HMNZS Waikato

## HMNZS Waikato (F55)

Waikato and 3 sister ships

**HMNZS *Waikato* (F55)** was a *Leander* Batch 2TA frigate of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). She was one of two *Leander*s built for the RNZN, the other being the Batch 3 HMNZS *Canterbury*. These two New Zealand ships relieved British ships of the Armilla patrol during the Falklands conflict, freeing British ships for deployment.

### Career

For the first nine years of its RNZN service *Waikato* operated around New Zealand and with the ANZUK naval squadron based at Singapore, which continued in reduced form in 1971–75 with the Royal Navy sending 5 or 6 frigates and destroyers. From 1975 Royal Navy task forces continued to visit New Zealand and Australia for exercises until 1983, when the Falklands commitment and the aftermath effectively ended the Royal Navy's central involvement with the RAN and RNZN. The Naval Board described the late 1970s Five Power Treaty as in a 'sense transitional'.

In 1975–77, *Waikato* was given an extensive mid-life refit, and essentially modified to the specifications of HMNZS *Canterbury* with the mortar and VDS wells suppressed and replaced by an enlarged helicopter landing pad, intended for Lynx helicopters that were never ordered and a closed circuit TV system to monitor helicopter operations from the flight deck. Surface and navigation radar was also updated to current RN standards a rather inexpensive alteration. At the time the RN had already rebuilt its early Leanders at great expense with Ikara missiles and computer action automation of weapon systems and the second batch *Leander*s of the same type as *Waikato* were to have their gun turret replaced with Exocet missiles, receiving additional Seacat launchers and improved C3. The cost of the later Ikara RN modernisations and the modernisation the Batch 2 RN *Leander*s often exceeded that of new built Type 21 frigates. The cost of modernisation of the *Leander*s depended on the hull age, and a nine-year old Leander like *Waikato* could almost certainly have been rebuilt, with automated 76 mm, CIWS in the mid-1970s, in the pattern of the Dutch *Leander* modernization at an affordable cost compared with the very costly modernization of a 12-year-old frigate like HMS *Dido* or HMNZS *Wellington*.

After re-entering service under the command of Captain Ian Bradley, *Waikato* was involved in the rescue of a seriously injured fishermen from the Soviet trawler *Ardatov* during which a Wasp, flown by Lieutenant Joe Tunicliffe, was launched in rough sea conditions to pick up the man from a trawler. On 15 November the ship had left Wellington to visit the Bounty Islands, to the southeast of the South Island, in heavy weather. During the forenoon a Russian fishing vessel well to the south of New Zealand called for assistance for a critically injured seaman and *Waikato* altered course and increased speed to get within flying range. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to locate the fishing vessel, in appalling weather conditions. The vessel was finally located 60 miles from its reported position the following afternoon and with considerable difficulty the sailor was winched off the ship and taken on board, to be flown to hospital at 3.30 am the next morning. For this incident the pilot, Lieutenant Joe Tunnicliffe received the Air Force Cross and Chief Medical Assistant Bill Filmer, who was winched on board the fishing vessel, received the British Empire Medal for gallantry.

Later, in January 1978, while escorting the United States Navy *Thresher*-class submarine *Pintado* into Auckland harbour, *Waikato* faced an armada of anti-nuclear protest yachts, which attempted to block the passage of the possibly nuclear-armed and certainly nuclear-powered submarine. *Waikato* ran into the harbour ahead of *Pintado*, with *Waikato*'s Wasp helicopter and another RNZN Wasp in company, deployed over the protest yachts to create downdraft which destabilised the protest yachts, and tipped several over in a controversial move which secured the rapid passage of *Pintado* to its berth. No one was hurt. While appreciated by the US Navy and crew of the submarine, the move was regarded as aggressive by New Zealand politicians and was condemned by the protesters. The approach was never adopted again. *Waikato* escorted the nuclear-powered USS *Haddo* into Auckland harbour with less drama the following February 1979, under the command of Cmdr Ian Hunter in a combined RNZN and Police operation deploying navy patrol craft and the police launch Deodar, but confining use of the intrusive Wasp to transfer of a police inspector to the Haddo and clearing the protest armada with only a kayak capsizing. *Waikato* earlier had deployed to Pearl Harbor for work up with USN fleet units and performed well in RIMPAC and exercises with the US and Canadian fleet. During these exercises Commander Bradley, positioned *Waikato* to land a USN SH-3 Sea King about to be lost with zero fuel. Some crew believed the frigate and its personnel were endangered by landing a large chopper never before tested upon *Leander*s and the order was officially noted. However, on the last day of the Falklands War a British *Leander*, *Minerva*, landed a Sea King helicopter.

During and after the Falklands conflict in 1982–3, *Waikato* deployed to the Armilla patrol to help free up British ships for deployment. *Waikato* alternated with HMNZS *Canterbury* on these duties, the frigates visiting Colombo, Karachi, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Port Sudan, Muscat, Oman and Diego Garcia on what was officially known as the Indian Ocean Patrol.

During July and August 1990, *Waikato* was involved in Operation BIGTALK, an intervention that was a direct result of the ongoing civil conflict in and around Bougainville. The New Zealand government was tasked with deploying its naval resources to negotiate a peace accord between the two warring factions, the resulting document is now known as the "Endeavour Accord". The ships deployed to this incident were the frigates *Waikato* and HMNZS *Wellington* and the supply vessel HMNZS *Endeavour*. Although the naval forces were not engaged during the operation, due to the intense fighting and civil unrest there was serious potential for insurgent attacks on New Zealand naval forces. Commendations were issued to each member of the crews to acknowledge their contribution. On 23 February 2017, it was announced by NZDF that the New Zealand Operational Service Medal (NZOSM) had been awarded to personnel who were in Bougainville for the Operation BIGTALK peace talks.

HMNZS *Waikato* was decommissioned from the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1998 and sold by the government for $1. She was stripped in the Northland port of Opua and sunk off the coast of Tutukaka on 18 December 2000 as an artificial reef. In 2002, the sunken *Waikato*'s bow was separated from the rest of the ship in heavy weather.