HMNZS Manawanui (2019) facts for kids

HMNZS Manawanui during RIMPAC 2020
Quick facts for kids History
Norway
Name	Edda Fonn
Builder	Myklebust Verft AS
Launched	2003
New Zealand
Name	HMNZS Manawanui
Cost	NZ$147 million 2018
Sponsored by	Jacinda Ardern
Christened	7 June 2019
Commissioned	7 June 2019
Homeport	Gisborne
Identification	IMO number: 9273662 MMSI number: 257211000
Fate	Sank on 6 October 2024, Upolu, Samoa 14°01'27.4"S 171°49'31.3"W
General characteristics
Type	Littoral operations vessel Hydrographic and diving support
Displacement	5,741 tonnes full load
Length	84.7 m (277 ft 11 in)
Beam	18.0 m (59 ft 1 in)
Draught	6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	4 × 1,920 kW (2,570 hp) 7,680 kW (10,300 bhp) total
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h)
Range	7,000 nmi (13,000 km)
Capacity	700 m2 (7,500 sq ft) deck area 800 tonnes deck cargo 100 tonne crane 66 passengers
Complement	39 core crew

HMNZS Manawanui was a multi-role offshore support vessel commissioned in the Royal New Zealand Navy. The ship replaced two decommissioned vessels, the hydrographic survey ship HMNZS Resolution and the diving support vessel HMNZS Manawanui (A09).

The ship was originally a survey vessel for the oil and gas industry, entering service in 2003 as MV Edda Fonn. She was purchased for the Royal New Zealand Navy in 2018, and commissioned as HMNZS Manawanui on 7 June 2019. The ship entered operational service in early 2020 and undertook multiple deployments in the Pacific over subsequent years. She sank in October 2024 after running aground in Samoa. All 75 people on board Manawanui survived.

MV Edda Fonn

MV Edda Fonn at Rotterdam in 2003

The ship was built in 2003 by Myklebust Verft and operated as MV Edda Fonn by Østensjø Rederi as a survey vessel for work in the oil and gas industry.

In August 2018 she was purchased by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) at a cost of $103 million to replace the hydrographic support ship HMNZS Resolution and the diving support vessel HMNZS Manawanui (A09). New Zealand ministry of defence officials reviewed 150 vessels before identifying the ship as suitable for conversion. Edda Fonn was equipped with the diving and hydrographic systems required by the navy.

The New Zealand government had originally planned to purchase a newly-built ship for these roles. After some of the funding for the project was diverted to cover the unexpectedly high costs of upgrading the RNZN's two Anzac-class frigates it was decided to acquire a second-hand vessel instead.

Operational history

After conversion at Orskov Yard, the ship arrived in New Zealand during May 2019. HMNZS Manawanui was commissioned into the RNZN on 7 June 2019. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was the ship's sponsor. At the time of commissioning it was intended that the ship would serve with the navy for 15 years. Manawanui was based at the Devonport Naval Base. Her honorary home port was Gisborne. The ship's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Commander Andy Mahoney.

Manawanui sailing in formation with other vessels during Exercise RIMPAC 2020

After being commissioned Manawanui underwent a further refit during which she was fitted with items specific to a military role. She entered service in early 2020. The ship took part in the RIMPAC military exercise off Hawaii during mid-2020.

In September 2022 Manawanui was part of a multinational operation to remove World War II ordnance in Tuvalu. In February 2023 she provided support in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. In November 2023 she conducted undersea surveys and disposal of World War II bombs in Niue, Fiji, and Vanuatu.

On 9 December 2022, Commander Yvonne Gray took the command of Manawanui. Gray, originally an officer in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, moved to New Zealand in 2012. In 2024 the vessel carried out three deployments to the South West Pacific, including visits to Kermadec Islands, Samoa, Tokelau and Niue. In its final deployment the vessel sailed from Devonport on 28 September, intending to return to port on 1 November.

Sinking

On the evening of 5 October 2024, the ship ran aground around one nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) off Siumu, on the south coast of Upolu island, Samoa, whilst carrying out survey work to a reef in rough seas and high winds. All 75 crew on board were evacuated by four of the vessel's life rafts and two rigid hull inflatable boats early on 6 October. Rescue efforts were managed by the New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre and the Royal New Zealand Air Force deployed a P-8A Poseidon aircraft to assist. The evacuation began at 7:52 pm on 5 October. Due to challenging weather conditions it took five hours for the lifeboats to reach the shore. One of the rescue boats flipped over during the journey and its occupants walked to shore on the reef.

The vessel caught fire by 6:40 am on 6 October and capsized and sank by 9:00 am. At least 14 people were injured in the incident, many from cuts and abrasions from walking on the reef, and three received hospital treatment, including one for a dislocated shoulder. The crew and passengers, including seven scientists and four personnel from foreign militaries, were accommodated in Samoa before being flown to New Zealand. The Royal New Zealand Navy is carrying out works to salvage the vessel and mitigate the environmental impact of the sinking. On 7 October local residents reported seeing and smelling oil near the wreck.

The reef being mapped had not been surveyed since 1987. The sinking will be investigated by a naval Court of Inquiry. The vessel is the first New Zealand naval vessel to be unintentionally sunk since World War II and the first to be lost in peacetime.

See also

• RV Tangaroa – NIWA ice-strengthened research ship