SeapixOnlineDisplaying 96 of 11107 HMNZS ENDEAVOUR (A-11, 7300 tonnes) - while her paying-off pennant was supposed to be flying proudly but was in fact, sadly, trailing in her wake like an oversized fishing line, the Royal New Zealand Navy's replenishment tanker Endeavour made her final home port entry today (1 December) ending 29 years sterling service.
Arriving home to the Devonport Naval Base on Auckland's North Shore, the ageing tanker was greeted by the traditional salute from the shoreside gun battery.
Having faithfully served the fleet since 1988, Endeavour will be officially decommissioned at a ceremony on 15 December.
She will be replaced in 2020 a the brand new NZ$500m state-of-the-art HMNZS Aotearoa, a Maritime Sustainment Capability (MSC) vessel complete with a drag-reducing "axe bow", to be constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea.
With the keel to be laid in September 2018, the new 24000-tonne displacement ship - the same displacement as Endeavour - is expected to be delivered to New Zealand in January 2020 and be fully operational by March 2021.
She sailed for scrapping in India on 20 March 2018 under the name ENDEAVOUR ALOFI.
Keywords: hmnzs endeavour, endeavour, tanker, fleet replenishment, decommissioned, ships, shipping, warships, navy, auckland, new zealand, nz, auckland |
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