HMNZS ''Kahu'' (A04) was a inshore
patrol vessel of the
Royal New Zealand Navy. She was
launched in 1979 as the lead boat of her class, modified to function as a
diving tender
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
. She was initially named HMNZS ''Manawanui'' (A09),
the
second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
of soon to be four diving tenders with this name to serve in the New Zealand Navy. As a diving tender she participated in the exploration and salvage work of the wreck in March 1986.
On 17 May 1988, she was renamed ''Kahu'' (A04) and recommissioned as the basic seamanship and navigation training vessel attached to the Royal New Zealand Naval College. ''Kahu'' is the
second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
boat with this name to serve in the New Zealand Navy. (The name comes from the
Māori-language - the name for the native
swamp harrier hawk.) The ship was replaced in her role as a diving tender by .
She remained in service for
seamanship
Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea."
It involves topics a ...
,
Officer of the Watch
Watchkeeping or watchstanding is the assignment of sailors to specific roles on a ship to operate it continuously. These assignments, also known at sea as ''watches'', are constantly active as they are considered essential to the safe operation o ...
training and as a backup diving tender until her
decommissioning
Decommissioning is a general term for a formal process to remove something from an active status, and may refer to:
Infrastructure
* Decommissioned offshore
* Decommissioned highway
* Greenfield status of former industrial sites
* Nuclear decommi ...
on 30 October 2009. The ship was sold for use as a pleasure craft on 18 February 2010.
''Kahu'' was distinguished from other boats of the ''Moa'' class by the gantry on her quarterdeck and lack of funnels.
Post RNZN Career
After leaving the Royal New Zealand Navy she was sold to Peter White-Robinson and renamed Kahu. In 2011 she underwent a year long refit at Fitzroy Yachts in New Plymouth, converting her to a 'family ship'. In 2013 she was sold.
In 2021 the vessel was involved in a £160,000,000 drugs bust when she was intercepted by
HMC Searcher 130 km off the coast of
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
. 1 British Citizen and 5 Nicaraguan citizens were arrested. 2000kgs of Cocaine was reported to be onboard.
See also
*
Patrol boats of the Royal New Zealand Navy
Commissioned patrol boats of the Royal New Zealand Navy from after World War II.
Class types
''Lake'' class patrol vessel
''Moa'' class inshore patrol boats
Lake class inshore patrol boats
Protector class offshore patrol boats
See a ...
*
Diving tenders of the Royal New Zealand Navy
Notes
References
* McDougall, R J (1989) ''New Zealand Naval Vessels.'' Page 136–137. Government Printing Office.
External links
Official RNZN Website
1978 ships
Moa-class patrol boats
Training ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy
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