USS George Washington (CVN-73) returning from sea trials on May 25, 2023. HII Photo
Carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) is set to depart Naval Station Norfolk, Va., this week for its new homeport in Japan, the Navy announced on Wednesday. George Washington is scheduled to leave Norfolk on Thursday to sail down the coast of the U.S., through the Caribbean Sea and enter the Pacific by rounding Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.
The carrier will be part of U.S. 4th Fleet’s Southern Seas 2024 event that will team Washington up with the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78), and Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189). The carrier will embark with a partial air wing from Carrier Air Wing 7, Naval Air Force Atlantic announced. Outlined earlier this month, Southern Seas will have the U.S. group sail with warships from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay. Washington plans to make port calls in Brazil, Chile and Peru. An international staff will of about 24 officers from 11 partner nations will serve on the carrier.
“This international staff will receive instruction from U.S. Naval War College professors and will work alongside embarked Destroyer Squadron 40 personnel,” reads a statement from U.S. Southern Command.
The international staff will include officers from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Following Southern Seas 2024, “George Washington will relieve USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) as the forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) aircraft carrier during a historic carrier swap at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., this summer. This will mark the second time George Washington has served as the FDNF aircraft carrier, arriving in Japan in 2008 as the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward deployed to Japan before being relieved by Ronald Reagan in 2015,” reads a statement from Naval Air Force Atlantic.
Following the transfer, Reagan will head to Washington state for an overhaul before its permanent homeport assignment.
Prior to this week’s planned departure, George Washington completed its midlife nuclear refueling and complex overhaul at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. The normally four-year-long maintenance period stretched to just short of six years due to a number of factors, including supply chain issues and workforce problems that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington began the RCOH period on Aug. 4, 2017, and redelivered to the Navy on May 25, 2023.
During the RCOH, the Navy conducted an extensive quality of life study that revealed sailors living aboard the carrier had some of the toughest living conditions in the Department of Defense. The investigation followed the death by suicide of nine GW sailors from 2017 to 2022.
Her mission is to act as the flagship of an expeditionary strike group or amphibious ready group, carrying part of a Marine expeditionary unit into battle and putting them ashore with helicopters and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, supported by F-35B Lightning II aircraft and helicopter gunships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_America_(LHA-6)
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of April 22, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
294 (USS 234, USNS 60)
93 (USS 63, USNS 30)
53 (33 Deployed, 20 Local)
In Japan
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Robert Miller, from Palatka, Florida, assigned to USS America (LHA-6) guides an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262, to take off from the flight deck while conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea, April 2, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port Yokosuka. The carrier is set to depart for a repair availability in Washington state later this year. USS George Washington (CVN-73) will replace Reagan in Japan. USS America (LHA-6) is in port in Sasebo.
In the South China Sea
Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class McGilf Reyes, from Springs, Colo., conducts maintenance on an MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to the ‘Eightballers’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, in the hangar bay aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), April 19, 2024. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is underway in the South China Sea.
The carrier has been using older C-2A Greyhounds as a temporary carrier-onboard delivery vehicle while the CMV-22B fleet was grounded following the November crash of an Air Force MV-22B Osprey off the coast of Japan.
Earlier this month, Naval Air Systems Command lifted the grounding of the Ospreys and the Navy has started re-certifying crews and aircraft for the logistics operations.
Carrier Strike Group 9
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to the ‘Black Knights’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, lands on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on April 18, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 11
Navy Aviation Structural Mechanic (Equipment) 2nd Class Carl Barr, from West Hartford, Vt., signals during flight operations on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), April 17, 2024. US Navy Photo
The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Flying Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 23
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG-83) transits the South China Sea, April 20, 2024. US Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In the Red Sea
A MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter, attached to the ‘Dusty Dogs’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, departs the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG-58) in the Red Sea, April 6, 2024. US Navy Photo
U.S. ships continue to patrol the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led multinational effort to protect ships moving through the region. Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while U.S. naval forces in the region have continued strikes against Houthi weapons that U.S. Central Command says are a threat to naval and merchant ships. Houthi forces say they are targeting ships with connections to the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Israel.
As of Monday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was operating in the Red Sea.
Ike deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 28 and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin extended the ship’s deployment late last month, a defense official confirmed to USNI news.
The U.N. Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea.
Carrier Strike Group 2
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.
Cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22 Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
On Tuesday, CENTCOM “forces successfully engaged two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas in Yemen,” according to a news release from the combatant command.
In the Persian Gulf
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the Eastern Pacific
USS Boxer (LHD-4) coming into San Diego, Calif., on April 15, 2024. Image San Diego Web Cam
The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) returned to San Diego, Calif., delaying its deployment after suffering a casualty, USNI News reported. The two San Diego dry docks large enough to accommodate a big deck amphibious warship are currently occupied, complicating the repairs of Boxer.
Naval Sea Systems Command told USNI News on Monday that it has not yet made a decision on the way forward.
“Boxer is currently pier side at Naval Station San Diego. As inspections and assessments are continuing, a decision on the most efficient way to execute repairs is still being determined,” reads the statement.
In the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic
USAV SP4 (LSV-6) underway on the James River on March 12, 2024. USNI News Photo
The ships carrying pieces to build a humanitarian aid pier in Gaza are now mostly in the Mediterranean Sea.
Four U.S. Army watercraft, a Military Sealift Command transport and a Maritime Administration ready reserve transport ship are all now in port or operating near the island of Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean.
As of Monday, USAV General Frank S. Benson (LSV-1), USAV SP4 James A. Loux (LSV-6), USAV Montorrey (LCU-2030), USAV Matamoros (LCU-2026) were operating near Crete, along with Military Sealift Command ships USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (T-AK-3010) and MARAD ship MV Roy P. Benavidez (TAKR-306). USAV Wilson Wharf (LCU-2011) was in the Eastern Atlantic off the coast of North Africa, not yet in the Mediterranean Sea.
Lopez and USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo (TAK-3008) were transporting parts of Naval Beach Group One’s similar floating pier system to operate in tandem with the Army’s system.
2nd Lt. John P. Bobo returned to Jacksonville, Fla., after experiencing a fire in its engine room, the Navy said Wednesday. The crew extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported. The fire is under investigation, according to the statement. The Navy is now assessing how to get the gear aboard Bobo to the Eastern Mediterranean.
The general concept will have the Army build a pier that it will anchor to the shore in Gaza, with no U.S. personnel setting foot on land. The Navy will build a transfer point two to three miles offshore where cargo – likely originating in Cyprus – will be transferred to the Army watercraft to be taken to the pier.
Based on the initial timelines, the pier could be completed by mid-May.
In the Western Atlantic
USS Oak Hill (LSD-51) ,Left, USS Cole (DDG-67) ,center, and USS Wasp (LHD-1) ,right, underway in the Atlantic Ocean, April 14, 2024. US Navy Photo
The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) is operating off the East Coast.
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is underway conducting basic training.
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
When a B1-B Lancer’s engine failed, an unexpected savior rose from the desert.
BY KYLE MIZOKAMIPUBLISHED: APR 22, 2024 7:30 AM ESTSAVE ARTICLE
U.S. Air Force
The Air Force is recalling a bomber sent to a desert retirement back to active duty.
“Lancelot” enjoyed a brief vacation in Arizona before a vacancy in the fleet needed filling.
The bomber is currently undergoing preparations to return her to the 45-strong B-1B force.
The U.S. Air Force is bringing a bomber back from the dead—or, rather, from the Boneyard. The B-1B bomber #85-0081, also known as “Lancelot,” is undergoing a refurbishment designed to ready the big, swing-wing bomber for active duty, replacing another bomber lost in a fire. The process illustrates how “The Boneyard” is not always a final resting place for America’s warbirds and how planes might be ‘reanimated’ to make up for combat losses.
Bomber Down
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In 2022, Dyess Air Force Base mechanics were running the engines of B-1B Lancer bomber while fixing its hydraulics. A crack in an engine disc resulted in the #1 engine catastrophically disassembling, severing fuel lines in the process. The fuel caught fire and the engine was destroyed in a fireball, with parts landing up to five hundred feet away from the parked aircraft. No injuries were reported. The event was captured on video and the bomber was written off as a total loss.
The Boneyard
U.S. Air Force
In 2020 an older B-1B Lancer bomber was donated to Wichita State University from the Boneyard to create a “digital twin”, precisely measuring all the parts that make up the bomber for research and ongoing maintenance purposes.
In 2021, the Air Force retired 17 B-1B bombers from the active force. The B-1B bomber force—stripped of its ability to carry nuclear weapons under the New START arms control treaty with Russia—was often used in Iraq and Afghanistan as a close air support aircraft. Its combination of high speed, long range, and ability to drop precision-guided bombs proved a major asset for troops on the ground. As a result, the B-1B fleet had one of the lowest readiness rates of all aircraft types, due its age (the bombers first entered service in 1986) and years of hard use.
