COMMAND OF W F JAQUES
From MONOWAI ROP edited by David Price with some personal recollections by ship’s officers
MONOWAI formally commissioned into the RNZN on 1 August 1977. In his first Report of Proceedings, Commander W.F. (Willy) Jaques RNZN advised that this date principally recognised the formal change of command from the Principal Naval Overseer to the Commanding Officer. Of the 33 people standing by the ship, 29 now came under his command. It was, however, pretty much business as usual and there was little ceremony.
Sea trials had been planned for the start of August but various dates slipped past as attempts were made to get the ship ready for her sea trials. Planned trials commencing 29 August were also cancelled at the last minute due to industrial problems. The ‘unaccompanied’ members of the Ship’s Company moved on board at the end of the month. Conditions were basic but there was some concern that the completion of the project and the lack of further work on the ship’s books could lead to further delaying tactics on the part of some of the workers.
Sub Lieutenant Ian Martin recalls that it was felt that there would be less likelihood of further fires, with people living on board. The move also served to put tacit pressure on the shipyard to complete all domestic services and furnishings and these were soon complete although there were some problems. Ian Martin found that due to the camber of the ship, he was unable to reach the Wardroom table and the ship’s carpenter was called upon to place blocks under the rear legs of the dining chairs as a temporary measure. Visiting the ship almost 20 years later he was surprised to find the chairs – and the blocks – still in use!
MONOWAI ultimately sailed for her trials on 20 September 1977. Although retaining obvious traces of her former incarnation, the ship was radically different to the one that had berthed at Scott Lithgow Drydocks some two years and 8 days previously. However, she did sail under the red ensign, being under the command of a Master, Captain J Somerville, a Clyde pilot employed on this occasion by the shipyard company. The ‘crew’ consisted of the 40 members of MONOWAI’s Ship’s Company, who took the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the ship, plus some 120 shipyard workers.
After three days of engine trials, adjusting the controlled pitch propellers and undertaking manoeuvring and speed trials in the Firth of Clyde, the majority of the shipyard workers were landed. The ship headed out for an area off the north-west coast of Ireland to conduct deep echo-sounder trials and to ‘tune’ her ‘Watts Anti-Roll Tank’, a tank which when partly filled with water served to reduce the ship’s roll. Commander Jaques pronounced himself well pleased with the way the ship handled during her trials saying that her sea-keeping was ‘excellent’ and her general handling ‘satisfactory’. MONOWAI’s sea-keeping abilities were well-tested for the ship experienced a force 9 gale which, somewhat ironically, incapacitated the experts carried to tune the anti-roll tank.
The trials, overall were a success but some problems gave cause for concern. Amongst these was an intermittent fault in the ship’s computerised survey system, the HYDROPLOT. Some of these were software faults which were rectified by the programmers sent out by the manufacturers, but others were to plague the ship for almost two years until the computer was returned to the United Kingdom. The fault was traced to a series of small components which were a defective batch liable to inflict random spikes upon the system. The propeller control system was also unsatisfactory but this was more readily fixed with newly designed cams in the operating system.
In pouring rain at the end of September, MONOWAI’s full complement was completed and the RNZN took full responsibility for the ship. The departure of the caterers after a month was not mourned, for the menu had been somewhat limited with tinned grapefruit pieces being a staple of the breakfast lunch and dessert menus. Many of the initial Ship’s Company, though, recall that the somewhat limited feeding allowance of the RNZN in those days, with no allowance for the ‘start-up’ costs, was to lead to a very lean time for several months.
Captain Somerville again commanded the ship for further sea trials although Commander Jaques recalls gratefully that Captain Somerville magnanimously stood aside and largely left the ship to the permanent complement. MONOWAI returned to Greenock, but to the berth at Customhouse Quay she had occupied when she had first arrived from New Zealand. The ship was accepted from Scott Lithgow in the late afternoon of 3 October and the Ceremonial Commissioning was held the next day.
The Guest of Honour at the ceremony was Sir Douglas Carter KCMG, the New Zealand High Commissioner. It was, however, the ‘VIP guest’ Brigadier the Lord Ballantrae who stole the show at the post-commissioning luncheon with an impromptu and enthusiastically received speech in which he referred to his past association with New Zealand, the RNZN and HMNZS LACHLAN. Lord Ballantrae who, as Sir Bernard Ferguson, had been Governor General from when to when had invited himself to the commissioning but was no less welcome for all that.
Over the next few weeks the ship conducted her own trials in the local area and returned to Greenock for on-going defect rectification. It was a very busy time for everyone but this engendered a very good team spirit and a sense of ‘can-do’ for which the ship continued to be known. Commander Jaques proved to be an adventurous ship-handler but things did not always go quite to plan. Ian Martin, promoted to lieutenant on the day the ship ceremonially commissioned and made guard commander to prove that the celebrations were not in recognition of his promotion, was the fo’c’sle officer. On the first occasion of berthing the jackstaff forward came into contact with the mooring lines of the ‘‘World Score’’, a large tanker recently built at the yard but awaiting a buyer. He recalls giving a running commentary of the distance of the line to the wooden staff using the microphone at the base of the staff, and muttering in between updates ‘Back lads, back lads.’ When it became apparent that contact was to be made he turned to warn his team to flee, only to find himself alone on the fo’c’sle. The ship’s carpenter later effected the necessary repairs.
The tie to Greenock was finally severed on Monday 7 November when the ship and her company, which had become very much a part of the ‘scene’ in Greenock, finally eased away from Customhouse Quay. A few days later she berthed in Amsterdam after a passage in very rough seas. The crew apparently enjoyed the visit which became somewhat extended when the brewing storm caused the canal to be closed. The ship was thus late arriving at Portland for her ‘survey ship safety check’ with the Royal Navy. This was also complicated by further trials on the new cams in the bridge control system being conducted by the manufacturer’s staff. The enthusiasm of the Ship’s Company and the cooperation of the training staff at Portland, though, combined to make the short period a useful one – though Commander Jaques did note a ‘few lapses’ in the standard of behaviour which he put down to ‘the tension of the occasion’ – and the ship was awarded a ‘satisfactory’ assessment.
The highlight of the immediate post-conversion period, though, was a visit by the ship to London. Making her way up the Thames on a fine winter’s morning she made a splendid sight as she passed under Tower Bridge (PHOTOGRAPH) to berth alongside HMS BELFAST in the early afternoon of 25 November. The first formal reception was held onboard with many VIPs, including the Lord Mayor of London, attending and the first christening was held using the new ship’s bell to christen Laura Stewart, the daughter of the ship’s Weapons Electrical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Charles Stewart.
