New Zealand Navy Ship Sank Due to Human Error, Inquiry Finds

SYDNEY, Nov 29 (Reuters) – A Royal New Zealand Navy vessel ran aground and sank off the coast of Samoa last month as a result of human error, a government-initiated inquiry found on Friday.

HMNZS Manawanui, the navy’s specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, grounded on a reef on the southern side of Samoa, on Oct. 5 while conducting survey operations. All 75 crew members on board survived.

“The direct cause of the grounding has been determined as a series of human errors which meant the ship’s autopilot was not disengaged when it should have been,” the head of New Zealand’s Navy Rear Admiral Gavin Golding said in a statement on Friday.

The crew did not realize the ship remained in autopilot and consequently thought its failure to respond to direction changes was the result of a thruster control failure.

The reasons why the crew failed to notice the error would be part of a wider inquiry expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year, Golding said.

No information was available on how many crew/officers were on the bridge.
No information was available on where the captain was or when she appeared on the bridge.
A data recorder was recovered but no information from it was released.

This has to be a very embarrassing event for the New Zealand navy.

They have two other ships moth-balled because of the lack of crews.
One of which will be re-assigned to replace the totaled HMNZS Manawanui.

My notes are from g_captain.

https://********.com/autopilot-oversight-how-12-minutes-of-confusion-sealed-hmnzs-manawanuis-fate/

For 12 minutes crew and officers on the bridge could not reason to check the Auto Pilot and disable it.

Lack of training?
NV Navy has to employ real stupid people?
At the time of this event, two other ships were in reserve (moth-balled) because of lack of personnel.

How many other navies operate in this manner?
How many other yachts operate in this manner?

Here is where it gets near comical;
They tried to stop the ship.
The bridge crew thought they had placed the ship in reverse and applied full power to the throttles.
The end result; what started at 6 kts ahead, they drove that ship on the reef at more than 10 kts.

I have a little understanding of the operation of DP ships in the oil industry.
This ship was from the oil industry and built similar to a DP vessel.
Nobody touches those controls, not even the captain, but one guy who is thoroughly trained, competent and sober.

I would hope the NZ Navy continued this bridge hierarchy. But this day (IMO), he was not on the bridge.

I fear the NZ Navy will really drag their feet in releasing the full report.
Lots of careers just ended.
Sadly, still no laws for being stupid.

Was it not a NZ Around-the-world, crew sail boat that ran on a reef a few years ago?

Not just picking on the NZ folks, The US Navy totaled a ship on a reef a few years ago also.
Yes, the US Navy has hit, collided, totaled the most peacetime tonnage, since WWII.
With the most boats in the water, this may not be that bad of a ratio.... Ship happens..

Interesting comments from a local (NZ) critic.