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The Air Force plans to retire all B-1B bombers by the early 2030s, replacing them with the new B-21 Raider bomber. The readiness problem, however, was so bad that the Air Force decided to retire some bombers early to save the rest. The service cut 17 of the bombers from a fleet of 62, flying them to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI//Getty Images
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group employees remove a part from a B-1 Lancer bomber stored in the boneyard on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base May 2015.
Davis-Monthan is the home of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, otherwise known as AMARG, or The Boneyard. The Boneyard is the home of thousands of aging Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft retired from flying status. The high desert temperatures and low humidity prevent corrosion and rust, preserving the planes.
In most cases, the planes are stored—awaiting some emergency that might recall them to active duty—and are eventually cut into scrap. Other planes, including B-52G bombers, are cut into pieces and then preserved to allow Russian satellites to verify that they have been permanently retired from the nuclear force. Still other planes are slowly cannibalized for spare parts to keep other planes going. That was the expectation for the retired B-1B planes.
Knight Resurrected
Wikimedia Commons
“Lancelot”, photgraphed in 2000.
B-1B serial number #85-0081 was one of the 17 bombers retired in 2021. The plane had been photographed by aviation enthusiasts for years—visiting Edwards Air Force Base, Misawa Air Base in Japan, Abbotsford Airport in Canada, and other locations. In 2004, the aircraft suffered a collapse of its nose gear after landing at the U.S. airbase on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The plane, call sign SABRE 01, is well known enough among plane spotters that you can buy a reproduction of the nose art online.
Four of the seventeen retired B-1Bs were kept in flyable condition, in case there was a need to bring them back. And as it turns out, that happened sooner than anyone expected. Air Force officials immediately began plotting to bring one of the bombers back, and Lancelot was selected to replace the bomber lost in the 2022 fire.
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Lancelot was first flown to Tinker Air Force Base, where it underwent programmed depot maintenance at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. According to Arnold Air Force Base, the bomber will also receive upgrades that it missed during its brief retirement to bring it up to par with the rest of the active fleet. Pilots from the 10th Flight Test Squadron flew the aircraft from the Boneyard to Tinker, and then flew test sorties with the rejuvenated plane before handing it over to the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base.
A Lesson for Future War
Richard Baker//Getty Images
Dozens of F-16 fighters, shrinkwrapped in protective plastic, await the call to be turned into silverware…or fly again. Some F-16s are converted into QF-16 drones.
America’s aging warplane fleet means that, often, there are models of aircraft sitting in the Boneyard while the same models are on active duty. While this is obviously not as good as having the latest planes, there is a major, hidden advantage.
In the event of a major war, it is inevitable that the armed services will take aircraft losses. It would take only five lost B-1B bombers to reduce the fighting force by ten percent. Bringing back planes from the Boneyard and refurbishing them to modern standards takes less time than building new ones. The process can also count on decades of institutional knowledge about the airframe. In its press release, the Air Force mentioned one civilian analyst who helped with the resurrection—he had been part of the B-1 program for 30 years.
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BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI//Getty Images
Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers are seen in a boneyard at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base May 13, 2015 in Tucson, Arizona.
In some ways, the Boneyard is not a retirement community for airplanes—it’s a bank and insurance policy rolled into one. The Air Force, Navy, and Marines deposit less useful planes (that are often expensive to operate) and wait. The aircraft sit silently in the desert, among the horned toads, rattlesnakes, and scorpions, until someone decides that they are worth more as scrap than they are as warplanes. Most never leave the Boneyard under their own power. But a few, like Lancelot, turn on their engines and roll down the runway to serve once again.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he’s generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
Officers undertaking their ‘Bravos’ Officer of the Watch course on board HMNZS Taupo, berthed in Wellington in this photo. From left, MID Samuel King, MID Jaamin Fuller, SLT Liam van Etten and MID Leighton Tanner.
STORY The Inshore Patrol Vessel is one of the busiest ships in the fleet, travelling from port to port as junior officers work to pass their three-week sea phase of the Officer of the Watch (Basic) course, commonly known as ‘Bravos’. This is the foundation course for warfare officers, teaching the fundamentals of navigation and bridge routines.
Midshipmen Samuel King, Jaamin Fuller, Leighton Turner and Sub Lieutenant Lian van Etten are ‘Bravo’ officers near the end of their sea time. While all agree that ship’s watches and pilotage can be intense and stressful, nothing beats the feeling when your hard work pays off.