The long journey back to New Zealand started on 1 December 1977 as the ship slipped from alongside BELFAST and made her way back down the Thames. Just before midnight she cleared the river estuary and set course down the Dover Strait for home some 26½ months since her arrival.
The ship paid a brief visit to Gibraltar where she fuelled in case the planned visit to Malta should not eventuate and then to Monaco, berthing in the small harbour adjacent to the headquarters building of the International Hydrographic Organisation. MONOWAI was the largest ship to have berthed there for some time and shared the venue with millionaires’ yachts and MV CALYPSO, the famous oceanographic research vessel of Jacques Yves Cousteau. Cousteau himself later visited MONOWAI and apparently pronounced himself to be greatly impressed.
News that the proposed visit to Malta had been rejected by the Maltese government (apparently in response to some imagined slight on the part of the NZ government) allowed the visit to Monaco to be extended by a day. The visit was thoroughly enjoyed by MONOWAI’s complement, the first real break since the trials and commissioning. Commander Jaques was invited to luncheon at the palace of Prince Ranier. The Navigating Officer, Lieutenant Ken Roberston, was invited to accompany him and this lead to considerable (generally good natured) jealousy in the Wardroom. The Wardroom ‘line-book’ however notes that members of the International Circus Festival were also invited to the luncheon and adds ‘Huh, all clowns together’!
From Monaco the ship sailed direct to Port Said at the start of the Suez Canal. There was considerable difficulty in communicating with the canal authorities who appeared reluctant to accept that the NZ Embassy in Rome were legitimate agents and ‘good’ for the canal transit fee, though the ship had been told that all necessary arrangements had been made. A few hours after arriving in the early hours of 19 December and anchoring off the port, a pilot boarded and the ship prepared for passage but found herself at the mooring buoys off Port Said itself. No shore leave was granted as it could not be ascertained when the ship might be allowed to make her passage through.
The ship’s postman and a junior officer were, however, taken ashore to land mail and to attempt to liaise with the Suez Canal Authority. After many adventures, including hiring a motor-scooter with driver for a hair-raising ride across town to the main post-office and from there to the canal offices where the officer was almost arrested for having no pass, the departure time was determined. The mail was despatched (it arrived in New Zealand two months after the ship) and the officer and postman returned to the ship having hired a ‘bum-boat’ for two bars of soap after being unable to attract the ship’s attention. They arrived back in time for the gully-gully man’s performance. The trip was worthwhile for the ship did indeed sail at the appointed time, leading a convoy through the canal early next morning.
The ship’s first Christmas at sea was spent on passage through the Red Sea and saw a variety of activities including a “sods opera”, exchange visits to messes, Christmas Carols and the first of the many flight-deck barbeques to be enjoyed through the ship’s lifetime. Commander Jaques records that the day passed ‘pleasantly and convivially’ but is careful to also record that it passed ‘ … without any reduction in ship efficiency.’
A small deviation to the planned course was made during the passage to the next port, Bombay, to allow a significant line of sounding to be undertaken to one side of the normal shipping track. Two teams of survey officers worked on the task which had been undertaken following discussions with the IHO in Monaco. Unfortunately the ‘steam’ team, working by conventional means, were the only group to produce any results, the ‘computer’ team succumbing to ‘confusion and corrupt data’ due to ‘operational difficulties’ and an elusive hardware fault. Commander Jaques later noted a reference in one of the new handbooks: ‘A mismatch between operator skills and system complexity may cause the entire system to fail.’
In Bombay, MONOWAI was taken in hand by a survey ship of the Indian Navy, INS JAMUNA, of similar vintage to the former LACHLAN. A busy but very warm series of entertainments and exchange visits were conducted and the two navies’ personnel got on very well. The new year was seen in at a party aboard the aircraft carrier INS VIKRANT whilst Lieutenants Martin and Dennison lead a determined group in a conga-line around the wharves, ‘first-footing’ to the other ships at the commercial wharves.
In Singapore, the ship’s next port, matters were more focussed upon maintenance although it would seem that time could still be found for socialising in what was still a busy New Zealand defence ‘outpost’. Whilst the seamen made good use of the fine weather to paint the hull and to repair the slight damage caused when fouling a painting stage whilst berthing, the engineers were busy attempting to rectify generator defects. These were to plague the ship on the voyage home and even lead to a brief stop off Darwin to pick up spares courtesy of HMAS ARDENT who carried them out to MONOWAI.
Cairns was the ship’s official call in Australia and the short visit there allowed the Australian Hydrographer, Captain Mike Calder RAN to inspect the new ship and her surveying systems along with his New Zealand counterpart Commander I W Munro who had joined for the remainder of the trip back to New Zealand.
Fair weather for her trip across the Tasman allowed the ship to make the Bay of Islands to titivate the ship for her return to Auckland, and to enjoy a final barbecue. The run-up to this event had seen a near lynching of the Supply Officer, Lieutenant G T Purcell, who the day before had sought volunteers to certify the dumping of meat as required by NZ agriculture regulations of the time. It was generally agreed that although preferable to the standard of victualling achieved by the civilian caterers during the sea trial period, feeding on the trip back to NZ was not of a high standard. RNZN rationing regulations of the time made no concession for the start-up costs of purchasing condiments and the basic necessities and these had to be found from the meagre allowance. The ship had thus existed on cheap cuts of meat although unbeknownst to most on board, a good supply of steak was carried in the freezers since it only became debited to the accounts when issued. Two junior lieutenants thus volunteered to certify that the steak had been dumped and a barbecue, the like of which had not been seen during the many of the trip, was thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps fortunately, all concerned escaped courts-martial, and hopefully the statute of limitations will apply.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral N D Anderson CBE, and the Commodore Auckland, Commodore K M Saull RNZN boarded the ship at the Orakei anchorage and whilst Customs formalities were completed and a supply of mortar bombs from the UK unloaded, they were taken round to take a good look at their new ship. Shortly before midday on Thursday 2 February 1978, Commander Jaques smoothly eased MONOWAI – without the use of tugs – into her constricted berth in the corner of the Boiler Wharf inside Calliope Basin where she was met by a small crowd of family and friends. Some of the personnel in the advance party had been away from New Zealand for a little over 10 months, but all had been away from the country for a considerable period of time and thus the ship very quickly moved into a leave period.
