said Rear Adm. Maximilian Clark, commander, Carrier Strike Group 11, in the release. “It’s always an honor to return to Guam—where our service members are welcomed like family, and where our presence truly matters. The Nimitz Strike Group is proud to be in Guam—America’s critical terrain and gateway to maintaining stability in the region.”
Destroyers USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108) also deployed out as part of the Nimitz CSG but during the transit of the Pacific Ocean, Wayne E. Meyer detached from the CSG, making a port visit to Singapore from Mar. 26 to Mar. 31 and headed to the U.S Central Command area of operations where it is now operating as part of the Carl Vinson CSG.
Curtis Wilbur meanwhile, has detached from the CSG to conduct a port visit to Saipan. News channel NMI News Service on Thursday posted a video showing Curtis Wilbur docking at Saipan that day. Curtis Wilbur is expected to rejoin the CSG as previous CSG visits to Guam had a destroyer from the CSG detaching and conducting a port visit to Saipan and subsequently rejoining the CSG.
During its transit of the Pacific Ocean, the Nimitz CSG consisting of Nimitz, Curtis Wilbur, Gridley and Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee carried out a formation sail with cruiser USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) and fleet oiler USNS John Lewis (T-AO-205) on Apr. 10. Michael Monsoor is on an independent deployment to the Indo-Pacific though the U.S. Navy has release little information on its deployment.
Earlier in Guam on Monday, fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN-783) returned to its homeport of Naval Base Guam following its first operational tasking while forward-deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a navy release, “This first operational tasking following Minnesota’s recent homeport shift demonstrated the submarine’s operational readiness and the capabilities the Virginia-class brings to the Indo-Pacific region,” said Capt. Neil Steinhagen, commander, Submarine Squadron 15, in the release.
The release stated that Minnesota’s operations included a port visit to Western Australia, marking the first of two planned U.S. Virginia-class fast-attack submarine visits to HMAS Stirling in 2025. Minnesota also visited Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory, supporting bilateral engagements and hosting tours for local officials, according to the release.
The release also stated that while in the region, the crew took part in at-sea operations as part of the Submarine Command Course and participated in Exercise Lungfish, a tactical development exercise between the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy, “Working side-by-side with our Australian counterparts helped sharpen our undersea warfighting skills. That kind of tactical development is vital—not just for increasing our own readiness, but for enhancing interoperability with allied warfighters deployed shoulder-to-shoulder in support of a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”, said Cmdr. Jeffrey Cornielle, commanding officer, Minnesota, in the release.
On Wednesday, U.S. Seventh Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) arrived in Cairns, Australia for a routine port visit, according to a Navy release, Deepest thanks to the people of Cairns for their warm welcome to our Blue Ridge and 7th Fleet teams,” said Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, in the release, “The U.S. 7th Fleet operates closely every day with the Royal Australian Navy to advance our combined warfighting capabilities and keep the Indo-Pacific secure and prosperous, and we are grateful that the first port visit with our flagship is here in Australia.”
Cairns will serve as a short stop for Blue Ridge as the ship brings fuel and supplies on board, reads the release.
Mineman 3rd Class Angel Vazquez and Mineman 2nd Class Daniel Horne conduct mine neutralization vehicle crane operations aboard the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM-10) during Korean Spring Exercise (KSE) at sea, April 10, 2025. US Navy Photo
On Wednesday as well, the U.S. Navy and ROKN wrapped up Korean Spring Exercise, which ran from Apr. 7-16 off the southeastern coast of South Korea and is part of an annual series of exercises between the U.S. Navy and ROKN designed to increase proficiency in mine countermeasures operations between the two forces, according to a navy release.
The release stated during exercise, U.S. Navy and ROKN units worked together to clear a route for ships through a simulated minefield using mine hunting, detection and neutralization capabilities, which included an underwater detonation of a simulated mine and that ROKN Mine Squadron 52 and U.S Navy Mine Countermeasures Squadron (MCMRON) 7 commanders partnered throughout the exercise to direct mine hunting tasks for U.S. Navy and ROKN units, “Operating together in a combined environment is an outstanding opportunity for us to learn about how we each take on this complex mission set,” said Capt. Antonio L. Hyde, commodore, MCMRON 7, in the release, “This exercise continues to show the region that the U.S. and Korean navies are committed to preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”.
The U.S. Navy participated with mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM-10), personnel from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, two MH-53E Helicopters from HM-15 Det 3A and staff assigned to MCMRON 7 while the ROKN participated with a submarine, minehunters ROKS Ganggyeong (MHC-561) and ROKS Gimhwa (MHC-567), minesweepers ROKS Yangyang (MSH-571) and ROKS Hongseong (MSH-576), minelayers ROKS Wonsan (MLS-560) and ROKS Nampo (MLS-570), submarine rescue ship ROKS Cheonghaejin (ASR-21), a patrol boat, one MH-60 helicopter and two explosive ordnance disposal companies, according to the release.
HMNZS Toroa executive officer Lieutenant Peter Gee is co-ordinating the main Anzac Day services in Dunedin for the third year. Photo: Brenda Harwood
Thousands of Dunedin people will gather at the cenotaph at dawn on Anzac Day to commemorate 110 years since the Anzac landings at Gallipoli in 1915.
For HMNZS Toroa executive officer Lieutenant Peter Gee, now in his third year as co-ordinator of Dunedin’s main Anzac Day services, it is a special honour to help ensure those who served in conflicts are remembered.
Lt Gee has had a 40-year career in the Royal New Zealand Navy, both in the regular force operations branch and in the Naval Reserve, serving all over the world, including Antarctica, the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia. His most recent deployment was two years ago in the Middle East.
Organising the Anzac Day dawn service, posy-laying service at Andersons Bay Cemetery, and the service at Montecillo Veterans Home & Hospital, was a chance to pay tribute to all those who have served, Lt Gee said.
