Sea Power 2010: Protector - the end of the beginning | ADM Apr 2010

Nick Lee-Frampton | Wellington

Otago was due alongside at Devonport in Auckland on 26 March.

Melbourne to Auckland is approximately 1,416 nautical miles, about four days sailing time, so ADM asked the Maritime Component Commander (MCC), Commodore Ross Smith, why the delivery process should take five weeks and a day.

"Once the ship has been accepted and commissioned into RNZN service this allows the crew to move on board and start to learn the ship systems, safety procedures and the operational routines for the vessel," he said.

"We have to develop the skills and competencies to be able to cope with all emergencies and potential hazards to be ready to undertake the trans Tasman voyage to NZ.

"The crew will undertake training and exercises alongside and will then do the same at sea.

"Finally they will be examined [on] their ability to not only do their job on board but also to ensure that they can keep the ship safe or deal with any emergency."

A perfectly rational explanation - if indeed the crew were denied access to Otago until the handover, if the operating manuals had only just arrived, if there had not been at least two sea trials conducted - in February 2008 and August 2009 - and if there were no simulation aids available.

However, Otago's delivery crew have been with her since October; presumably operating instructions have long been available for a vessel launched in 2006 and in June last year the RNZN declared its Marine Engineering Synthetic Training Environment (MESTE) open, with an OPV bridge simulator due in July.

Both in hardware and software terms, therefore, potential OPV crews have for some time have been able to practice sailing their ships; moreover, only months ago the RNZN accepted the four Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) and thus acquired invaluable practical experience regarding the delivery of new ships.

Remember, the mission is simply to deliver Otago, a simple, basic Otago for the more sophisticated equipment has yet to be fitted.

"Although some military equipment will be fitted in Melbourne, the majority will be fitted by VT Fitzroy and the Navy in Devonport," Smith advised ADM.

Still uncertain why there should be 36 days between Otago's handover and arrival in NZ, ADM again queried the matter.

Smith went deeper: "Until the ships were accepted by [the RNZN] they remained the property of the builders and Navy personnel were not authorised to operate or train on the machinery or systems.

"It is correct that Navy personnel, including the delivery crew, have had the opportunity to walk over the ships, but that ... is not a substitute for hands-on operator experience, drills, and time at sea.

"Likewise, observing sea trials undertaken by the contractors is no substitute for actually taking the ship to sea.

"MESTE is still coming into full operation.

"Moreover, [it] is designed to train engineering crew and is not a whole-of-ship simulator.

"In any case, personnel trained using the MESTE must still achieve certification on the actual platform before being allowed to operate."

A long time coming
Lieutenant Commander Simon Rooke, the Commanding Officer (CO) of Otago, gave ADM another perspective.

He said he first set foot on his ship ‘some two years ago' when he accompanied then MCC Tony Parr, (now Chief of Navy and a Rear Admiral) to Melbourne.

Then in August 2009, Rooke attended sea trials of both Otago and Wellington - the latter scheduled for acceptance and delivery in April.

"My primary exposure to Otago, however, has been during the last six months, since deploying to Melbourne to undertake preparations to accept [the vessel]," Rooke said.

"Since October 2009, with the exception of an eight week period back in NZ during December/January, along with the rest of my ship's company, I have had daily access to Otago for training and familiarization."

So, Rooke says daily access for training since October 2009 and Smith says it has been ‘look but don't touch' until the formal hand-over.

There is another perspective that is puzzling - and familiar.

When the IPVs were formally handed over last year at Whangarei the RNZN barely acknowledged the event.

And a new Chief of Navy later, the same discretion has been applied to the OPVs.

But it was not always this way.

Prior to the launch of Otago (18 November 2006) there were two press releases, five and 10 days in advance respectively of the event, inviting the press to witness the ceremony, yet today a different polarity appears to prevail.

In January 2010 a senior official at the Ministry of Defence told ADM that the OPVs had at last been offered to the Crown.

However, in early February, when asked why there was no official announcement of this long-awaited and welcome event, Minister of Defence Dr Wayne Mapp's office blandly denied that there was anything to announce.

About a fortnight later the Minister did acknowledge the hand-over- on the day it occurred.

Last year when ADM queried the low-profile acceptance of the IPVs the then Chief of Navy said it was because the emphasis was on the ships arrival at Devonport and their inaugural visit to their home ports.