During the leave period, an event occurred which has become one of the RNZN’s “urban legends”. The retard duty officer, Lieutenant L.Robbins, was under instructions to get much of the superstructure areas painted. Shortly into the period, the leading seaman in charge reported that ‘Stores’ would not issue any white paint. The leading stores account duly advised that the Stores Depot – situated in another part of the base – were refusing to meet his demands. When the officer phoned the depot, he was told ‘You are not having any more paint, you have already used more than the rest of the navy combined.’ The mini-moke was despatched to bring the storeman back for morning stand-easy and it is reported that as he was driven onto the wharf and into view of the large white ship, his jaw could be heard to drop. Supplies of white paint were never then a problem.
MONOWAI’s first visit to a New Zealand port outside of Auckland was made to Gisborne on 31 March 1978. MONOWAI had taken up the mantle of her predecessor and HMNZS BLACKPOOL in being adopted by Gisborne. The ship’s helicopter flew ahead of the ship and brought the Mayor, Mr R White and the Chairman of the Gisborne Harbour Board, Mr G P Sheppard, out to the ship. Rear Admiral Anderson joined after the ship berthed and the Charter Parade and formal ceremony of adoption were conducted that afternoon, the Ship’s Company exercising their newly extended prerogative of marching through the streets with ‘bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying.’ The visit also served to cement the start of a lasting friendship between the ship and the city’s Riding Club for the Disabled. A reception on board that evening proved that 110 people could (just) be fitted into MONOWAI’s Wardroom!
The Chief of Naval Staff and the RNZN Hydrographer sailed in the ship for Wellington where she was to be shown off to over 500 people from a number of different groups including one comprised of two former Chiefs of Naval Staff, Rear Admirals E C Thorne and J R McKenzie and three former captains of HMNZS LACHLAN, Commanders F W Hunt, W J L Smith and G B W Johnson. About 200 people also visited as part of an ‘open-day’.
The ship’s first survey deployment commenced later in April 1978 when she started reconnaissance work for later planned surveys in Foveaux Strait, Stewart Island and in the West Coast fiords. There was some drama when Lieutenant Robbins and Ordinary Seaman (SR) Robbie Cadzow became stranded for a while at a trig point high above Doubtful Sound. As the deployment there was only planned to be for a short period, little ‘survival gear’ had been taken by the party. They could not locate the trig site although some remains were in evidence on the barren windswept top and thus they settled down to watch the ship steaming up and down Malaspina Reach flying the other parties around. It was with at first concern, and then alarm that they watched the clouds rolling in below them . The Wasp helicopter could be heard flying around below them as dusk approached. They resigned themselves to a cold and lonely night on the hill having already determined which of the equipment boxes would be sacrificed for heat and solace on the barren top. The helicopter pilot, Lieutenant Commander David Pomeroy, had already advised MONOWAI that he would be unable to recover the team. However, just as he turned away he noticed a slight break in the cloud and he powered the aircraft up and into it. The surveyors very quickly bundled themselves into the machine as it hovered by them, then Pomeroy raced for the gap below, landing on MONOWAI’s flight deck a few minutes after sunset. With a degree of trepidation, Robbins reported to the captain on the bridge, expecting at least a dressing down for failing to complete the task in hand. He was quite unprepared for the almost joyous welcome from the feisty captain who had given up hope of recovering them that day.
Despite the minor setbacks, the generally fine weather and ready availability of the Wasp helicopter lead Commander Jaques to ‘the uneasy feeling that it had all been too easy.’ These sentiments would be borne out by MONOWAI in later years.
MONOWAI’s programme was juggled to allow her to be in Dunedin for Anzac Day 1978 although to keep to her schedule she had to sail at low water around 11pm that night. The ship’s navigator, Lieutenant K J (Ken) Robertson remained in Dunedin to give a lecture to the Otago University School of surveying and Robbins stood in for him. A lengthy and involved temporary Notice to Mariners advised that lights in the harbour were progressively being changed and s to contact the signal station, Tairoa Head, for the latest details. A couple of hours before departure he contacted the signal station and was advised that the changes had not been started.
The ship sailed. Part way through her passage down the harbour some confusion developed. Otago Harbour mainly consists of a narrow channel through the mud flats. At night the beacons are readily seen, but it is extremely difficulty to establish their relative proximities to the ship. It soon became apparent that many of the lights had indeed been changed and this made it difficult to keep to the centre of the channel. As the ship strayed close to the edge of the channel, water pressure built up and forced the ship off course. Robbins and the chief quartermaster, Master at Arms Vickers, fought the ship all the way as she steadied in the middle and then, without warning would bounce from side to side. In the wider channel towards the Heads things settled down and Jaques expressed his concern over the problem to the signalman at Tairoa Head. The only solution that he could offer was to enquire whether MONOWAI had the latest charts. “WE MAKE THE CHARTS” shouted Jaques into the VHF. A rather shamefaced “Oh yes, I suppose you do… Out” concluded the discussion.
MONOWAI’s first survey proper commenced in the Bay of Plenty early in May 1978. This was the first in which the ship’s full suite of survey equipment was utilised. Hifix/6 stations were erected ashore at Cape Runaway, Town Point and Orete Point and the system was calibrated against the Trisponder system. This showed a very close correlation and gave great optimism for the future. The same could not be said for the Hydroplot system which continued to give sporadic problems.
Lieutenant Ian Martin tells of being landed ashore at one of the Trisponder sites with a theodolite so that a comparison could be made between the position derived from the Hifix and intersecting angles from the theodolites and simultaneous Trisponder readings. The portable radio equipment at that time was not to the same modern standard as the survey gear and communications were lost with the ship. At the site Martin discovered that long grass obscured his view of the ship. He and his assistant spent a considerable time marching up and down along the line of sight to clear the view. They had just completed the task and were setting up the theodolite when the Wasp – which had been despatched to all the stations to report on progress in setting up – approached the station. As it came in for landing the down-wash blew the grass up again … much to Martin’s chagrin!
Robbins experienced similar communications problems at his site, although the problem was more of his making since the power cable for the Trisponder had been forgotten. Endeavouring to raise the ship on the radio he realised that whilst he could barely hear the voice calls, the signal emitted during tuning was much clearer. Thus, drawing upon merchant service experience he called the ship using the tuning knob and morse code. Fortunately, the PO Radio Supervisor, PORS Haddock, was on the bridge and recognised the code, passing a written message “need power measleat papa” to the captain. Determining that the Trisponder batteries had failed (since Robbins’ station at Papa Aroha was clearly not on the air ) the helicopter was despatched ashore. Robbins was congratulating himself on getting the message through – despite rusty morse code and the difficulties of transmitting using a spring-loaded switch which was shorting out through his thumb – when the helicopter landed. He had to shamefacedly advise that the batteries were fine, but that the message should have read ‘need power cable at Papa’. The helo returned to MONOWAI for the cable and the station was on the air in time for the trial – thanks in part to delays caused by Martin’s own trials and tribulations.