“I like the phrase ‘they gave their today for our tomorrow’ — those who stepped up and made the sacrifice made it possible for us to have the freedoms we enjoy today,” he said.
“So, I’m hoping we will get a good turnout for the dawn service this year. It’s going to be special to be able to stand together and remember those who have served,” he said.
“The services at Andersons Bay Cemetery and Montecillo are also very important and well attended, as are the various community services.
“It’s great to see people of all ages getting out there on Anzac Day, as we mark 110 years since the Gallipoli campaign.”
The dawn service at the Cenotaph in Queen’s Gardens will start with a march-on parade at about 6.05am, and the service itself will begin with a Howitzer gun salute at 6.30am.
The service will be attended by representatives of the New Zealand, Australian and British governments, along with the New Zealand Armed Forces Land Component commander Brigadier Jason Dyhrberg, representatives of Dunedin City Council, Otago Regional Council, the Dunedin RSA, veterans and their descendants.
National anthems and hymns during the service will be led by the Dunedin RSA Choir, Kaikorai Metropolitan Brass Band and the City of Dunedin Pipe Band.
Following the dawn service, all will be welcome for breakfast at Araiteuru Marae in Shetland St, from 8am.
The Andersons Bay Cemetery posy-laying service, where scouts and guides will lay posies of rosemary on the service section graves, will start at 9.30am.
The service at Montecillo Veterans Home & Hospital will start at 11am, with a colour party from HMNZS Toroa in attendance, along with the Dunedin RSA Choir and Kaikorai Metropolitan Brass.
The University of Otago service will start at 1pm, at the University Plaza, next to the staff club.
In the evening, the Dunedin RSA Choir will present its Anzac Revue concert, from 7pm at St Paul’s Cathedral, conducted by choir director Karen Knudson, with piano accompanist Sandra Crawshaw.
Special guests will include University of Otago senior lecturer in voice Dr Tessa Romano (mezzo soprano), Dunedin Harmony Chorus, and RSA Choir scholar Teddy Finney-Waters (tenor), David Burchell (organ), and Ralph Miller (trumpet).
Lt Gee said the busy programme of Anzac Day services and events came at a good time for the services in Dunedin, with work well under way on converting the former Farmlands building, at 84 Cumberland St (SH1), into a multi-purpose, multi-use site for the defence forces in the city.
“It’s exciting to see this facility taking shape — it is going to be a good hub for our work.”
Dunedin’s Sea Cadet units — TS Waireka and TS Nimrod — have recently merged to form TS Neptune, and were growing in strength, he said.
ANZAC DAY SERVICES
• Dunedin Dawn Service: March on at 6.15am, service begins at 6.30pm, Cenotaph, Queen’s Gardens.
• Posy-laying service: Anderson’s Bay Soldier’s Cemetery, 9.30am.
• Montecillo: Raising of HMNZS Toroa ensign and Anzac Day service at Montecillo Veterans’ Home and Hospital, Bay View Rd, 11am.
• University of Otago: Anzac Service at University Plaza (next to the Staff Club), 1pm. Or if wet, inside the main common room, University Union.
COMMUNITY SERVICES:
• East Taieri: Service at East Taieri Cemetery, 8.30am.
• Taieri Mouth: Service at Taieri Beach Cemetery, Taieri Beach Rd, 9am.
• Portobello: Service at Portobello Museum & Historical Society, 9.30am.
• Macandrew Bay: Service at Macandrew Bay Hall, 10am.
• Mosgiel: Parade departs Mosgiel RSA at 9.40am, heads to Memorial Gardens Cenotaph for service at 10am.
• Brighton: Parade departs Brighton Rugby Club at 10am, heads to Brighton Hall for service at 10.15am.
• Waikouaiti: Parade meet at RSA, 10 Pratt St, at 10.45am, service at RSA Clubrooms following parade, 11am.
• Green Island: Service at Memorial Gardens, 11am.
• Outram: Parade from Mitchell Four Square to soldiers’ memorial, 11am.
• Green Park Cemetery: Service at Green Park services section, Waldronville, 12.15pm (new time).
• Note, there are expected to be more confirmed in the coming days.
HMNZS Canterbury (F421) was one of two broad beam Leander-class frigates operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) from 1971 to 2005. She was built in Scotland and launched in 1970. Commissioned in 1971, Canterbury saw operational service in much of Australasia and other regions like the Persian Gulf. She undertook operations such as supporting UN sanctions against Iraq and peace-keeping in East Timor. With her sister ship HMNZS Waikato she relieved the Royal Navy frigate HMS Amazon in the Indian Ocean during the Falklands War. Early in HMNZS Canterbury’s career, in 1973, she relieved the frigate HMNZS Otago, as part of a unique, Anzac, naval operation or exercise at Moruroa during anti-nuclear protests, supported by a large RAN tanker, providing fuel and a large platform for Australian media. This was due to F 421 being a more modern RNZN frigate, with then current Rn surveillance radar and ESM and a more effectively insulated frigate from nuclear fallout, with the Improved Broad Beam Leander steam plant, for example, being remote controlled and capable of unmanned operation and therefore the ship provided a more effective sealed citadel for operations in areas of nuclear explosions.
HMNZS Canterbury acting as planeguard for USS America. This Photo was taken by a PO Seaman (whose name escapes me for the moment) who took my camera on a personnel transfer. ’82 or ’83.HMNZS CanterburyBroad beam Leander class frigate HMNZS Canterbury leaving Piraeus in 1991HMAS Melbourne HMAS Brisbane HMNZS Canterbury Silver Jubliee trip 1977HMNZS Southland and HMNZS Canterbury, Hong Kong 1987HMNZS Canterbury in the Mediteranean with HMAS Brisbane and HMS ArrowHMNZS Taranaki and HMNZS Canterbury Jackstay transfer between Taranaki and CanterburyHMNZS Canterbury flying her paying off pennantHMNZS Canterbury at OpuaHMNZS Canterbury prepared for her fateHMNZS Canterbury – being made into a reefHMNZS Canterbury – prepares to diveHMNZS Canterbury’s demiseHMNZS Canterbury disappears
This Whitby-class Type 12 frigate was designed for the RN in the early 1950s for ASW against the Warsaw Pact submarines. Blackpool was the last Whitby to be constructed and was loaned to the RNZN while HMNZS Canterbury was being built. In 1963-64 Blackpool went a major refit at Chatham and was commissioned for service with the Far East Fleet on 9 December 1964. Upon the decision being made to loan this ship to the RNZN, Blackpool returned to Plymouth on 16 February 1966. She was commissioned into RNZN service on 16 June 1966 at Chatham under the command of Commander J.I. Quinn. During her initial trials she suffered a boiler failure and had to return for repairs. In July she had a shakedown cruise around Cowes. This was followed by a Harbour training week at Portland and then she had her first sea week from 28 July to 1 August 1966. After a maintenance period she shifted to Portsmouth arriving 12 August 1966. She did a trip from there to Amsterdam, Guernsey and returned on 31 August. In early September she spent in dock and returned to Portland. She had a Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) sea inspection in late September and also carried out Replenishment at Sea (RAS) with RFA Retainer and then went to Portsmouth.
HMNZS Blackpool
She left Portsmouth on 9 October 1966 and voyaged through the Mediterranean stopping at Gibraltar and Malta. While at Malta she met HMNZS Santon returning to the UK and did a RAS[L] at sea with RFA Wave Ruler on 22 October. She transited the Suez Canal and at Aden met HMNZS Hickleton in company with HMS Picton both returning to the UK. She arrived at Gan on 2 November and did another RAS[L] with RFA Tidereach. On 8 November 1966 she arrived at Singapore and took up station and began participation in exercises. During this time she visited Hong Kong, Pulau Tioman and Bangkok. From 24 February 1967 to 6 March 1967 she took part in FOTEX 67. Later that month she undertook exercises off Subic Bay. She was released from the Far East station and departed Singapore on 21 April 1967. Going via Darwin and Brisbane she arrived in Sydney on 10 May 1967. While there a crack was found in the keel and there were problems with the main and auxiliary feed pumps. She was in dock for repairs from 15-20 May. She first arrived in Auckland on 25 May 1967. Unlike HMNZS Otago & Taranaki she did not have her armament upgraded when in RNZN service and retained the weapons she was commissioned with.
Upon arrival, she took part in AUCKEX and then on 28 July she took part in Longex through to 9 August. She then went to Gisborne and was on the way to Picton when she was sent to Raoul Island to undertake a medivac. She returned to Auckland and then went to Dunedin and Piction as planned. On 19 October 1967 she went into refit through to 29 April 1968. Towards the end of the refit Commander D.J. Cheney took over as CO from 18 March. In May 1968 she went to Sydney for Command Team training at Jervis Bay. While at Sydney in June, a helo crashed on 5 June. She then took part on LONGEX 68 to 14 June and returned to Wellington. In July 1968 she took part in AUCKEX. She went to LONGEX on 28 July but this was curtailed on 1 August. She escorted HMNZS Inverell back to harbour after her collision with USS Caliente. ON 5 August she sailed to assist SS Gothic which has suffered a fire in her accommodation spaces that cost seven lives.
In late August to early October she took part in Exercise CORAL SANDS in Australia. After returning to Auckland, she departed again for passage to Pearl Harbour in company with an RN group. While in Hawaii, she took part in Exercise CONVEX 3/68 in November. After completing her final battle problem on 13 December, she departed Pearl Harbour for Singapore via Midway, Guam and Hong Kong arriving 24 January 1969. Once again she was posted to the Far East Station. She left Singapore on 31 March and took passage to Bangkok and then on to Hong Kong. On 2 May she assisted in a RAF helicopter medivac from the Russian vessel Never. She then went on to Japan and then to Manila for Exercise SEA SPIRIT. This was curtailed when HMAS Melbourne collided with USS Frank E. Evans. She then took passage back to Auckland arriving 30 June 1969. In August she took part in LONGEX 69. In October she was present in Gisborne for the Cook Bicentenary and returned to Auckland. On 15 October Commander I.H.D. Tyler took over as CO. In November she returned to Jervis Bay for JUC/LONGEX. She then returned via Ship Cove, Wellington, Lyttleton, and Wellington arriving in Auckland on 18 December 1969.
On 3 February 1970 she left Auckland for Waitangi for the celebrations in company with HMNZS Inverell & Kiama. Upon return to Auckland she went into another refit through to August. Commander R.E. Lawry took over as CO from 6 July. After post-refit trials, she departed Auckland on 5 October with FOF2 embarked as escort for HMS Charybdis with HRH Prince Charles embarked. She was at Suva from 8-12 October for the Fiji independence celebrations. After leaving Suva she took passage to Raoul Island and returned to Auckland on15 October. For the rest of the month she was part of RNZNVR training for Ngapona & Olphert divisions. In November she trained personnel from RNZNVR Pegasus & Toroa divisions returning to Auckland on 29 November 1970. This was her last active deployment for the RNZN. In January 1971 she acted as guardship for the One Ton Cup trials. She was then put into reserve as preparations were made to return her to the RN now that HMNZS Canterbury was ready to e be commissioned into service in the UK. Blackpool left Auckland on 22 April 1971 and was returned to the RN at Portsmouth in June 1971. The ship’s company was transferred to HMNZS Canterbury. Blackpool went into reserve and was sold for breaking up in 1978.
