HMNZS Endeavour

About a month ago, it was announced that the New Zealand Navy ship, Endeavour, was to be decommissioned. Taranki was the ship's home port, so prior to the decommissioning it sailed home one last time. The Navy band put on a concert, there was a civic parade through town, and there was a ship open day at the port when any member of the public could tour the ship.

The Endeavour was a replenishment tanker used to re-fuel ships at sea. It operated throughout the Pacific and South East Asia since 1988, re-fueling ships for New Zealand  and other Navies. The ship had four tanks which could carry a combined total of 5,500 tons. It could also carry cargo for support missions and re-fuel helicopters.

Follow this link for additional information on the ship: http://navy.mil.nz/mtf/endeavour/default.htm

The open day to tour the ship was a lovely spring day, although a bit windy to be climbing to the top of a ship! Shuttles took us from the port entrance to where the ship was docked. There was a good turn-out so it took a bit of time to go through the whole ship, but that also meant time to fully take in the surroundings. The crew were informative and helpful and proud to show off their ship, although it was probably a bit bittersweet for them as they would be on their way to new assignments.

It was hard to get photos that would really show the ship, but here are some of the better ones :)

Sunny day at the port

View from the ship