Jaques pushed the ship and surveyors hard over the next few weeks to produce some progress on the survey and despite the continuing problems with Hydroplot, satisfactory progress was indeed made. Jaques had planned to utilise the forthcoming deployment to the South Pacific to have the current surveys drawn up using the system and last-minute the instruction to delay sailing and return the computer to the manufacturer in the United Kingdom was an unwelcome surprise. However, the system was dismantled and the ship deployed to the Solomon Islands to represent New Zealand at that country’s Independence celebrations.
JULY 1978
The ship made her second deployment to the South Pacific in September 1978, undertaking investigations into a number of ‘vigia’ in the seas around Tonga. A vigia is a report of shoal soundings which have not been adequately proved or disproved. It is far easier for a report to be entered onto the chart than for it subsequently to be removed. Whilst many reports are valid and a shoal is proven on survey, many are the result of ship’s sighting patches of discoloured water. The older the report, the more the position is likely to be in error, and a search , and a search for a vigia can take a considerable length of time.
The deployment on this occasion was a short one and the ship was back in Auckland early in October having re-supplied the weather station at Raoul Island and escorted HMNZS TUI back to Auckland with an engine defect. MONOWAI resumed her work on the Bay of Plenty survey and found time to conduct trials with the Sioux helicopter and to lay some dummy mines for a naval exercise and to visit Gisborne for the NZ Institute of Surveyors’ annual conference. The ship proved to be the centre of attraction with over 179 delegates enjoying a tour of the ship and a demonstration trip into Poverty Bay. A Trisponder and Hifix/6 chain was established in very short order and despite the presence of the s system Jaques pronounced himself very well satisfied with the impact made by the ship and her capabilities.
On 25 October 1978 on her way to the Bay of Plenty after a port visit in Auckland for Labour Weekend, MONOWAI was diverted to the Gannet Rock area in the inner Hauraki Gulf where a RAAF F111 aircraft had crashed. Jaques notes that the ship made the passage ‘at full speed’ although this only resulted in an increase of about 1/2 knot. The patrol craft HAWEA and PUKAKI were already on station but they were soon released as MONOWAI launched her boats and recovered the aircraft’s cockpit section onto the main deck. The survey motor launches TAKAPU and TARAPUNGA had been surveying in the Thames area and arrived at MONOWAI’s position at 1830. However, as the SMLs had no radar and no means of fixing their position (the SMLs used horizontal sextant angles as their primary fixing system and were never fitted with Trisponder or any other modern fixing aids) they were detached for the night and anchored in Man O’War Bay overnight.
MONOWAI sounded the area overnight towing her sidescan sonar equipment through the area. At around 0300 she detected a possible contact in about 41 metres of water, and confirmed it on the next line. However as the contact could not be investigated further, the ship continued to expand the search area. TARAPUNGA and TAKAPU joined at first light next morning and commenced a series of echo-sounder runs around the area indicated by MONOWAI. TARAPUNGA under the command of Lieutenant J.Stoakes very quickly discovered and buoyed a very probable contact and MONOWAI moved in to examine the area with her underwater television system. The wreckage had, indeed been located and MONOWAI was heavily involved in the diving operations over the next few days before it was determined that other ships and units would be more suitable for the recovery of the wrecked aircraft. At the end of her involvement in the operation a diving tragedy occurred when Leading Diver G Jensen suffered a mishap during a deep dive. MONOWAI’s medical assistant attended the casualty but attempts to use the Wasp aircraft to transport the diver came to naught when the aircraft went unserviceable at PHILOMEL. A doctor subsequently arrived in an RNZAF Iroquois but the diver died and the tragedy severely dampened the good feelings engendered in MONOWAI by a professional job well-done.
The Hydroplot computer eventually made it back to MONOWAI at then end of November 1978. The fault had been isolated to a faulty batch of pulse-transformers, several hundred of which were to be found in the Eliot 905 computer. The repairs had included the replacement of the pulse-transformers and the fitting of another core sourced from a computer used by British Rail in UK. Whilst some software modifications were required the system was deemed to be serviceable and it went on to prove its worth in the surveys being undertaken by the ship.
Routine surveying work on the Bay of Plenty survey continued over the next several months, the activity punctuated by a number of minor tasks including a Charter Parade visit to Gisborne and various helicopter trials. At the end of March 1979 MONOWAI laid a floating beacon to the NE of Great Barrier Island to be used by the SMLs in their survey. Jaques notes that ‘the use of the relatively primitive beacon [contrasted] oddly with the wealth of modern technology in MONOWAI’ but points out that this was a simple and effective solution for vessels using sextants as their primary position fixing tool. The story is told that the beacon was laid late in the day and that Jaques took some small delight in sending the request for a navigation warning since he was aware that the Marine Duty Officer (whose night would be disturbed by the message) was a former CO of LACHLAN who had had the habit of calling the Officer of the Day at any hour of the day or night for the slightest infarction.
MONOWAI was detached from her bay of Plenty work in April 1979 in order to undertake an urgent surveying task on the West Coast of the North Island. The British Admiralty were still publishing the chart BA2535 using copper plates dating from 1857 but they were now so worn that the RNZN was asked to accept responsibility for a new chart of the coast from Kaipara to Port Taranaki. As a complete re-survey was not practicable various surveys were used for the new chart but three areas, including the area off the Kapiara Bar, remained almost completely void of soundings. MONOWAI was thus called upon to provide indicative soundings using her satellite navigation system. Whilst this was a relatively coarse tool at the time, it enabled the necessary data to be quickly and efficiently obtained for the new chart.
On her way back to Auckland, MONOWAI received a message through Auckland Radio, ZLD, that TAKAPU was at Port Fitzroy, Great Barrier Island, with a civilian who had sustained head injuries that they were trying to evacuate to Auckland. The weather was too bad for the launch to make the passage and it was suggested that MONOWAI may be able to assist. Whilst waiting for MONOWAI to make the island, the doctor arrived on board TAKAPU with a baby born 10-weeks prematurely. As helicopter transport was not feasible until daylight MONOWAI was the obvious choice for evacuation. In an exciting transfer in Port Fitzroy’s outer harbour at 0230, the mother and child, island doctor and the injured civilian were passed to MONOWAI’s care. The ship then made best speed for Auckland, berthing at 0645 and transferring the patients to hospital. They were described as being in a ‘satisfactory condition’ but sadly the baby later died, being buried a few days later with a TAKAPU cap tally in the coffin.
MONOWAI received the second of her two 10.5 metre survey motor boats, SMB Pelorus, in June 1979. Like her sister, SMB Astrolabe which had been delivered in March, this aluminium boat was built in HMNZ Dockyard, the largest craft completed by the Dockyard to that date. Along with SMB Seagull, a kauri built boat 7.3 metres in length with ‘Kitchener Gear’ propulsion which had been transferred from LACHLAN, the new boats completed MONOWAI’s complement of boats for inshore work. By June of that year, when work on NZ surveys completed for the winter, Jaques was able to report that the Hydroplot system was now functioning perfectly and facilitating the increased output of survey data expected, and her survey arsenal was complete.
The RNZN traditionally progressed surveys in the South Pacific during the winter months in years when the survey ship was not in refit, and the winter of 1979 was no exception. En route to Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands) to represent NZ at the independence celebrations, the ship undertook passage sounding along poorly charted routes, vigia investigations and the like. The routine task of re-supplying the weather station at Raoul Island with its attendant difficulties was successfully completed by boat with Jaques taking the ship out to sea overnight for further passage sounding between the discharges.
MONOWAI enjoyed a frenetic period at the Independence celebrations, accommodating the Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, his wife and party (some 35 strong with aircrew and press) in representing New Zealand at the celebrations at which HRH Princess Anne represented the Queen. The ship’s Maori Culture Group performed at the Independence Eve celebrations on 11 July, completely upstaging the Australian and US representatives (HMAS TORRENS and USS LANG) and making a very positive impact. All three ships paraded small parties during the formal celebrations and hand-over the next day. The new SMBs in their ‘rescue orange’ livery made a very smart sight as the buzzed around the atoll transporting visiting officials and Jaques pronounced himself very satisfied with the impression made – especially (he gloats) as the boats had to assume VIP and liberty transport duties for all three ships on various occasions when the others’ boats suffered a succession of failures. Some of the ignominy of the previous year’s attendance at the Solomon’s Independence celebrations was thus lifted.
The major work for the trip, though, was around the Tokelau group with a variety of deep ocean sounding, official transports and representational duties. MONOWAI managed a faultless adherence to a very tight schedule throughout the trip and carried off the wide variety of taskings with panache. Jaques notes that the presence in MONOWAI of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mr F.Corner, and his team ‘was a most welcome injection of knowledgable and interesting personalities into the MONOWAI society’ and that the exercise was a most worthwhile example of cooperation between the government departments of Defence and Foreign Affairs, adding that ‘ … useful survey work was [also] completed.’
MONOWAI entered drydock for the first time in New Zealand in August 1979, her first docking in two years. A number of tasks were undertaken and it was apparently ‘most gratifying’ to see the interest in the ship’s systems and the efforts to ‘learn and experiment’ on the part of the naval dockyard in Auckland. These efforts, however, did not serve to offset the difficulties in procuring some of the parts required for the remedial work and the docking period extended over the due date and the ship finally completed a basin trial at the end of September. In addition to their normal ship duties the ship’s surveyors kept busy with reconnaissance trips to the east coast of Northland and Mercury Bay in preparation for the new season’s surveys.
Jaques took the ship to sea for trials on 2 October and considerable time was devoted to setting up the engine control combinator cams and trialing the hoisting and lowering arrangements of the new survey motor boats. Some problems were encountered but problems were soon identified and subsequently rectified. After a further day’s sea trials on 4 October, MONOWAI set off for Gisborne with the Commodore Auckland, Commodore K.M.Saull RNZN, the Gisborne MP, Mr R.L.Bell MP, and the Mayor of Gisborne, Mr R.A.White, embarked for the passage.
On arrival, a team under the charge of the Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander R.D. (Dick) McBurney MBE RNZN, headed off for the site of Cook’s first landing in New Zealand to erect a 45-foot flagpole. This pole had been built in HMNZ Dockyard and was shipped to Gisborne in the ship at the behest of the Gisborne Branch of the Historic Places Trust to be the centre-piece of the ceremony commemorating the 210th anniversary of the great navigator’s landing on 9 October 1769. The MONOWAI team, assisted by a local cranage contractor, completed the task without incident and the flagpole was used for the first time at a ceremony on Sunday 7 October attended by some 300 local people. Commodore Saull gave the keynote address and a contingent of 80 paraded from MONOWAI.
Lieutenant Commander K. J. Robertson RNZN, the ship’s Survey Operations Officer disembarked from MONOWAI off Whitianga with a team of 11 personnel and the survey motor boats SEAGULL and PELORUS in the middle of October[35]. The team picked up a task for which preparations had been made the previous year but which had been postponed until the new boats could be completed. The team ultimately made slow progress on the survey due to propeller shaft damage sustained by SEAGULL, blustery spring weather, and the relatively low level of experience amongst Robertson’s team – many of them being employed at their respective surveying levels for the first time.
MONOWAI meanwhile was busy surveying to the north of Great Barrier Island in a continuation of her survey entitled ‘ Approaches to Whangarei and Bay of Plenty’. This was a relatively uncomplicated survey although it required Hifix/6 stations to be established at various times in areas ranging from Cape Rodney to the southern Bay of Plenty. Trisponder chains were established to calibrate the HiFix chains and for local sounding. The survey proved to be a good test of the new surveying equipment fitted during the ship’s conversion and a very useful learning ground for those coming to grips with the complexities of the Hydroplot system. The survey was completed – apart from some minor tasks – by the end of November and a short survey on the west coast of the North Island between Hokianga and Kaipara was undertaken over a four day period to provide basic coastal bathymetry for incorporation into a new chart.
Robertson and his team were recovered by MONOWAI on 5 December. The team had initially been comprised of 12 men with two boats but was enhanced by the addition of SMB ASTROLABE and an extra crew for the final fortnight. Jaques was clearly pleased with what the team had achieved and reported[36] that “The project was the first opportunity in MONOWAI’s commission to detach boats and revive the traditional skills of small boat surveying and the espirit-de-corps [sic] that these hard-working but close-knit parties can generate. Only 3 of the 17 had previous camp party experience and the majority had little skill in boat and sextant surveying beyond their initial training. LT CDR ROBERTSON was successful in all aspects of his task and achieved a high standard of survey, a consolidation of experience at all levels and a high team spirit.” Jaques was also clearly pleased with the performance of the Dockyard-built survey motor boats in their first major tasking.