Journal kept by Cape Reinga Lighthouse Keeper (1945)
The lighthouse was built in 1941 and first lit during May of that year. It was the last manned light to be built in New Zealand and replaced the Cape Maria Van Diemen Lighthouse, located on nearby Motuopao Island, which had been built in 1879. Accessing that lighthouse was difficult due to the rough seas in the area, so in 1938, it was decided to move the lighthouse to Cape Reinga for safety reasons. The complete lantern fittings from Motuopao Island were reused at Cape Reinga, though the new lighthouse was fitted with a 1000 watt electrical lamp instead that could be seen for 26 nautical miles (48 km). The lamp was powered by a diesel generator.
In 1987, the lighthouse was fully automated and the lighthouse keepers were withdrawn. The lighthouse is now monitored remotely from Wellington. In May 2000 the original lens and lamp were replaced by a 50 watt beacon. The beacon is powered by batteries that are recharged by solar cells. The beacon flashes every 12 seconds and can be seen for 19 nautical miles (35 km).
Support to New Zealand’s mission in Antarctica requires one of the largest operational deployments of New Zealand Defence Force personnel anywhere in the world. These people, and the assets they bring to one of the most extreme climates on the planet, are critical to the success of Operation Antarctica each season and the continuation of the Defence Force’s 70-year legacy on the ice.
The bay sitting just outside Scott Base is normally stagnant with sea ice. But for the first time in a few years, the ice has broken away, filling the cove with deep blue water and giving Avionics Technician Sergeant Cam Sproull the rare opportunity to watch pods of orca hunting seals and penguins just metres from the water’s edge.
Sergeant Sproull is one of about 100 New Zealand Defence Force personnel who live and breathe the Antarctic environment while based at Scott Base and the American facility, McMurdo Station, for periods ranging up to six months, depending on the role. Overall, about 220 Defence Force personnel, based in Antarctica and New Zealand, make Op Antarctica possible.
We’re down there supporting the scientific mission in New Zealand’s interests in Antarctica.
MAJGEN Rob Krushka
Why are we in Antarctica?
Going to challenging locations and being successful is what militaries are good at. Using robust equipment, aircraft and ships, Antarctica also demands people who are skilled in operations and logistics in austere environments.
“We’ve got those highly trained people,” says Commander Joint Forces Major General Rob Krushka. “When you look at some of the operations down there, they are high-risk activities. Our people are trained for that.
“It also gives our people an opportunity to experience some of those more extreme environments. If you look at landing an aircraft on the ice, or the work our ship offload team does in harsh environments, it not only provides good training for us, but means we can contribute to the greater good for New Zealand.
“There is the strategic importance of Antarctica, from an environmental protection perspective. We’re not down there in a defence capacity, we’re down there solely supporting the scientific mission and New Zealand’s interests in Antarctica.”
The Defence Force has a memorandum of understanding with Antarctica New Zealand, the government agency responsible for carrying out New Zealand’s activities in Antarctica.
“That’s a long-standing relationship. I think we add value to the New Zealand Antarctic Programme and we definitely get value from operating in the Antarctic environment. When I was first involved in Op Antarctica we only had a small support role and that has grown over the years, so it’s really nice to see that ongoing relationship and increasing commitment,” MAJGEN Kushka said.
“We are also participants in the Joint Logistics Programme, which enables the sharing of assets and services between the United States, Italian, New Zealand and South Korean Antarctic programmes. The NZDF is a key contributor to this with provision of personnel, aircraft and HMNZS Aotearoa.”
These international partnerships are important, he said.
“Scott Base is very close to McMurdo Station and we have a really strong relationship with the United States Antarctic Program down there. It’s just another fantastic opportunity for us to add value to our partners, but also getting used to working with them and the way they do things.”
MAJGEN Krushka was posted to Antarctica in the 1995/1996 summer season.
Watch MAJGEN Rob Krushka gives his perspective on his time in Antarctica. video
MAJGEN Rob Krushka gives his perspective on his time in Antarctica.
Our relationship with Antarctica
1950s
1955 Royal New Zealand Navy vessels and the Royal New Zealand Air Force provide support for the first US Navy flights from New Zealand to Antarctica. 1956-1958 HMNZS Endeavour and the RNZAF Antarctic Flight support the Trans-Antarctic Expedition. A construction team of Army, Navy and civilian building overseers construct Scott Base, opening on 20 January 1957. 1958 HMNZS Endeavour I and HMNZS Endeavour II run supply missions to Antarctica. This continues until 1971.
1960s
1962 Scott Base becomes permanent, maintained by the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme. 1965 First RNZAF C-130H Hercules Antarctic flight under Operation Ice Cube, the start of annual flights.
1980s
1985 RNZAF Iroquois helicopters deploy each summer for science airlift support until 2000.
1990s
1996 Antarctica New Zealand is established. 1999 HMNZS Te Kaha undertakes a Southern Ocean patrol, in support of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Late 90s RNZAF P-3K Orions start annual patrols of the Southern Ocean
2000s
2006 First P-3K Orion landed in Antarctica. 2010-2017 RNZN vessels HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Otago undertake Southern Ocean patrols.
2010s
2011 Boeing 757s start flights to the ice.
2020s
2022 HMNZS Aotearoa’s first supply mission to McMurdo, the first supply run since 1971. 2025 HMNZS Aotearoa’s second supply mission to McMurdo.
Sir Edmund Hillary (right) with Captain Harry Kirkwood RN aboard HMNZS Endeavour during summer 1956/57.
To McMurdo by sea
This summer marks the first time to Antarctica for Commander Rob Welford, Commanding Officer of maritime sustainment vessel HMNZS Aotearoa, and the ship’s second mission in three years as a supply vessel.
In January 2025 Aotearoa departed Devonport Naval Base to take on 3.8 million litres of fuel at Geelong, Australia, to resupply Scott Base and McMurdo Station. Aotearoa’s first mission in 2022 also included commercial supplies, such as food, engineering equipment and domestic products.
