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HMNZS Canterbury

15K views 48 replies 27 participants last post by  Philby 
#1 ·
Following on from Zeewestie's thread "Warships entering Waitemata Harbour".

New Zealand’s Leander class frigate CANTERBURY (F421) photographed at the Queens Silver Jubilee Review at Spithead on the 26th June 1977.
 

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#3 ·
Her swansong will be a short tour of New Zealand ports - Timaru 11 - 14 March, Lyttelton 16 - 21 March and I think a call at Akaroa on 15 March.
I shall be at Lyttelton suitably armed with camera for the final public inspection. Lyttelton was her "home port" and many ceremonies are planned for that final visit - March thru the City Centre, Church Service, etc.
The end of an era in New Zealand Naval history. Quite sad really..........
 
#5 ·
Some totally useless, but interesting nonetheless information:
559 Officers and 3269 ratings have served on her. She has travelled 960,000 nautical miles.
In 1973, she sailed to Mururoa Atoll to protest against French nuclear testing. 1982 & 1983 saw here patrolling in the Arabian Gulf and in 1987 she became the first New Zealand Navy ship to visit China. In 1996, she steamed the Persian Gulf enforcing the UN embargo against Iraq and the following year she was part of peacekeeping forces in Papua New Guinea.
In addition, she has taken aid to cyclone victims in Samoa and Tokelau, has escorted HMS Brittania twice and undertook two British trips in the early 1990s for 50th Anniversary commemorations of World War II.
HMNZS Canterbury will sail from Lyttelton for the last time on 21 March for Devonport Naval Base where she is to decommision on 31 March after 34 years service with the Royal New Zealand Navy.
I shall be at Lyttleton tomorrow for her final Open Day, so expect some photos on the Site soon.
 
#7 ·
To my knowledge yes, from memory and without checking there are two/three? in South American navies. Dont know of any succesful preservation attempts..which is a great shame as they are without doubt classic vessels and so representative of their era. I think that there may still be one or two decomissioned floating around the UK and getting cleaned up so that they may be sunk as artificial breakwaters for marine life. The Oz variants have all gone, possibly India may have a couple still going but I think thats about it. Sad end to a numerous Class. I was on two of them in my very early days, Denmark Strait, thought we were a submarine, atrocious weather, but good sea ships, second Singapore in the time of Confrontation!!.
 
#9 ·
There was a book published back in the late 70s/early 80s entitled "Well Done Leander" by Jack Harker.
The author served aboard Leander as a telegraphist and is a wonderful read.
Others followed called "HMNZS Achilles" and "HMNZS Gambia" and I think there was one called "Almost HMNZS Neptune"
 
#13 ·
Thanks for thos photos Marapito. For some reason, whenever I look at the NZ ships they always seem to look 'wrong'. Can't really put my finger on it, perhaps its something small like the lack of black paint on the mast, or the pennant number looks like its wearing off. Hmmm.
As for Lytellton, happy days there! Many an interesting evening spent in 'The British' or 'The Irish Bar' and the Royal Hotel.
A couple of things I remember were the preserved steam tug, the numerous wrecks littered about the place, and two ever presen trawlers that had apparently been arrested.
As I recall, doesn't Lytellton have the steepest street in the world?
 
#14 ·
Lyttelton Revisted

Sorry to have to say that Lyttelton isn't quite as interesting as it used to be.

Access to the wharves (which are still dominated by rusting "Klondykers") is no longer possible; which is a bit of a shame - half a century ago I'd be down there with a Box Brownie, but now it takes a telephoto lens from a high vantage point.

The British pub is a ghost of its former self; almost respectable now and the town itself has become a gentrified suburb of Christchurch, with trendy eateries and not a single Greasy Spoon cafe left.

About thirty cruise ships call each Summer and car-carriers disgorge second-hand cars from Japan every week of the year. The superbly maintained 1907 tug "Lyttelton" is still cruising the harbour (I've stoked her boiler in a Dinner Jacket).

The distinction of the steepest street in New Zealand (if not the world) probably belongs to Queenstown, but Lyttleton's amphitheatre landscape continue to make it one of the most visually attractive towns on the remotest frontier.
 
#17 ·
Leanders Still in Service..

If you are prepared to travel there are still Leanders to be seen in quite sizeable numbers. Chile operates the former HMS Achilles (Ministro Zenteno) in addition to the two which were built for her from new (Condell ad Lynch). Ecuador operates the former HMS Penelope (Presidente Eloy Alfaro) and HMS Danae (Moran Valverde). HMS Apollo and Diomede are in Pakistan as Zulfiqar and Shamsher respectively although the former is now used as a spares source for the latter. If you are quick you can still see HMS Bacchante (HMNZS Wellington) as she is prepared to be sunk as a reef in November.

Foreign built Leanders are still in service with India (Himgiri, Udaygiri, Dunagiri, Taragiri and Vindhyagiri) although these are beginning to pay off and with Indonesia, six former Dutch Leanders of the Van Speijk class, although it is hard to assess their operational condition. Attache dis pic of Wellington in happier times.
 

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#19 ·
James_C said:
Thanks for thos photos Marapito. For some reason, whenever I look at the NZ ships they always seem to look 'wrong'. Can't really put my finger on it, perhaps its something small like the lack of black paint on the mast, or the pennant number looks like its wearing off. Hmmm.
As for Lytellton, happy days there! Many an interesting evening spent in 'The British' or 'The Irish Bar' and the Royal Hotel.
A couple of things I remember were the preserved steam tug, the numerous wrecks littered about the place, and two ever presen trawlers that had apparently been arrested.
As I recall, doesn't Lytellton have the steepest street in the world?
Baldwin Street Dunedin has the worlds steepest street. Happy 'daze' in the British in '77. 11 days a/s, my only visit to this port. Is the port actually inside a volcano?
 
#21 ·
No, the one mentioned above is the Leander class frigate called Achilles. The Achilles to which you refer was sold to the Indians in 1948, and was scrapped in 1978.
There is talk of raising the Graf Spee, and indeed some bits have already been brought up, however, shes in pieces. The man behind it is James Cameron, the Director of the 1997 film 'Titanic'. And he's making a rolling do***entary (expected to take many many years to complete) as all the various bits are salvaged. Apparently the Uruguayan government is behind the scheme.
If they were to raise and restore her properly, then she would be a marvellous musuem. When I saw restore her properly, I mean putting all the bits back together, and restoring her *exactly* as she was in 1939, sort of like HMS Belfast or Victory.
However, that would of course cost an absolute fortune. So who knows.
 
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