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John Currin

15 years in Royal New Zealand Navy

Leonardo showcases AW159 Wildcat as solution for New Zealand maritime helicopter replacement LEONARDO PRESS RELEASE | NOVEMBER 23, 2023 Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 9 seconds.

The company is showcasing a model of its AW159 Wildcat at the event which Leonardo is offering to the NZDF as a solution for its maritime helicopter replacement program. Leonardo Photo

Leonardo is taking part in Wings Over Wairarapa (Hood, Aerodrome, Masterton, Nov. 24 to 26, 2023), a major air festival event in New Zealand, and will exhibit technologies, products and systems for aerospace, defence, and security markets.

In addition, the company will be showcasing the very best in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities to engage with local schools, young children, and families at this year’s event.

The company is looking to inspire the next-generation of New Zealanders into engineering careers by highlighting how STEM subjects can provide key life skills that can be transferred into a manufacturing or engineering career.

Visitors to the company’s stand will be encouraged to participate in fun aerospace activities using their communication skills, team work, and problem-solving abilities.

The company is showcasing a model of its AW159 Wildcat at the event which Leonardo is offering to the NZDF as a solution for its maritime helicopter replacement program.

The AW159 Wildcat has been proven in service with Navies around the world to be capable of meeting and exceeding the demanding environmental and performance requirements of the RNZN.

With its design from the outset being targeted at single-spot combatant operations in challenging maritime environments, the AW159 is the right platform for RNZN, being able to operate across the full range of aviation missions undertaken by the RNZN. Equally adept at multi-spot operations, the AW159, or Wildcat, as it is known to the British Armed Forces, is an operationally capable and cost-effective multi-role platform, able to go beyond the limits of any other embarked aircraft.

It has the U.K. Government as its significant reference customer. There is a long, successful and well- established relationship between the Royal Navy and RNZN with ongoing, close collaboration, knowledge- sharing and interoperability.

The operation of the same platform brings the possibility of greater naval synergy, building upon and strengthening the existing ties and broadening and increasing the opportunities for knowledge sharing and mutual support. The AW159 delivers maximum capability for minimal impact to wider ship operations.

In recognition of the need to build resilience into the NZDF’s operations for the future, Leonardo is offering a New Zealand-based support solution for the helicopters and is working closely with a number of key domestic suppliers in the New Zealand defence market, including Beca and United Machinists.

Beca is one of Asia Pacific’s largest independent advisory, design and engineering consultancies and United Machinists, an ISO:9001 Accredited CNC machine shop providing precision machined components for aerospace, electronics, automotive, medical and marine applications.

Aaron Lewis, campaign director at Leonardo Helicopters, said: “Leonardo understands the important role New Zealand’s engineering sector can play on the world stage. By working closely with industry and local schools we are starting to see the innovations being undertaking in shaping New Zealand’s infrastructure, technology, and prosperity but most importantly its future skills. For example, our STEM activities are about showing young people the prospects of how their science, maths or even English studies can transfer into an engineering career.”

Brian Fearnley, business director major programmes at Beca, said: “As a New Zealand owned company, Beca is delighted to be partnering with Leonardo to provide a AW159 Wildcat training system and programme support. Like Leonardo, Beca recognises the value to New Zealand of local involvement in complex technical projects.”

This press release was prepared and distributed by Leonardo.

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U.S. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., viewed from the west, 25 July 1941, taken from an aircraft based at NAS Seattle, WA.

 

 Among the ships present are:

USS Aroostook (AK-44), at right, and
USS Prometheus (AR-3), center, alongside the near side of the long pier closest to the camera;
USS Utah (AG-16) in drydock at left;
USS Colorado (BB-45), alongside the middle of the three longest piers;
USS Barnegat (AVP-10) and
USS Biscayne (AVP-11), fitting out on the far side of the most distant long pier;
USS Casco (AVP-12) and
USS Mackinac (AVP-13), under construction in the drydock in the upper left. U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH-84927. >

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USS Melville (AD-2) in Balboa Harbor, Panama Canal Zone, 24 April 1934. With USS Zane (DD-337) and another destroyer alongside Melville, USS Medusa (AR-1), USS Litchfield (DD-336), HMS Exeter and another destroyer nested with USS Truxtun (DD-229).

