New Zealand Defence Force
Te Ope Kaatua O Aotearoa
Media Release

Tuesday 6 November, 2007

Navy Operational Diving Team To Assist With Wreck Of Former Canterbury

The Navy Diving Team is responding to a request for assistance from the Police Diving Team to ensure all the charges placed onboard the former Navy Frigate CANTERBURY, sunk in Deep Water Cove on Saturday 3 November as a diving wreck, have detonated. The wreck of the former CANTERBURY will remain closed for all divers until this task is complete.

The Navy Operational Diving Team was called in for this task due to their capability to dive greater than 30 metres along with their surface supplied air and equipment (SSBA) which will make entering the diving wreck safer. The Navy Operational Diving Team are the premier divers of the Navy, trained for deep diving with mixed gases, underwater demolition and unexploded ordnance disposal.

The Navy Diving Tender, HMNZS MANAWANUI, with ten members of the Navy Operational Diving Team and the Officer in Charge of the Police Diving Team onboard, has arrived in Deep Water Cove, Bay of Islands, and the divers are now marking the extremity of the diving wreck. MANAWANUI will be moored as close as possible to enable the Navy Operational Diving Team to use the SSBA effectively.

This tasking is expected to take two days. The Commanding Officer of MANAWANUI, Lieutenant Commander Mark Longstaff said, “This is a great opportunity to be able to assist. It will be an interesting feeling seeing a ship that so many of us have served on over the years in this condition”.

ENDS

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