“The course takes from pretty much knowing nothing about navigation, to driving a ship around the Hauraki Gulf. Coming down the east coast, the navigator will plan a route for the ship, and the Officer of the Watch will follow that plan. Then coming to the Marlborough Sounds and Nelson, another steep curve. It’s a lot of work and pretty stressful navigation. But you come out the other side thinking: man, I did that.” ~ Midshipman Leighton Turner
C Company Māori Battalion Memorial House will be set up tomorrow to broadcast on Whakaata Māori for Anzac Day. File picture
The C Company Māori Battalion Memorial House is set to broadcast coverage of Anzac Day this year to help share stories and history of those from Tairāwhiti who went to war.
Dr Monty Soutar said the C Company Māori Battalion Memorial House was approached by Whakaata Māori (Māori Television) a couple of years ago and was planning to broadcast for Anzac Day last year, but because of the region still reeling from the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, it was decided to postpone to this year.
Veteran broadcaster Julian Wilcox (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa) will be joined in Gisborne by military historian Dr Monty Soutar (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou), who throughout the broadcast will comment on what is happening and why certain things are done during a dawn ceremony.
“It’s a huge honour for the C Company Memorial House to be the setting for it as it’s run by a voluntary trust and all income for it comes from koha, so to have this opportunity to promote what we do is great,” Dr Soutar said.
Throughout the morning broadcast there will be features about different kaupapa related to the region and Anzac history.
There will be a tour through the Memorial House, a closer look at Sir Apirana Ngata and the background to his work The Price of Citizenship, and a visit to St Mary’s Memorial Church in Tikitiki, which celebrates 100 years since laying its foundation stone.
Coverage will also feature a piece on Toti Tuhaka (Ngāti Porou), who served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in Korea, and the exploits of Lieutenant Te Rauwhiro Tibble (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-a-Apanui), of Tikitiki, who won the Military Cross for bravery in Italy.
Tokomaru Bay kapa haka group, Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū will perform waiata associated with the 28 Maori Battalion and the stories behind these will be shared.
The broadcast will cross over to the Auckland dawn ceremony as well as the Gisborne dawn ceremony at the Cenotaph.
Anzac Day is about not forgetting the sacrifices made in the past by those who served, Dr Soutar said.
“It’s quite special this year as Māori TV have chosen a quote that is on C Company house from Sir Apirana Ngata, who said at the beginning of World War 2: ‘We are of one house and if our Pākehā brothers fall, we fall with them’.
“It’s almost ironic, with what is going on with the Māori language and the moves by the current Government to do different things that impact on Māori, that we should not forget what he said.
“I guess we really need our Pākehā brothers to stand alongside Māori today in the continued battle for equality.”
A full-capacity Go Media Stadium is set to host the largest contingent of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel commemorating Anzac Day anywhere in the world.
23 APRIL, 2024
The NZDF and One New Zealand Warriors have combined forces on an unprecedented scale for the Warriors’ 2024 Anzac Day encounter with the Gold Coast Titans on Thursday.
Rugby league fans will be treated to ceremonial pomp and pageantry, the sight of military hardware on the ground and in the air, and an appearance from some canine personnel.
This is only the second time the New Zealand side has hosted the Anzac Day fixture, nine years on from the first occasion which marked the 100 year anniversary of the start of the Gallipoli campaign in 2015.
“It’s a special honour for us to host the Anzac Day game again,” said One New Zealand Warriors CEO Cameron George.
“From our viewpoint, it’s appropriate that the NRL should commemorate such an important day for our two nations.”
The association between Anzac Day and New Zealand and Australia’s major sporting codes runs deep, and in particular for the One New Zealand Warriors.
“We’re extremely grateful to the New Zealand Defence Force for lending such valuable support to ensure we are able to mark the day in a dignified and respectful way,” Cameron George said.
From having the New Zealand Army Band leading proceedings on the field, with vocalists, a bugler, and a Royal New Zealand Navy guard of honour taking on the ceremonial duties, more than 150 serving personnel will be front and centre on one of the country’s largest sporting stages in front of a sold out crowd.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force A109 helicopter will deliver the match ball in spectacular fashion, touching down on the halfway line before the match.
The Australian Defence Force will also be represented with a flagbearer on the field.
“The commemoration of Anzac Day is one of the most important national occasions on both sides of the Tasman,” said Lieutenant Colonel Tony Sumner, Director of Defence Public Affairs.
“While Anzac had its origins on the beaches and hills of the Gallipoli Peninsula over a century ago, this day continues to symbolise the very close bonds we have with our Australian friends.
“To be able to commemorate those who have served, fought and fallen on such a large sporting stage is a particular honour.”
Some of the NZDF’s frontline capabilities will be on display at Go Media Stadium, with Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) and the Army’s new armoured Bushmasters available for fans to look through, and meet the soldiers who operate them.
