Devonport Naval Base
Royal New Zealand Navy |
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Devonport Naval Base |
Devonport Naval Base is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy, located at Devonport, New Zealand on Auckland's North Shore. It is currently the only base of the navy that operates ships, and has been in use as a navy base since 1841.[1] The base consists of HMNZS Philomel (the administration centre for the base), the Fleet Support Organisation, and the Fleet Personnel and Training Organisation.
History
In the 1840s the first naval station in New Zealand was established at Devonport. Devonport was chosen due to the deep water of the harbour.[2]
Operation
All operational units of the
Facilities
Shore based support is predominantly based at the Devonport Naval Base, Auckland, with a long and varied list of services and facilities, including facilities for training, sports, and cultural activities, dry dock, as well as engineering and flight support and the
Maritime Engineering Support Team
The Navy’s fleet of ships are maintained by the Maritime Engineering Support Team (MEST). The MEST is based at Devonport Naval Base and is a blended workforce of Navy personnel in the Defence Logistics Command (Maritime) and Babcock New Zealand employees. Babcock New Zealand is the Strategic Maritime Partner for the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
The base also has a modern converter system to supply the substantial power even a berthed navy ship requires. As NZ's navy ships use NATO standard 60-hertz power, such converters were needed to enable the base to use power supplied by the national grid. The new converters were installed in the late 2000s for $10 million, and will offer significant savings over using diesel generators, or having the vessels use their own power systems while in port.[3]
RNZN College
The RNZN College is also situated at Devonport Naval Base. Navy training encompasses numerous disciplines, from Recruit Training Squadron, Junior Officer Common Training and Sea Survival Training Squadron to specialised training for Operational, Technical and Trade, and Support Logistics branches.
Calliope Dock
One of the more famous elements of the base is the Calliope Dock, a
References
- ^ a b Devonport Naval Base Archived 2015-07-03 at the Wayback Machine (from the New Zealand Naval Museum website. Accessed 2015-07-05.)
- ISBN 978-1-927169-21-6. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- IPENZ, November/December 09, Page 24
- ^ Calliope (from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 1966 Edition. Accessed 2008-06-16.)
- ^ Development of naval repair facilities at Auckland, New Zealand 1841-1962 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine - Bell, J.A.; AMRINA Deputy Constructive Manager HMNZ Dockyard
External links
- HMNZS PHILOMEL (official base website)
- Navy Museum (official museum website) (accessed 2014-01-27)
- Auckland Naval Base Murders (from the crime.co.nz website)
- Photographs of Devonport Naval Base held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.