You can’t simply start at New Zealand and head south. Past explorers have run up against the permanent ice shelf surrounding the Balleny Islands and have opted – like Captain James Ross in HMS Erebus in 1841 – to divert east to reach the 180-degree meridian.
“There’s a tried and tested route to the Ross Sea,” says Commander Welford. “The sailors of history found it by trial and error, and it’s the same route today. We go across and run down the 180 meridian, across the Antarctic circle, past Scott Island, then south-west into McMurdo.”
Journey of HMNZS Aotearoa and the Hercules C-130J from New Zealand to Antarctica, with the Point of Safe Return (PSR) shown for the Hercules.
HMNZS Aotearoa – Polar-class capability
Commissioned in 2020, at 24,000 tonnes and 173 metres long Aotearoa is the largest ship the Royal New Zealand Navy has ever operated, a title previously held by World War II cruiser HMNZS Gambia. While intended for global deployments, the ship is specially designed for polar operations. It is ice-strengthened to Polar Class 6, meaning it has a higher grade of steel plating to withstand cold temperatures, plus an extra thickness calculated to allow for corrosion/abrasion against ice.
HMNZS Aotearoa – Polar-class capability
Commissioned in 2020, at 24,000 tonnes and 173 metres long Aotearoa is the largest ship the Royal New Zealand Navy has ever operated, a title previously held by World War II cruiser HMNZS Gambia. While intended for global deployments, the ship is specially designed for polar operations. It is ice-strengthened to Polar Class 6, meaning it has a higher grade of steel plating to withstand cold temperatures, plus an extra thickness calculated to allow for corrosion/abrasion against ice.
HMNZS Aotearoa is a great platform for science. That’s according to Division Chief Delivery for Defence Science and Technology (DST), Sally Garrett, who is excited about having not one but two registered New Zealand vessels heading into the Ross Sea this season. NIWA’s RV Tangaroa, an ice-strengthened deep water research vessel, will also be in the Antarctic Treaty area south of 60 degrees latitude.
We are just beginning to realise the capabilities of the ship and her crew.
Professor Ian Hawes
Both ships are completing science activities for the NZ Antarctic Science Platform (ASP), a government-funded research project that supports physical and biological science on the Ross Sea. DST has three scientists on board Aotearoa, while Tangaroa will have a 20-strong international multidisciplinary team. Aotearoa is a great platform for drone operations and deploying floating buoys and profilers that are left to drift in the Southern Ocean, Ms Garrett said. Plus there’s a lot more room.
“I remember one ship we were on where the crew couldn’t use the gym until our buoys went over the side. But three or four pallets is easy for Aotearoa – it has huge capacity to store scientific equipment. It also has speed, its voyage goes as far south as you can get by sea, and she has a very good ice-strengthened rating.
173
Meters in length (HMNZS AOTEAROA)
“What we’re doing is developing a process so that each time Aotearoa goes away to Antarctica, we repeat these activities with confidence. We embark science activities that fit the capabilities of the ship, but don’t interfere with the core resupply mission.”Taskings include the trial of a radar processor that can identify ice objects within five nautical miles. The scientists take samples of water and air to assist in climate and marine diversity research, and deploy buoys with sensors to assess wave height, weather and temperature. Professor Ian Hawes, science coordinator for the ASP, said they were very excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the science mission of Aotearoa in the Ross Sea.
“We are just beginning to realise the capabilities of the ship and her crew and look forward to developing joint research endeavours over the coming years.”
With a substantial wish-list of experiments and equipment to deploy, scientists welcome the capability of a platform like HMNZS Aotearoa.
Air Force – a continuous service
It’s considered the most dangerous type of flying outside of a war zone.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the time we’re turning up to Antarctica and it’s a beautiful day and the sun is shining, but the smallest thing can set off a chain reaction – it’s a wild place,” said C-130J pilot Flight Lieutenant Tristan Nysse.
He and colleague FLTLT Cody Hughes have flown the now-retired C-130H and new C-130J Hercules aircraft to Antarctica. The critical factors during the flights are the fuel and weather. About two hours’ flight north of the frozen continent, the crew reaches the point of safe return – that is the point at which the aircraft has enough fuel to turn around and fly back to Christchurch if the weather in Antarctica takes a turn for the worst. At that point it’s about six hours’ flight into the journey.
“Our criteria is relatively strict and procedures are pretty robust,” FLTLT Hughes said. “We have a discussion about half an hour before reaching that point and we know what the conditions are. I’ve never had a 50/50 day, which helps. If the weather was on the minimum, then I might feel a bit different.”
“The new C-130J aircraft is quite nice because we have high-speed internet in-flight, which is great because we get a pretty good gauge on the weather on the way down. We’ve also got a satellite phone, like we did in the C-130H and we can ring the forecaster in Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States. In the new plane we can look at webcams as well, which is helpful,” FLTLT Hughes said.
Aircrews now fly to the Phoenix Airfield runway, which took over from Pegasus Field in 2017 after high temperatures and excessive dust and dirt affected the airstrip.
Phoenix has the curious distinction of never being in the same place each year, FLTLT Hughes said.
“The ice shelf is always moving. It moves about 50m a year – about a metre a week. We receive new approach plates (charts) each year and fly them in visual conditions to check for accuracy on the first flight of each season.”
50m
Ice shelf movement per year
While pilots approach the runway like any other, he said the stunning white landscape can make it difficult to gauge the land definition, in turn making it hard to determine how high the aircraft is off the ground, which is one of their biggest challenges.
“It can really mess with your head, so we land using a combination of our instruments and looking outside. Occasionally it can be slippery – you feel the plane sliding around a little bit. The condition of the runway varies quite a lot depending on how much snow has fallen. But there’s plenty of runway – it’s 10,000 feet – so there is lots of time to stop,” he said.
The continent’s pristine environment, clean air and absence of pollution is abundantly clear to all visitors and FLTLT Nysse said looking after the precious area weighed on him.