MONOWAI was not yet ready, however, to stop for Christmas as there was another task for the ship and she headed north to Rangaunu Bay where it had been reported that the Awanui channel, surveyed by HMNZS TAKAPU in 1958, had shifted. With the ship anchored offshore, the area was blitzed by the two SMBs – ASTROLABE and PELORUS and SMB PANDORA which was held on loan from the surveying school at HMNZS TAMAKI whilst SEAGULL was being repaired. The boats used the Trisponder system for the first time with lattice sheets drawn up on the Hydroplot system. In a very busy week, with the ship’s helicopter and shore parties deployed in support and as much effort put into ancillary support as in sounding, the task was completed and MONOWAI returned to Auckland for the Christmas break.
The dawning of the new decade saw a frenzy of activity with the drawing up of previous surveys by the ‘retard’ duty officers and preparation for surveys in the south island. Lieutenant Martin proceeded ahead of the ship to Stewart island to make preparations for a detached party which he was to lead. The ship sailed looking something like the cargo vessel she had once been, with two HiFix caravans securely lashed on the foredeck and three vehicles stowed in the vehicle deck. HMNZS WAIKATO’s Wasp helicopter and flight maintenance crew were transferred at sea off Gisborne and the ship made her way south. Gales caused progress to be severely reduced and the caravans caused no little concern as large seas broke over the bow. However, the ship berthed in Bluff only 12 hours late, the nightime arrival in blustery winter weather being something of a test for the new navigating officer, Lieutenant L.Robbins .
The survey of Foveaux Strait and Stewart Island commenced in earnest on 21 January 1980. The caravans were landed and numerous flying sorties conducted from alongside with reconnaissance parties shuttled to Stewart Island in the Wasp helicopter piloted by Lt J (Joe) Tunnicliffe. The unusually warm and calm conditions in Bluff caused some problems for the pilot of the heavily laden aircraft which often took the entire length of the basin to gain airspeed – to the consternation of the passengers and to the crew of a fishing vessel moored at the end of the basin. The boat soon sailed!
Jaques then moved MONOWAI over to Paterson Inlet and parties were despatched to set up the various shore control points required for the survey. Jaques notes that the difficult access and poor weather required extensive use of the helicopter but the task was achieved in good time. And Lieutenant Martin was landed in charge of an 18-strong party to the Forestry Department camp at Halfmoon Bay with all three motor boats. The ship then headed out into Foveaux Strait in a severe westerly gale to conduct a satellite navigation survey of the west coast, Jaques determining to head up the east coast to commence the survey at Cape Farewell because of the weather.
The survey started reasonably well, but a few days into it, the port stern tube developed aa problem whereby the Neox lubricant was being forced out by the cooling water. As this could not be rectified at sea, the ship put in to Westport so that divers could be used to inspect the shaft. To enter this small west-coast port, the ship had to be trimmed to obtain the minimum overall draft. This lead to some reduced handling capability but the berthing was accomplished satisfactorily in ideal weather on the afternoon of 8 February 1980. A delay in the re-supply of the necessary lubricant caused the ship to be held in Westport longer than anticipated and by the time it had been embarked, heavy inland rains had caused the river to flow with a current of 5 knots preventing the ship from sailing. Northerly gales set in. Jaques, accompanied by the Navigator, Executive Officer and Westport’s harbourmaster made a pilgrimage each morning at daybreak to assess the state of the bar. The ship eventually sailed in the evening of 11 February, Jaques using the current to take the bow round into the stream with the stern held by a line before powering ahead with the ship across the stream. This and the steering difficulties caused by the unusual trim have caused the departure to remain in the navigator’s memory to this day!
Most of the boat party were uplifted from Stewart Island on 16 February although Martin and a team of 5 were left there with SMB Pelorus to continue the task whilst MONOWAI headed for Wellington. The ship berthed at the Passenger Terminal and participated in providing delegates to the UN South Pacific Cartographic Conference with a brief demonstration trip around the harbour. Some 160 conference delegates, a number NZ dignitaries and a party of children from the Masterton Intermediate School – which had enjoyed a long association with RNZN survey ships – were shown Hydroplot at work. By dint of much behind the scenes effort the ‘survey’ had been processed, corrected and drawn up by the time the ship berthed again. Jaques remarks that the conference delegates who had taken a deep interest in the systems were ‘impressed’ but comments that the greatest satisfaction for the ship was the ‘ingenuous and very evident delight of the school children’.
From Wellington MONOWAI returned to Auckland where she was to undertake an assisted maintenance period. It was during this period that Jaques assumed additional duties as Hydrographer RNZN following the discharge, on medical grounds, of Commander I W Munro RNZN who had been ill for some time. It also saw the commencement of an ‘Enhanced Manning’ experiment whereby the normal complement was increased by about 20 allowing one-third to proceed on leave at any time and enabling the ship to undertake more sea time.
After further work in ‘mediocre’ weather on the west coast, the ship headed for Stewart island where Martin and his team were presumed to be carrying on their surveying duties. Whilst on passage, signals requesting medical appointments for a suspected hepatitis case onboard sparked off an alarmed response from Dunedin’s medical authorities. A flurry of signals included ‘puzzling’ references to ‘quarantine’ and ‘epidemic’ and resulted in the cancellation of the planned cocktail party and formal duties. The ship arrived in Paterson Inlet although Martin and his team were not allowed to come into contact with any members of MONOWAI’s complement. After a complicated series of manoeuvres which would have been worthy of Gilbert and Sullivan. Pelorus was re-embarked and Martin and team headed for Dunedin by public transport.
MONOWAI berthed at the cross-wharf close to Dunedin city which had been chosen as ‘home-port’ during the enhanced manning trial. The berth had been fitted with facilities to provide shore-power to the ship during the visits to reduce loading on the generators. However, the medical problems had to be attended to as a priority, and the entire complement, along with Martin, his team and the Navy’s Public Relations Officer, Lieutenant Roger Foley, were inoculated against hepatitis. Thereafter the first crew change-over was effected and matters returned to normal.
On sailing on 30 March, MONOWAI moved from the basin to the fuel wharf. Jaques’ usual practice was to stop the inboard engine as soon as the ship was slowing and approaching the berth in order that the ‘transverse thrust’ from the outboard propeller could assist the stern in towards the wharf. This practice was followed as the ship emerged from a turn to port to approach the fuel jetty. From his position on the port bridge wing, Jaques passed the instruction to Robbins, the navigator, to ‘stop the starboard engine’. This was relayed to the Officer of the watch, who passed the order to the engine-room using the machinery broadcast.[37] Shortly afterwards, the port main engine was seen to have been stopped. In endeavouring to correct the problem, both main engines were stopped with the ship moving towards the fuel wharf at about 4 knots.