Supporters will also get the chance to see the NZDF’s military working dogs showcase their incredible skills during a halftime display.
The One New Zealand Warriors will also wear a special commemorative jersey to mark the occasion, made up of several key design elements honouring the servicemen and servicewomen who have fought for New Zealand and Australia.
Fans are encouraged to turn up to Go Media Stadium early on Thursday for a special Anzac-themed curtain-raiser, when the NZDF’s women’s rugby league team takes on their New Zealand Police counterpart.
Across the Tasman, the NZDF men’s team will also warm up the crowd at Accor Stadium in Sydney, by taking on the Australian Defence Force’s rugby league team in a hotly contested fixture, before the annual Anzac Day clash between the Sydney Roosters and the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) Band member Petty Officer Fraser Robertson has returned to Gallipoli to play his part at Anzac Day commemorations for a third time.
23 APRIL, 2024
A tuba player from Te Awamutu, Petty Officer Roberston played at the commemorations in Türkiye in 2014 and 2017 and was chosen again for this year’s event.
During the pre-deployment briefing, New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) contingent historian Dr Andrew Macdonald noted there were plenty of serving brass-band musicians who landed at Gallipoli in 1915.
Sometimes they were members of regimental bands, but other times they were serving as soldiers in the front lines according to Dr Macdonald, a specialist military historian who holds an honorary captaincy with the RNZN.
“That kind of resonated for me after being to Gallipoli twice,” Petty Officer Robertson said.
While he was aware musicians had waded ashore at Anzac Cove he said he hadn’t know that some instruments had also been carried onto the peninsula.
Other research by author and editor Chris Bourke showed that while band music was almost absent from the historical record of Gallipoli, it was nonetheless heard by New Zealand troops serving there.
His research showed enough bandsmen landed on Gallipoli to form four bands.
In particular, Petty Officer Robertson was interested in the life of Private William Griffiths, who also played the tuba.
Private Griffiths was a stretcher bearer in the Auckland Battalion. During the August offensive to open the approach to Chunuk Bair, he suffered a gunshot wound to the head and later died at a hospital in Egypt.
Private Griffiths was born and raised in Timaru, but was based in Auckland at the time of his enlistment into the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. For many years this young man – known to family and friends as Sandy – was a bandsman in the Auckland City Corps of the Salvation Army.
“Brass bands have played a significant part in my family and life. I am a third-generation member of the Te Awamutu Brass Band, and my family is still heavily involved with the local band.”
Most of the 40-strong NZDF contingent arrived in Türkiye about a week before the 25 April anniversary to acclimatise and rehearse before the ceremonies.
Battlefield tours were part of the programme so the members could learn more about their predecessors and the battles that were fiercely fought at Gallipoli, and where, in some places, both sides’ trenches were as little as five metres apart.
“The landscape still amazes me. You see how far away the Turkish soldiers would have been from the New Zealanders to the point where they could have easily had a conversation,” Petty Officer Roberston said.
As well as conversations, Turkish soldiers would have heard music being played by the New Zealand troops – an aspect of the campaign which is not well known.
According to New Zealand music website Audioculture, while musicians and music were not common during the campaign, they did feature.
Small musical gatherings were sometimes held relatively close to the Turkish lines.
For safety reasons, the Canterbury Battalion’s musicians played their first concert in the dark in Canterbury Gully – also known as Rest Gully. The following evening, the Turks brought their own band to the trenches. Both events were eventually drowned out by rifle and artillery fire.
The commander of the Wellington Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone, also documented that musical gatherings took place. He wrote that the musicians – whom he thought would not perform well in war – had proved their bravery as stretcher bearers.
During the NZDF contingent’s recent battlefield tour, Dr Macdonald outlined the importance of song at Gallipoli, explaining how veterans he had interviewed talked about occasional sing-alongs among small groups of soldiers when away from the front line at places such as Rest Gully, the Maori Pah and Plugge’s Plateau, among others.
“Based on what these elderly men – men who had served at these places inside the Anzac perimeter – told me, song was a form of distraction from what they had been through, as well as a form of camaraderie. It was also a means of relaxation.”
SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 20, 2024) . U.S. 7th Fleet is the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adina Phebus)
SAVE ARTICLE
U.S. Air Force
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI//Getty Images
Wikimedia Commons
Richard Baker//Getty Images
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI//Getty Images
The Inshore Patrol Vessel is one of the busiest ships in the fleet, travelling from port to port as junior officers work to pass their three-week sea phase of the Officer of the Watch (Basic) course, commonly known as ‘Bravos’. This is the foundation course for warfare officers, teaching the fundamentals of navigation and bridge routines.