“We are always careful the way we taxi the aircraft – as soon as we touch down and we’re at a safe speed the flaps go up and they don’t come down again until we are rolling to take off, because they stop the silt from the engine falling onto the ice and protects that runway.”
Flights to Antarctica are a regular feature of the summer season on the ice.
A fascinating mission
The first trip to Antarctica that Flight Sergeant Mike Roberts took was in his role as an air steward on a VIP flight in 1998, where he got a close-up look at ice that’s had been around since the first humans left Africa for Asia.
“A scientist came into the bar at Scott Base one night and he had a big block of ice he’d taken off a glacier. He said he would shout people a whisky and pop some of this ice into it. Once everyone had had a drink, he told them they were drinking whiskey with two million-year-old ice.”
A couple of years later F/S Roberts had remustered to an air loadmaster and over the past 25 years has taken about 45 flights to the ice flying in both the C-130H Hercules and the Boeing B757 aircraft.
Over the years I do feel like I’ve contributed to the success of the maintenance of that continent.
F/S Mike Roberts
“I’m not sure if they still do it, but we used to do a penguin count. We’d stay for a few days and take an ecologically-qualified person down the back of the Hercules and we would fly over the penguin colonies.
“I don’t know the system they used to count them all and I don’t think they got down to the last penguin, but they were able to get an idea each season if the colonies were growing or declining in size,” he said.
The NZDF has also supported the Italian research facility Zucchelli Station, at Terra Nova Bay – about 357km away from Scott Base.
“Terra Nova is great, we love going there. The Italians treat you like VIPs and supply beautiful Italian food and heaps of parmesan cheese and really good coffee, so it’s always a highlight for the crews to get one of those trips in.
“Over the years I do feel like I’ve contributed to the success of the maintenance of that continent. All the signatories to the Antarctic Treaty are trying their hardest to keep the place as original and pristine as possible.”
When things go wrong
When aircraft break down in Antarctica, the continent’s unforgiving environment compounds issues for aviation technicians, forcing them to think outside the box. Aircraft technician Sergeant Brehan Lennie from No. 40 Squadron was on a short-haul trip to the ice at the start of the summer season last year and was settled in on the Boeing B757 flight to return home when the aircraft came to a halt.
“First of all we had an avionic indication – the pilots got a warning on their display. As they went to abort the take-off, one of the throttles jammed. So we had to launch into a fault-finding mission.”
In the end the fault was relatively straight-forward to fix, but because of the extreme cold, what should have been a small job, snow-balled.
“What would have taken less than a day to fix back at base became a three-day job because we were in Antarctica.”
The team worked hard but temperatures reaching -30°C meant working outside for any length of time was unsustainable. The technicians worked in 15 minute phases before they started losing feeling in their fingers and they need to retreat into the plane to warm up.
-30°
working Temperatures
There were some blower carts – basically oversized hairdryers – the team was able to use and direct to the area of work, which also resulted in longer working periods and slowing the team from freezing too quickly, SGT Lennie said. Warming up after being exposed to the extreme cold was also problematic, he added.
“When you start to thaw out a bit, if you’ve been outside for a while, it can be quite painful. We were rugged up with all the kit on that we could, including two pairs of gloves. But with the type of work we were doing, we often had to get rid of the large warm gloves to the thinner ones, and sometimes, no gloves at all for working with the small parts.
“It was definitely a memorable experience and one of the most challenging things I’ve done in my military career. It was hard to relax once the job was done though and I stayed nervous until we landed back in Christchurch – once we’d arrived it was a bit of a relief,” SGT Lennie said.
Managing the transit
The Harewood Terminal Team (HTT) based in Christchurch facilitates hundreds of passengers and cargo flights to and from Antarctica every year. While it is situated alongside RNZAF Air Movements in Christchurch, the HTT is a separate operationally deployed tri-service team. Officer Commanding HTT, Flight Lieutenant Josh Ahdar said Christchurch holds a special place in Antarctic operations.
“It is one of only five international airlift gateways in the world. The Korean, Italian, American and New Zealand Antarctic programmes all base their airlift from Christchurch.
“Being part of a team that provides significant contribution to Antarctic scientific programmes that aim to protect, value and understand one of the most unique environment on the planet is what I enjoy the most,” he said.
For air transport these programmes enlist the support of a wide range of aircraft, including the Boeing 757, C-130H and C-130J Hercules, United States Air Force C-17, Italian Air Force C-130J and the US Air National Guard L-C-130s.
170
Flights
4,500
Passengers
2.3M
Pounds of cargo
FLTLT Adhar enjoys the variability of the role as no two days or ice seasons are the same.
“There is a lot of unpredictability and delays that affect flights to Antarctica. Often flight schedules are only as good as the moment we print them off.”
Aircrews need a high level of certainty that they can make it to the ice without a diversion before they can depart Christchurch, often meaning delays as they wait for better flying conditions. Every year the team see a different set of challenges when it comes to cargo loading and some flights are truly memorable, FLTLT Adhar said.
“The heaviest item we have ever airlifted from Christchurch were runway compaction rollers, weighing in at 87,000lbs.
“Drill rig, cranes, CAT D8T bulldozers, articulated dump trucks, 60,000lb excavators, cargo sleds and helicopters are just a few of the types of cargo we load each season.”
The team is made up of 27 personnel from all three services. Eight are RNZAF Air Movement staff who post out and deploy to HTT for the summer season and fill subject matter expert roles. Personnel are posted to the HTT for the duration of the summer ice season which runs from October to March each year, the job covers multiple shifts over a 24-hour period.
Explosives and penguins don’t mix
When a New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team sets up to do their work, locals are kept well away. That’s a bit harder when you’ve got thousands of penguins in the vicinity.