Smith provided the same explanation with regard to the OPVs acceptance.

ADM wonders if the soft focus on the handover was because there were still, as one industry observer noted, ‘more lawyers than sailors' on board?

One thing is certain; LTCDR Rooke is impressed with his new command.

"The class designation of Offshore Patrol Vessel sets a mental image of a large patrol boat, but in reality the OPV is a small ship.

"During the past six months my impression of Otago has grown favourably as I have become familiar with her capabilities.

"The OPVs are strongly constructed vessels that should be able to perform their roles very well."

What happens next? ADM asked Rooke.

"Now that we have accepted Otago into service, personally, the delays are pretty much a distant memory.

"As CO, my focus is looking forward and ensuring that Otago successfully completes her Introduction into Service (IIS) and then the Operational Release plan.

"The plan will be reviewed because the nature of patrols in the NZ EEZ is seasonal.

"The lead time between arrival in NZ and the ship being ready for operational tasking [allows] us ... to adjust the plan to meet the needs of other agencies and the RNZN."

Crewing
ADM asked Smith if the RNZN expects to have enough sailors to crew both OPVs.

"Yes," he said.

"The provision of crews has been well managed for some months.

"The delivery crew is [less] than the full complement of an OPV and will be incorporated into the full crews of both OPVs.

"The ships will be fully crewed for their sea trials and work up.

"This strategy was successfully employed for the IPVs.

"Now that we have the first [OPV] accepted into service we are already planning an active program to ensure that it is ready for operations as soon as possible."

Is there then a need to ‘make up' for lost time?

"The Navy does not need to make up for lost time," replied Smith.

"The role which the OPVs will undertake is a new [one] for the RNZN.

The clock only started for the OPV program when we had confirmation that the ship could be accepted."

The delay in introducing the OPVs has caused some casualties though.

"Opportunities for personnel who expected to be serving in these ships over two years ago have been lost.

Many officers and sailors have progressed their careers to the stage where they have been promoted beyond the requirements to serve in an OPV," admitted Smith.

But maybe there have been some advantageous aspects attributable to the delay: "The IIS phase should be swifter than it might otherwise have been," Smith said.

"As lessons learned from the IPVs can be applied directly, rather than the parallel running which would otherwise have been the case."

Arguably, too, the delay has allowed Navy the time to train more sailors.

Had all seven Protector ships been delivered in 2007 as original intended, the RNZN may well have struggled to find enough qualified sailors to crew them.

Personnel requirements may be satisfactory, but have all the J3 Zodiac RHIBs required for the Protector fleet now been delivered?

"No," admitted Smith.

"However, there are sufficient RHIBs in Navy's possession to allow the introduction into service of the Protector vessels. We expect the last RHIB to be delivered by September 2010."

Timeline
And what of initial operating capability, ADM asked?

"If the equipment fit-out is achieved according to plan then we expect that Otago will have completed its operational evaluation 22 weeks after her arrival in Devonport.

"The road to full operational capability will depend upon the first of class flying trials and the integration of the SH-2G Seasprite onto the ship.

"That is expected to happen some time in 2011."

Given the RNZN only operates five Seasprites and with the introduction to service of the two OPVs, the RNZN will have five Seasprite capable ships.

The plan for initial OPV deployments is still being developed, said Smith.

"The final details will not be known until we have completed the operational evaluation of the ship and have gained a comprehensive understanding of her capabilities.

"Over the next 18-24 months, the OPVs will undertake tasks in the EEZ and hopefully beyond.

"As with all new equipment, we will look at ways of developing capability and determining the most efficient [operational procedures].

"We are well aware of the fact that the OPVs are capable of patrolling from the South Pacific [islands] to the [Ross Sea] and we will need to explore that potential."

Given that the OPVs will perform tasks that hitherto have been conducted by the Anzac frigates, is the 2010 program for the latter now going to alter? asked ADM.

"The frigate program will remain.

"It has not been affected by the delay in OPV delivery," said Smith.

The frigate program may not have been affected but there are disturbing parallels between the legal battles over the America's Cup yachting contest and the negotiations between the RNZN and BAE Systems Australia over all seven Project Protector ships.

When the RNZN actively begins seeking a replacement for the fleet tanker Endeavour, the shadow of the men in suits may loom awkwardly large.