Superb crew effort saved British warship – NZ navy man

A New Zealand navy sailor helping salvage a crippled British warship at Lord Howe Island says the ship was saved only by superb work by its crew.

Chief Petty Officer Dean Hannah, who is a crew member on Anzac frigate HMNZS Te Mana, said the damage to the guided missile destroyer HMS Nottingham, was extensive.

"By rights she should be at the bottom of the sea. Her crew did an amazing job to keep her afloat," he said in an e-mail to his family in Torbay on Auckland's North Shore.

The 3500-tonne frigate hit rocks at Lord Howe Island about 10pm last Sunday and immediately began sinking bow first.

Hundreds of tonnes of water poured in through several holes in the hull and flooded several compartments, including the forward engine room, the Sea Dart missile magazine and several sleeping areas.

Some ratings, who were asleep or resting when the ship hit, fled from their sleeping quarters as the water poured in.

The ship put out a distress call and within hours the Australian air force flew heavy duty pumps to Lord Howe Island to control the flooding.

The New Zealand navy ships Te Mana and the tanker HMNZS Endeavour were also deployed to Lord Howe Island with extra supplies of shoring timber and salvage equipment.

Some of the now-dry forward compartments are criss-crossed with heavy timber beams which hold patches in place on the hull.

Some of the larger holes may not be able to be repaired, even on a temporary basis, until the ship reaches a dry dock.

The Royal Navy said the ship would probably be towed stern first to a port for repairs, possibly Sydney, about 300 nautical miles away.

The Royal Navy is also looking for barges to unload the ship's Sea Dart missiles, some of which have been badly damaged by sea water.

The ship was fully munitioned and hundreds of rounds of 4.5-inch ammunition for the ship's main gun, torpedoes and thousands of rounds of smaller ammunition for the ship's close in defensive guns.

CPO Hannah, said three New Zealand navy teams of 10 sailors were giving some respite to the crew of the badly damaged warship as they worked to restore systems and keep the water at bay.

He said it was "quite disgraceful" for British papers to have called the crew a bunch of incompetents.

"Their damage control and quick response to the massive flooding was superb."

He said the reinforced bow section with all the heavy shoring timber "was like a little wooden village".

"It's an interesting feeling to experience, knowing that the compartment below and the section in front of you are totally open to the sea."

"It's a great feeling to be putting skills I have learnt to work for real and to know that our team has done a good job."

He said Te Mana may escort the crippled ship when it was towed to a port for repairs.

"In a way, after helping them out, I sort of feel we are obliged to do. Someone will have to be there to effect a rescue, if needed."

Salvage experts believe it will be another seven to 10 days before the ship is ready for a five or six day tow to the Australian mainland.

Te Mana had supplied as much electrical equipment as it could spare, CPO Hannah said.

A Royal Navy board of inquiry has convened to investigate the grounding, which is believed to have happened when a relatively junior officer was at the helm as the ship's helicopter landed after taking a sick seaman ashore.

The ship's skipper, Commander Richard Farrington, was on the helicopter and was believed to have been making his way to the bridge when the ship hit the rocks.

The Royal Navy said it was too soon to say if Cdr Farrington or any other officers would be court-martialled.

- NZPA