Jaques and Robbins were galvanised into action at the same moment, and after a momentary period when they tried to get through the bridge door together, Jaques rushed across the bridge to the fo’c’sle broadcast , ordering the port anchor to be let go. Robbins had rushed to the telegraphs and put both to ‘Full astern’. The Warrant Officer below quickly realised the problem and started both engines, they were placed in bridge control and Robbins quickly put them astern just as the port anchor ran out. Jaques was informed that the engines were again available, and ordered them to the ‘zero pitch’ position, the ship coming to a smooth stop alongside the wharf in the right position for fuelling. Lines were run out and ‘Finished With Engines’ soon ordered.
By comparison, MONOWAI’s deployment to the Auckland Islands was quite uneventful. The ship enjoyed a busy and varied period with two passages to the Auckland Islands to land and, later, uplift parties from the Department of Lands and Survey, survey work at Jacksons Bay and further work on the offshore west coast. The programmer who was responsible for Hydroplot joined for a short period and was allocated the ‘VIP cabin’ adjacent to that of the captain. WOREA Stuart Smith was also billeted in this cabin to glean as much information as possible from the programmer, Peter Carmichael. Carmichael was a gifted programmer in the high level language used by Hydroplot and soon had one or two residual small bugs sorted out, and also incorporated some minor amendments necessary as a result of operational experience. In Dunedin, on Carmichaels last night, the Wardroom took him ashore for a meal at a local restaurant. This was a genuine gesture towards a man whose professional abilities the officers respected and whom they had come to like. It also allowed a small exercise in (unsanctioned) industrial espionage. Smith had brought with him a small photocopier (at a time when such copiers were not widely fitted in ships) and whilst the party were ashore spent several hours photocopying Carmichael’s notes. The RNZN had realised that software support to Hydroplot was totally dependent upon Marconi . It was believed that obtaining the source code would be a wise insurance. Perhaps fortunately, Smith’s efforts were in vain since the code and notes were unintelligible but in any case the insurance was not to be called upon during the life of the Hydroplot system.
Work on the survey of Foveaux Strait and Stewart Island commenced towards the end of April. An RNZAF Iroquois was allocated to the ship, in the absence of an available Wasp and despite the hostile terrain and the usually dreadful weather, reasonable progress was made. A signal allocating a berth in Wellington lead to some puzzlement in the ship since no visit was programmed. Jaques elected to continue sounding whilst signals seeking clarification were forwarded. Three hours later, an ‘immediate’ signal was received ordering the ship to proceed to Wellington for deployment to the South Pacific ‘on a task of national importance’.
Completing, as befitted the hydrographer’s ethos, the current sounding line, the Hifix station at Pearl Island was secured for an indefinite period and the station crews on the mainland were ordered to dismantle and stow their equipment. A complicated series of signals managed to re-arrange the various travel arrangements made for the returning ‘enhanced manning leave party’ as MONOWAI steamed for Wellington with her complement in a great state of excitement. The ship berthed in Wellington on Friday 9 May and commenced a flurry of briefings and preparations – including the planned (but slightly modified) crew change-round.
MONOWAI had been tasked to proceed to an area of the South Pacific some 300 miles to the west of Tuvalu where the Peoples Republic of China were planning the splash-down on an Inter-continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Lieutenant Commander J.G.Peddie RNZN joined as ‘Intelligence Officer’ to provide warfare back-up knowledge, Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Peter Robinson joined as the doctor, and additional communications personnel embarked to man the extra receivers that had been fitted in the small ‘‘Instrument Room’’ abaft the Survey Chart Room. Shortly after lunch the next day, MONOWAI sailed, making her passage up the west coast of the North Island and embarking the Wasp helicopter – piloted by Lieutenant Tunnicliffe – off Kaipara next afternoon.
On the passage towards Wellington, the ship had received the news of the untimely death of Commander I.W.Munro RNZN and it was all the more tragic that due to the pending deployment, the bulk of the RNZN’s survey officers would not be able to attend the funeral. Jaques toyed with the idea of having the Executive Officer sail the ship northwards, and rejoining with the Wasp helicopter but eventually, with a heavy heart, decided that this could be unwise.
The passage to the splash-down area was made at good speed and in generally fine weather. Contact was made with PRC naval vessels a week after departure and contact maintained over the next week. The deployment was aimed not only at demonstrating New Zealand’s interest in her own area, but also to take advantage of the opportunity of assessing the first major deployment of Chinese naval vessels into distant waters.
Jaques skilfully read the various signs and was able to position MONOWAI close to the principal area of interest. After a couple of days the Chinese determined that MONOWAI was not there to interfere and tacitly accepted her presence. Occasionally the ship strayed too close for the Chinese and a destroyer was despatched to firmly, but gently, shepherd the survey ship away. The same could not be said for the Australian monitors, HMA Ships VAMPIRE and JERVIS BAY, the former engaging in seamanship jousting matches with the destroyer assigned to her, burning up considerable fuel in the process. (Jaques wryly notes that VAMPIRE ‘appeared briefly between fuelling stops’!). MONOWAI was an ideal ship to have sent to the area; although slow and a little cumbersome, she was able to remain in the area for at least 35 days and the opportunity to perform in a purely naval role was welcomed and achieved appropriately.
Jaques correctly read the signs and MONOWAI was close to the site of the first splash-down although nothing could be seen from the ship. During the subsequent lull, contact was made with the usual shepherd, DDG 108, and Lieutenant Colin Quincey was despatched in the ship’s inflatable boat to carry gifts of a crest, a cap and some PR information about the ship. The gifts were received cautiously by the Chinese but soon, the morse lamp burst into life with fulsome thanks for the items and the expressed hope that “the friendship between New Zealand and the Peoples Republic of China may continue to flourish”. Next day, with MONOWAI rolling gently in the swell, engines stopped, watching the Chinese ships, Jaques received a message from the Chinese inviting him to visit. Expressing his sincere regrets, Jaques asked if he could send an officer to pay his respects and Quincey was despatched to quickly change into a good uniform.
Quincey recalls:
“Following receipt of an invitation for Commander JAQUES to visit DDG 108, discussion took place on the bridge about who should go. A factor was that a missile landing was expected at about this time. It was also felt there was a degree of diplomatic risk involved in the exercise. Thus being selected as the ‘volunteer’ was a somewhat dubious honour. A quick shift into whites and clutching some cap badges, a crest and PR material I was soon underway in the inflatable which was driven by Leading Diver Richard BLUNDELL. I was piped aboard but dignity in the boarding process was severally inhibited by a large swell and the absence of a boarding ladder. BLUNDELL asked what he should do. I advised him to wait halfway between MONOWAI and the destroyer (I did not want him tied to a ship when we had no way of predicting its movements – neither did I want him too far away!)