 

USS Melville (AD-2) in Balboa Harbor, Panama Canal Zone, 24 April 1934. From the bottom to the top of the photo several US Navy and British ships are present including USS Zane (DD-337) and another destroyer alongside Melville, USS Medusa (AR-1), USS Litchfield (DD-336), HMS Exeter and another destroyer nested with USS Truxtun (DD-229).
US Navy photo # NH 60813 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command .

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NORTH DEVON GAZETTE > LOCAL NEWS The North Devon man commanding Royal New Zealand navy’s largest ship Rob Welford is a former Ilfracombe Sea Cadet now in charge of a 26,000 ton vesse

ndg Ilfracombe man in NZ navy CDR Welford 2

Commander Rob Welford, originally from Ilfracombe, on the bridge of the HMNZS Aotearoa. Credit: NZDF

Tony Gussin

22 Nov 2023 2:58 PM

A former Ilfracombe Sea Cadet is now sailing the South China Sea in charge of the largest ship in the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Rob Welford learned to sail on the Bristol Channel, spent 37 years sailing the world with two navies and is now at the helm of HMNZS Aotearoa on a deployment to South East Asia.

Commander Welford took over the vessel in a change of command ceremony in Singapore late last month and sailed the ship into the South China Sea that same afternoon.

Commander Welford grew up in Ilfracombe and joined the Sea Cadets aged 12 as well as working on local fishing boats.

That naturally led to a 28-year career in the Royal Navy, where he logged operational service in the Adriatic, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Bosnia. He served as executive officer (second in command) on minesweeper HMS Arun and frigate HMS Campbeltown.

After considering a career change, he decided to join the Royal New Zealand Navy in 2014 and emigrated with his family.

HMNZS Aotearoa, commissioned in 2020, is a 568-foot-long 26,000-ton polar-class maritime sustainment and replenishment vessel and is the largest ship ever built for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The 26,000 ton HMNZS Aotearoa of the Royal New Zealand Navy is now commanded by a former Ilfracombe Sea Cadet. Credit: NZDF

Cmdr Welford said: “Come onto the bridge first thing in the morning when we are at sea and you will see the big smile on my face as I drink my coffee. Quite simply, I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing.

“I was fortunate enough to meet some Royal New Zealand Navy and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel through some multi-national engagements.

“I also got to attend a couple of meetings in New Zealand, and through talking to people I thought that I might be able to put my knowledge and skills to some good use in the Royal New Zealand Navy.”

His son was eight at the time and New Zealand also looked like a good place for him to grow up.

He has since deployed to Vanuatu following Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015 and was the executive officer to the Force Commander of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai Peninsula in 2020, where he was awarded a Force Commander’s commendation.

More recently, he was involved in the planning and execution of operations such as the evacuation of New Zealand and Australian nationals from Afghanistan in 2021 and the NZDF’s contribution to Ukraine’s self-defence.

HMNZS Aotearoa is on a South East Asia deployment and Commander Welford said fitting in to a well-established team part-way through was an interesting challenge, as well as being a new class of ship for him.

He said: “It’s a big challenge learning how it works and the only way to tackle that is to put the time in to learn, ask questions, walk the patch and get into the books.

“I have a lot of experience but the crew haven’t seen that. So making sure I did a good job of ship-handling as we left port from Singapore only three hours after the change of command ceremony helped to start that impression.”

He described his leadership style as ‘enabling’ and he didn’t feel like he ‘leads’ the crew.

“They know where they need to go and I see it as my job to help them to get there,” he said.

“Sometimes the directions might need to be quite clear, but I would prefer to give them a metaphorical map, to help them find their own way as most of the time they know their parts of the ship better than I do.”

Cmdr Welford likes the ‘two Hs’ of leadership: Humanity and Humility.

He added: “You need to remember that your people are human and that you are too and that very few human beings are perfect. 

“If you then have enough humility to be able to admit you are not perfect, own your mistakes and apologise if you are wrong, then that will set a good climate from which to build your team, or in my case the crew.”

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3rd Fleet: Aircraft Intact as Navy Prepares to Investigate P-8 Poseidon Mishap in Hawaii – By: Gidget Fuentes November 22, 2023 6:09 AM

A P-8A Poseidon floating in Kaneohe Bay on Nov. 21, 2023.