In late 2024 an EOD team, in support of Antarctica New Zealand and the Antarctic Heritage Trust (AHT), deployed to assess risks and identify any works required to deal with abandoned ammunition, explosives and chemicals across significant historical sites in Antarctica.
It was the first time EOD had deployed to Antarctica, which involved going to Cape Adare, Cape Evans and Cape Royds to visit all five historic huts in the Ross Dependency. Overall it took eight days to conduct the assessments. Once set up at Cape Adare the team’s primary objective was to identify historic ammunition and explosives potentially buried at the hut site, and assess chemicals left in Borchgrevink’s Hut, which had been there for more than 120 years.
They were working near the largest penguin nesting colony in the world, with approximately 750,000 pairs every season.
“In Cape Adare we conducted a search for any ammunition and explosives around the building, and the immediate area using metal detectors where we discovered various ammunition in a much-degraded state,” an EOD team member said.
“We also used x-ray equipment to confirm or deny any hazardous contents of boxes we located. This took a while due to us trying not to disturb all the nesting penguins.”
They were working near the largest penguin nesting colony in the world, with approximately 750,000 pairs every season.
“We then used non-invasive chemical analysis with the equipment we had brought from New Zealand to conduct testing of the chemicals within Borchgrevink’s hut to ascertain if there were any explosive and chemical threats.”
It was determined that abandoned chemicals and ammunition left by Borchgrevink back in 1899 at Cape Adare were in such a degraded state that there was little to no threat. The same procedures were repeated at the historic huts at Cape Evans and Cape Royds.
One of the EOD Team members said the real boss down in Antarctica is Mother Nature. It’s a challenge for the team to keep fingers and toes warm enough to maintain the required precision despite the temperature reaching below -30 C, he said.
“Since the ammunition has been outside in the environment for the last 125 years, it was often covered in and surrounded by frozen penguin guano. This made it difficult to excavate enough to identify, having to first scrape through layers of guano and old frozen penguin remains.
“Great care had to be given to the penguins living in our workspace around the huts, because if we scared them off their nests, one of the roaming skua would dive in to steal the penguin egg in seconds,” the EOD Team Leader said.
“Cape Adare was extremely isolated, so we knew if something went wrong, we were a long way from help. Usually we can work in relative peace, but at Cape Adare we were always getting yelled at by the ‘locals’ and often our equipment or pants would be nibbled if we got too close.”
The EOD Team Commander said until he was there it was hard to fully understand how relevant the work being done to preserve the five historic huts was.
“Cape Adare is the last hut to be restored so it was actually quite an honour to realise that we were a small part of the final process in the restoration of the huts.
“We were also told that we were possibly the first people to actually visit all five of the historic Antarctic explorers’ huts in one season, something some conservators from AHT hadn’t been able to do in the years they’d worked in Antarctica,” he said.
Watch Our legacy of Antarctica – from adventurers and pioneers to experts and scientists. video
Our legacy of Antarctica – from adventurers and pioneers to experts and scientists.
Personnel on the ice
Sergeant Cam Sproull
Sergeant Cam Sproull, who provided his perspective of a morning at Scott Base at the start of this feature, arrived for his six-month deployment in -40°C temperatures in September last year.
“All I wanted to do when I got there was take photos, but I hadn’t adapted to the temperature at all. It took no time at all before I was very uncomfortable and couldn’t feel my fingertips.”
His role at Scott Base is in the communications team, and monitoring field events on the ice is a far cry to working on helicopters.
“Our primary role is to maintain contact with all the field events out in various places in the Ross Island region. We will talk with them at least once a day to make sure everyone is safe. Then we pass on any requests that they may need, like food or equipment supplies – to other groups here at Scott Base who will make a plan to satisfy those requests.”
It took no time at all before I was very uncomfortable and couldn’t feel my fingertips.
SGT Cam Sproull
While the team operates the communication equipment 24/7, it is also put to work doing stock take audits, washing linen, printing notices and flight schedules, and making daily PA announcements with weather updates, new information, birthdays on base and telling a joke or two. During overnight shifts, they look after air conditioning units, hot water cylinders and generators to ensure Scott Base stays warm.
“We call them ‘mouse rounds’, because we’re like little mice scurrying around checking things. There’re also lots of outside buildings and containers we check in the evenings.
“At the start of the season when we were checking them we were rugged up with jackets, face masks, goggles and boots because it was so cold. It would take a while to get kitted up. But in the height of summer you’d be in a hoodie, shorts and crocs.”
SGT Sproull’s deployment has been amazing, with days packed full of activities.
“I’ve been lucky enough to fly out to the Dry Valleys on mainland Antarctica, to help pack up a campsite that was the base for Italian and New Zealand scientists researching the area’s geology. Not everyone gets a chance to go out there, so that was a privilege.”
In October SGT Sproull looked upon the last sunset before the summer season saw 24 hours of daylight.
“It set about 2am, so there was a good group of us who went outin the middle of the night and watched the last sunset of the season.”
Sergeant Brian Jane
Sergeant Brian Jane, Royal New Zealand Army Logistics Regiment, is part of the NZ Army’s biggest contribution to Operation Antarctica over the last 50 years – logistics support. It’s made up of a long list list of trades – light engineering teams, carpenters, plumbers, ship-offload teams, emergency responders, drivers, plant operators, electricians, communicators, mechanics and administration staff.
In SGT Jane’s case, it’s managing a transport section on the ice. The transport team is responsible for the movement of freight and shipping containers around McMurdo Station as well as the most important key effort of the summer season, the ship offload.
“Once the ship arrives the entire base splits into day and night shifts. Shift hours for most are from 6am-6pm or 6pm-6am.
When you wake up in the morning prior to shift, its daylight. When you are getting ready for bed, its daylight.
SGT Brian Jane
“I’m the day shift transport section commander and am responsible for ensuring the shift runs as smoothly as possible in a transport logistical manner,” he said.