I was escorted directly to the wardroom and remained there throughout. I had asked ‘to have a look round’ and this caused considerable consternation and argument – I guess the security officer won the debate. In the sparsely fitted and furnished Wardroom I was in due course introduced to the Commanding Officer and, I think, Political Officer. We each went through the process, very politely, of stating the rights of our respective navies to do what we were doing and that over, had afternoon tea and discussed everything but politics. I presented my gifts which again caused consternation and a vigorous exchange of views.
After some twenty minutes a great clamour arose on the bridge and the ship got underway very quickly. The missile had landed ‘locally’ and the OOW was off at ‘full ahead’ to the landing position. BLUNDELL, displaying great loyalty, took off in hot pursuit of the destroyer in the inflatable. MONOWAI flashed the message ‘please can we have our officer back’ (or words to that effect) and also set off in pursuit. Meanwhile the CO of DDG 108, standing at the bottom of the bridge ladder, clearly admonished the OOW who had evidently forgotten I was on board – he was one very angry CO and his voice was clearly heard even though at this time the ship was going to Action Stations. (JAQUES would have been proud of him!) Chaos ensued for several minutes until the ship eventually stopped. With much apology and bowing of heads I was escorted to the midships rail to await the arrival of BLUNDELL – “we’d love you to stay for dinner but we have this ICBM to pick up.” You could almost taste the urgency in the air as we waited. I disembarked, this time with more dignity, and advised BLUNDELL to get clear as fast as possible which was just as well as DDG 108 tucked her stern down almost immediately and headed off at ‘warp’ speed.
The next day I was again despatched to DDG 108 as a result of a further invitation for JAQUES to call on the CO of DDG 108 Given the previous days activities I was not at all surprised the CO chose to send a representative rather than tyo attend himself! This was a briefer visit, enthusiastically cordial and I departed with two cases of beer and a rather large picture made of shells which had been removed from the Wardroom bulkhead! Honour in the business of gift-giving was thus recovered – a most important matter in the Chinese culture which no doubt would have caused the CO of DDG 108 some anxiety. I returned to MONOWAI in the somewhat overloaded inflatable at a more sedate pace than the previous day and relieved that I hadn’t been high-jacked – having my fingernails torn out because I wouldn’t tell MONOWAI’s secrets was not a pretty thought! “
MONOWAI followed the Chinese vessels for some way towards China over the evening of 22 May as they headed purposefully homewards at 14 ½ knots, eventually turning towards Lautoka in Fiji as contact was lost. A brief rendezvous with HMFS KIRO followed with the Fijian ship being refuelled by helicopter vertrep due to the rough seas. 24, 44-gallon drums were passed by this unorthodox method, success largely being achieved thanks to the burliness of the Fijians and skilful piloting of the Wasp. The visit to Lautoka was greatly enjoyed – although one of the junior officers recalls that it was the lieutenant commanders who were ejected from one of the better hotels!
Jaques and Peddie returned to New Zealand to make their report, the captain being relieved by Commander F.G. (Gilbey) George RNZN. Under George’s command the ship made a clandestine visit to the Minerva Reefs to assist the New Zealand government in determining its stance over the dispute between Tonga and Fiji over sovereignty. Early in June MONOWAI made a triumphal entry into Auckland bearing a dummy CSS-X missile on her main crane and with a ‘launching party’ bowing in Chinese style as MONOWAI paid the customary salutes. Not everyone perceived the ‘missile’ – constructed by Quincey and a team of volunteers from four 44-gallon drums and two plastic buckets – for the spoof that it was, one Dockyard worker being heard to exclaim ”You’d think they would have kept that hidden, wouldn’t you?”. After a short period in port MONOWAI then headed for the Milford Sound area to undertake a number of small tasks, an un-programmed cable-route survey having taken priority over the Stewart Island tasking. Jaques re-assumed command on 21 June and after recovering the equipment scattered over southern Southland and Stewart Island, the ship returned to Auckland.
After some maintenance, the ship sailed northwards again, to resupply the weather station at Raoul Island and onwards to Tarawa, in Kiribati to support the Prime Minister, Rt Hon R.D.Muldoon CH and his party at a South Pacific Forum meeting. The ship achieved all that was asked of them and exceeded expectations, the Prime Minister pronouncing himself well-satisfied with “his ship”. A check-survey in Funafuti, Tuvalu, was conducted along with a whirl of engagements in the islands. MONOWAI proceeded to Port Vila in Vanuatu to represent New Zealand at the independence celebrations although the ship was rather eclipsed by the Australian, French and even Fijian representatives whose governments had all made much more extensive preparations for their delegations’ visits. However, a visit to the outer island of Tongoa salvaged some face, Jaques observing that the ‘one day mingling closely with the simple people of Tongoa [did] more for New Zealand’s image in Vanuatu than the 3 days in Vila”.
Although this South Pacific deployment did not include major survey work, the usual ‘passage sounding’ was conducted throughout and much useful deep-ocean data was obtained. Commander George relieved Commander Jaques on 19 September whilst the ship was under maintenance and with new equipment being fitted for the ANZCAN cable survey . One of his first tasks was to speak to the Ship’s Company about the apparent lack of a programme for the ship, delays in negotiating agreements over the project – and in MONOWAI’s case, the survey for that project – having impacted somewhat negatively upon the Ship’s Company. The haste with which equipment was procured and fitted continued the frustrating run of delays during installation and trials. George notes “The [deep oceanographic] winch failed to operate due to recurrence of previous defects which the Lucas technician was unable to rectify. This was hardly surprising since it transpired that he was a butcher by trade and was employed by Lucas part-time.” However, even notable US manufacturers experienced problems, the winch for the Klein deep side-scan sonar working splendidly in deploying over 500 meters of cable, but singularly failing to recover it . The ship had to transit to deep water, where the wire could hang vertically while it was recovered using a Heath-Robinson arrangement.
However, on 12 November the ship sailed to commence the ANZCAN survey, the boats having already surveyed Takapuna Beach in Auckland. It was with evident relief that the ship was seen to depart, a number of signals in doggerel marking the event. The first few days were described as ‘bedlam’. In addition to the plethora of side-scan sonar observations, bottom samples and other observations, the ship’s surveyors had to work to modify their usual methods and standards to meet the somewhat lesser standards but quicker production of the cable consultants. These latter, from Cable and Wireless Ltd, were more used to the situation in the Atlantic and in the Malacca Straits areas and were somewhat surprised by the rapid changes in the bottom topography experienced in the South Pacific. One notes an increasing asperity in George’s reports!