The New Zealand Navy has taken delivery of its final Protector Class offshore patrol vessel, HMNZS Wellington, at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland.
HMNZS Wellington commanding officer Lt. Commander Simon Griffiths said the vessel would deliver a new capability to surveillance patrols and military support operations throughout New Zealand, the South Pacific and the Southern Ocean, according to voxy.co.nz.
The 85m-long, 14m-wide Wellington has a displacement of 1,900t and can cruise at a top speed of 22kt.
Equipped with a 25mm Bushmaster Naval gun and two .50-calibre machine guns, Wellington performs missions including counter-terrorism, surveillance and reconnaissance, surface contact detection and interception, and maritime search and rescue operations.
In February 2010 the New Zealand Navy formally received Wellington’s sister ship, HMNZS Otago, as part of the navy’s Project Protector acquisition programme.