The team operate left-hand drive, nine-speed Road Ranger freightliner Cascadia tractor units with 40-foot trailers for offloading cargo from the ships. Driving in the snow is no issue.
“Thankfully the snow doesn’t really affect the driving, as it doesn’t settle on the road, the roads are all gravel.”
During this season there were two ships to be unloaded.
“The first ship took us about seven days to unload before re-loading all the old containers that are required to return to New Zealand and United States. Then it was HMNZS Aotearoa conducting a bulk refuel to the base,” he said.
The most challenging part of Antarctica for SGT Jane had to adjust to the 24 hours of daylight.
“The body clock has been pretty off with getting into a routine but mentally you have to tell yourself that it’s time for bed otherwise you find yourself still wide awake late at night despite knowing that you are up early for a shift the next morning,” he said.
I’m going to have to call you back in about 10 minutes, we’ve just got an Emperor penguin on the runway that we have to shoo away.
LAC Pieter Lelieveld
Leading Aircraftman Pieter Lelieveld, emergency responder, takes the call for his interview but needs a moment. Dealing with errant penguins isn’t a typical role for a firefighter, but it’s all part of the job for LAC Lelieveld, in Antarctica. With the penguin safely away from any aircraft coming into land on the Williams airfield, LAC Lelieveld was at pains to say that while approaching any wildlife in Antarctica is restricted, firefighters have permission to move them along from the runway.
“It’s definitely not something I trained for before coming down, but it’s one of the perks of being down here – we are the only ones who can get them off the runway if a plane is coming in.”
Emergency Responders spend much of their time monitoring flights coming and going from the ice runway, but also more conventional work like responding to fire alarms, medical events and any fires that break out at McMurdo Station and Scott Base. Based at United States’ McMurdo Station, the team works primarily with aircraft from the United States Air National Guard and Air Force. Emergencies with the aircraft sometimes happen and LAC Lelieveld said they hit differently in the extreme environment.
“It might be a minor thing like a rudder not performing how it should, but down here that could matter more when it takes off or lands, just because it’s on an ice runway.”
People starting their firefighter career may not realise they could get the opportunity to work in such an unusual environment, he said.
“Out at the airfields we don’t have water in our trucks, just foam, because the water would freeze. We make do with what we have. It was a learning experience on how to use it to its best effect. At home we have foam and water and it mixes together to be more effective.”
Getting used to the cold was the biggest challenge for LAC Lelieveld, but it wasn’t just people who suffered from the low temperatures.
“Even the vehicles don’t like the cold. There’s not much we can do about that though, if the vehicles don’t start we get a heater next to it and hope for the best,” he laughed.
“I feel privileged to be working down here and supporting the scientific research programmes. Even though my role as a firefighter is small, I know I’m directly helping. Nothing could really happen down here without us because regulations state there has to be firefighters present whenever an aircraft comes in and nothing would happen down here without the planes.
“People wouldn’t traverse the pole every year and they wouldn’t go to the middle of nowhere to set up camps without us being here. It’s a vital but less-known role for us to be down here. It’s cool to know we’ve contributed to that.”
Lance Corporal Alice Jensen
Based at McMurdo Station, Lance Corporal Alice Jensen is no stranger to the yearly ship-offload in Antarctica; this is her third rotation to the ice as a cargo handling specialist. The work she does plays a key and pivotal role in the ship-offload.
“When the containers are being craned off the ship we stabilise them with tag lines (ropes attached to the corner of the containers) and control their rotation on their descent.
“Once they hit the ground we undo all the slings attached to the crane, and then for loading the ship it’s just the same process but in reverse,” she said.
“The day-to-day pace changes depending on what is coming off the ship, the 20ft containers are quick and easy but there are some complicated ones on board that take a little longer, such as vehicles,” she said.
There are some challenges while in Antarctica, such as getting used to the different style of how other nations operate – it can take a few days to align.
“The biggest culture shock has been fitting in with an American base and how they operate. Weight is in pounds not kilograms and left-hand drive vehicles.
She said the opportunity to make and meet friends from around the world makes it well worth being in the cold.
“You never get bored down here, there is so much going on from sightseeing, activities, walks and getting to explore the environment and see penguins and seals.”
And the best thing about the ice, apart from the opportunity to work in one of the harshest environments in the world, the pizza at McMurdo Station.
“The pizza here is honestly the best in the world.”
Antarctica New Zealand
Antarctic New Zealand’s chief executive, Professor Jordy Hendrikx, an internationally recognised, interdisciplinary cryosphere/snow scientist, reflects on what has been a full and busy season – 330 people travelling to the ice between September and February. Scott Base’s population peaked at 115, a rise in a previous capacity of 80 bunks.
Antarctica New Zealand is based at the international Antarctic programmes’ campus, next door to the International Antarctic Centre on Orchard Road, Christchurch. The agency works year-round to support world-leading science and environmental protection. A big part of it running smoothly is the close relationship between Antarctica New Zealand and the New Zealand Defence Force, Professor Hendrikx said.
115
Scott Base’s peak population
“Every year we work with the NZDF, alongside international partners such as the United States Antarctic Program, to provide the logistics underpinning science and conservation efforts. That cooperation is critical to New Zealand’s reputation as a world leader in Antarctic science operations.
“New Zealand scientists work with international partners to study how climate change affects Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and how these changes impact New Zealand and the world. Even though Antarctica is far away, the Southern Ocean and the atmosphere connect it closely to New Zealand.
“As we move into the future, the strong partnership between Antarctica New Zealand and NZDF will continue. The introduction of new capabilities, such as the C-130J Hercules and HMNZS Aotearoa enhances New Zealand’s contribution to the Joint Logistics Pool and Antarctic operations.
“Our partnership with NZDF will only continue to grow as we continue to tackle the challenges of climate change, support cutting-edge science, and preserve Antarctica for future generations.”