The Navy will convene an investigation into Monday’s incident in Hawaii where a Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft overshot a runway and ended up in Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay, officials said.

Three pilots along with a crew of two officers and four enlisted personnel were aboard the aircraft at the time, but no injuries were reported, officials said. The Poseidon belonging to Whidbey Island, Wash.-based Patrol Squadron 4 was landing to land at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay when, for undetermined reasons, the aircraft ran off the runway and went into the shallow bay just before 2 p.m. local Hawaii time. The weather at the time was cloudy and breezy.

The P-8A Poseidon, which is based on the Boeing 737 airplane, remained in the bay as of late Tuesday.

“The Navy will convene an investigation to determine the cause and contributing factors of the mishap,” San Diego-based U.S. 3rd Fleet officials said in a statement issued Tuesday night.

The aircraft ended up just offshore from the end of the runway, its fuselage seemingly floating in the sand and coral-covered bay. First responders and emergency crews who reached the scene set out floating barriers to contain any fuel to spread across the bay. “Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 worked overnight to help stabilize the aircraft,” officials said in the statement.

“Preliminary assessment indicates the aircraft is structurally intact, and there was no sign of fuel leaking from the aircraft,” they said. “More information will be released as it becomes available.”

A response team was formed to address aircraft recovery, force protection and environmental concerns, officials said.

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Australia gifts Guardian Class Nafanua III to Samoan government NAVAL 22 NOVEMBER 2023 | By: Robert Dougherty

Nafanua III is the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered by Austal to the Australian Department of Defence under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project SEA3036-1. Photo: Austal.

The Australian federal government has officially handed over the Guardian Class patrol boat Nafanua III to Samoa in a formal ceremony this week.

Samoan Minister of Police and Prisons Faualo Harry Jeffrey Schuster and the Commissioner of Police, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo, received Nafanua III on behalf of the government of Samoa from federal member for Hasluck Tania Lawrence, who is representing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.

Nafanua III is the 18th vessel delivered under the Australian government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program. The 30-year commitment by the Australian government to ensure uninterrupted engagement with Pacific partners aims to support of a stable, prosperous, and secure region by enhancing capability of Pacific partners to attain their security goals.

The newest Guardian Class will continue Samoa’s work in protecting its maritime sovereignty, enhancing its surveillance capability, supporting faster humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts when required.

“Defence shares a deep and enduring partnership with the Samoa Police Service, and it is fantastic to see Samoa receive Nafanua III, which will play a critical role in supporting regional maritime security efforts,” according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.

“Austal’s continued commitment to building world-class capability right here in Australia will mean safer waters and stronger responses to shared maritime challenges for our Pacific partners.”

Nafanua III was initially accepted from shipbuilder Austal by representatives from the Department of Defence before being gifted by the Australian government at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on 22 November 2023.

Austal Limited chief executive officer Paddy Gregg said Nafanua III is the third Guardian Class patrol boat delivered by Austal in 2023, and one of five vessels in total delivered by the company’s Western Australian shipyards this calendar year.

“The Austal team has yet again shown how capable, productive, and efficient they are with the delivery of this latest Guardian Class patrol boat. Nafanua III is the third Guardian we’ve delivered in 2023, in addition to two 58-metre Evolved Cape Class patrol boats to the Royal Australian Navy,” he said.

“Austal’s Western Australian shipyards, our skilled local workforce, and our valued supply chain partners continue to demonstrate a sovereign capability to design, build, and sustain naval vessels for Australia and export markets.”

The 39.5-metre steel monohull patrol boat, designed, constructed, and sustained by Austal Australia, is based on the 38-metre Bay Class, 56-metre Armidale Class, and 58-metre Cape Class patrol boats that are in service with the Australian Border Force and Royal Australian Navy.

The Guardian Class patrol boat, which includes an integrated RHIB stern launch and recovery system, provides Pacific partners with an improved naval asset to carry out border patrols, regional policing, search and rescue, and other operations domestically and internationally.

Since November 2018, Austal Australia has delivered a total of 29 ships; (including) 18 Guardians, six Evolved Capes, two Capes, and three large high-speed ferries.

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