HMNZS ''Resolution'' (A14) was a hydrographic ship of the
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...
(RNZN). Originally the
United States Naval Ship USNS ''Tenacious'' (T-AGOS-17), the
''Stalwart''-class ocean surveillance ship was used by the United States to locate and track Soviet submarines from 1989 to 1997, when she was transferred to the RNZN for use as a hydrographic survey ship. She served until 27 April 2012. She was subsequently sold to EGS Group, a private surveying company, and renamed RV ''Geo Resolution''.
Construction
The ship's construction contract was awarded 20 February 1987 to
VT Halter Marine, Inc. of
Moss Point, Mississippi
Moss Point is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,147 in 2020, a decline from the figure of 13,704 in 2010. The Moss Point Historic District and several individual buildings are listed on the National Regi ...
, under then name ''Intrepid''. Her keel was laid down 26 February 1988, she was launched 17 February 1989 and commissioned as USNS ''Tenacious'' on 29 September 1989. The renaming was prompted by protests from veterans of the ''Essex''-class aircraft carrier , who felt that the surveillance ship was not a fitting vessel to carry on the carrier's name.
Operational history
United States
![USNS Tenacious (T-AGOS-17)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/USNS_Tenacious_%28T-AGOS-17%29.jpg)
During the
Cold War,
Ocean Surveillance Ship
''Stalwart''-class auxiliary general ocean surveillance ships ( T-AGOS) were a class of United States Naval Ship (USNS) auxiliary support Ocean Surveillance Ships commissioned between April 1984 and January 1990. Their original purpose was to c ...
s patrolled the world's oceans searching for
Soviet Navy submarines. Data was collected using the
Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System
The AN/UQQ-2 Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS), colloquially referred to as the ship's "Tail", is a towed array sonar system of the United States Navy.
SURTASS Twin-Line consists of either the long passive SURTASS array or the Twi ...
(SURTASS), consisting of listening devices and electronic equipment that transmit the acoustic data via satellite to shore for analysis. SURTASS is a linear array of deployed on a tow cable and neutrally buoyant. The array could operate at depths between .
''Tenacious'' was stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register
The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
and sold to New Zealand on 6 February 1997.
New Zealand
On commissioning into the RNZN on 13 February 1997, the ship was renamed HMNZS ''Resolution'', after the sailing sloop , used by
James Cook during his
second and
third voyages of exploration, in recognition of the extensive
hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/ offshore oil drilling and related activities. Strong emphasis is placed ...
work done by Cook.
[ ''Resolution'' replaced HMNZ Ships and as the navy's primary survey and acoustic research vessel.][ She undertook various marine survey tasks, including for the ]Land Information New Zealand
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with geographical information and surveying functions as well as handling land titles, and managing Crown land and property. The minist ...
agency. SMB ''Adventure'' was operated by ''Resolution'' as a tender and survey motor boat.
''Resolution'' sponsored a scholarship for under-privileged high school students to participate in a 10-day passage on the sail training ship ''Spirit of New Zealand
The tall ship ''Spirit of New Zealand'' is a steel-hulled, three-masted barquentine from Auckland, New Zealand. It was purpose-built by the Spirit of Adventure Trust in 1986 for youth development. It is 42.5 m in total length and carries a ...
''. On occasion, university and high school students were embarked aboard ''Resolution'' as part of the 'Students at Sea' programme.
On 22 February 2011, ''Resolution'' was underway off Christchurch when the 2011 Canterbury earthquake
A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...
occurred. NZ Navy Today said later : '..the feeling onboard was that the engines had been set in full astern with associated shuddering and shaking. It was only when a dust cloud over Christchurch was observed and chatter on VHF soon alerted the bridge team of the enormity of the disaster. With Captain Dean McDougall (CTU 654.0.1, Captain Fleet Operational Support) in an established headquarters on HMNZS Canterbury in Lyttelton, ''Resolution'' reported for duty and was subsequently called in to conduct a hydrographic confidence survey of the main channel into the Port of Lyttelton.[S/Lt Dave Jaquiery, 'End of an Era,' Navy Today, April–May 2012, 12.]
''Resolution'' was decommissioned at Devonport Naval Base on 27 April 2012. She was subsequently sold to EGS Group, a private surveying company, and renamed RV ''Geo Resolution''. Following the sale she left Devonport Naval Base for the final time on 11 October 2014.
See also
*Survey ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy
Commissioned survey and research vessels of the Royal New Zealand Navy from its formation on 1 October 1941 to the present:
See also
* Current Royal New Zealand Navy ships
This is a list of current commissioned Royal New Zealand Navy ships. ...
References
External links
*
NavSource
Resolution For Sale
– Auckland Shipbrokers webpage advertising the sale of the ship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Resolution (A14)
Tenacious
Ships built in Moss Point, Mississippi
1989 ships
Research vessels of New Zealand
Stalwart-class ocean surveillance ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy