HMNZS Te Mana (F111) Frigate from New Zealand

HMNZS Te Mana (F111) /Photo Benchill

HMNZS Te Mana (F111) is one of ten Anzac class frigates and one of two serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy. The name Te Mana is Māori, approximately translating as 'status' or 'authority' (for further information on this term, see Mana).

Construction

Te Mana was constructed by Tenix Defence Systems at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia and launched on 10 May 1997 by the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu. The frigate was commissioned into the RNZN on 10 December 1999 in her homeport of Tauranga. She is expected to be in service beyond 2020. The ship is based at Devonport Naval Base, Auckland. However in keeping with RNZN tradition she is ceremonially homeported at Tauranga.
Cracks were discovered in Te Mana's sister ships HMAS Anzac and HMNZS Te Kaha, at the point the bilge keel joins the hull. Te Mana was to be checked and repaired for similar cracks at her scheduled service in August 2002.

[edit] Operational history

The Te Mana was sent to the Solomon Islands in 2000, in preparation to evacuate around 225 New Zealanders from the ethnic conflict on the islands.
A sailor died at sea aboard the frigate on 29 March 2001; the death was investigated by the New Zealand Police but treated as not suspicious.
In February 2002, a Seasprite helicopter flown by a Royal Australian Navy test pilot crashed into the Te Mana’s deck. The ship was operating during 3-metre (9.8 ft) high seas in Cook Strait, a court of enquiry later found that no single event was to blame for the accident. The repairs to the Seasprite cost an estimated $7.4 million.
Te Mana went to the aid of HMS Nottingham in July 2002, when Nottingham ran aground on the submerged Wolf Rock, and provided manpower, supplies and salvage equipment to the stricken vessel.
From 28 January 2003 until 4 August 2003, Te Mana was deployed to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, conducting Maritime Interdiction Operations as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Te Mana deployed to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman for a second time in 2004, again to undertake Maritime Interdiction Operations, as part of Combined Task Force 150. In May the helicopter was damaged, at a cost of up to $4 million; a court of enquiry later found the pilot and co-pilot had failed to lash the aircraft down to the deck correctly. In the Gulf of Oman on 14 July 2004, a crew member aboard a merchant bulk chemical carrier fell into a tank while cleaning it. Te Mana responded to the emergency call and sprinted to the scene, the ship's medic was flown over to the bulk carrier, but the patient was unable to be revived. She returned to Devonport on 10 September 2004, having queried 380 ships and boarded 38.
Te Mana and HMNZS Endeavour were the first RNZN vessels to visit Russia, arriving in the Pacific port of Vladivostok on 10 June 2005 on a diplomatic mission.
A fire broke out about Te Mana in February 2006, while it was participating in an exercise off the coast of Australia. The ship's Seasprite helicopter was diverted to sister ship HMAS Stuart and the fire was put out by the crew.
The breeding ground of the Kermadec Storm Petrel was discovered with the assistance of Te Mana in August 2006, when the ship transported an ornithologist to a rocky outcrop in the Kermadec Islands group, enabling him to find a nest. The ship was on the annual mission to resupply Raoul Island for the Department of Conservation.
Early in 2007 the vessel's diesel engines developed a problem as she crossed the Tasman Sea to Sydney. The engines became unusable and the ship had to use the gas turbine for propulsion. Sister ship Te Kaha suffered a similar problem one month later.^[18]
Te Mana deployed from Devonport to the Central and Southern Persian Gulf on 7 April 2008, as part of Coalition Task Force 152. Sailing via Singapore, she arrived on 11 May 2008, beginning a three month patrol of the region's waterways, including guarding against threats to the oil industry infrastructure, as well to prevent smuggling and piracy.

USS Mission Bay (CVE-59)

USS Mission Bay (CVE-59)/Photo US Navy

USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy. Named for Mission Bay, California, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Originally scheduled to be built as AVG-59, USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) was redesignated ACV-59 on 20 August 1942 and laid down by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington on 28 December 1943; launched on 26 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James McDonald; redesignated CVE-59 on 15 July 1943; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on 13 September 1943; and commissioned at Astoria, Oregon the same day, Captain William L. Rees in command.

Service history

After shakedown off California, Mission Bay departed San Diego on 15 November for the east coast via the Panama Canal, arriving Portsmouth, Virginia on 5 December. Assigned to convoy and antisubmarine duty, she got underway for Europe the 26th, arriving Casablanca, French Morocco (now Morocco), 14 January 1944. Two days later the escort aircraft carrier sailed for the east coast, reaching Portsmouth 8 February.
On 20 February, Mission Bay steamed from New York with a load of Army planes and personnel for India, stopping at Recife, Brazil, and Cape Town, Union of South Africa, before arriving at Karachi on 29 March. By 12 May, she was back at Portsmouth. On the 28th, the carrier departed New York again on another trip to North Africa. Mission Bay arrived Casablanca on 6 June to steam for home 2 days later, entering the New York channel on the 17th. That same day she collided with a dredge and had to continue on to Portsmouth for repairs, mooring on 22 June. On 8 September, Mission Bay steamed from Portsmouth for the south Atlantic. After refueling at Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal) on 20 September, she conducted antisubmarine operations into November ending at Portsmouth on the 25th. Her next cruise from Portsmouth on 21 December took her to the Caribbean for exercises between Mayport, Florida and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba into March 1945. In February, Mission Bay was ordered to sail in the direction of Gibraltar to meet Quincy on the 23rd, and escort the heavy cruiser returning in convoy from the Yalta Conference from 4–11 February, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and party embarked. Mission Bay left the convoy en route to Newport News, Virginia, mooring at Bermuda, British West Indies on the 27th before continuing on to Portsmouth to arrive 9 March.
After antisubmarine duty in the North Atlantic from 29 March-14 May during Operation Teardrop, Mission Bay cruised off the east coast, training pilots, until she sailed for Guantanamo Bay on 19 July. The escort carrier returned to Quonset Point, R.I. on 2 August to continue training operations off the east coast through the Japanese surrender on 15 August into December.Navy Day, Oct 27th 1945 she was part of the celebration at Wilmington Del. that hosted Adm Bill Halsey. On 19 December, Mission Bay was assigned to the 16th Fleet, with Norfolk as her home yard, to serve in an incommission, in reserve status the next year. Placed in service in reserve on 21 February 1947, she entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk to remain there until she joined the New York Group on 30 November 1949. On 12 June 1955, she was redesignated CVU-59. The utility aircraft carrier was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1958, and sold to Hugo Neu Corp of New York, New York on 30 April 1959 where she was subsequently scrapped.

USS Fessenden (DE-142)

USS Fessenden (DER 142) alongside USS Kawishiwi (AO 146)/photo US Navy

USS Fessenden (DE-142) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, born in Brome County, Quebec, Canada, 6 October 1866. He served as head chemist with Thomas Edison's East Orange, New Jersey, laboratories. In 1890 he began concentrating on electrical engineering, and through the next years made many important inventions and improvements in existing devices. His great contributions in the field of radio (particularly the invention of radio-telephony were of marked benefit not only to the Navy but to all seamen. He died 22 July 1932, at his home on Bermuda.
Fessenden (DE-142) was launched 9 March 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas; sponsored by Mrs. R. K. Fessenden, daughter-in-law of Professor Fessenden; and commissioned 25 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander W. A. Dobbs, USNR, in command. She was reclassified DER-142 on 1 October 1951.

World War II Atlantic Ocean operations

After a period at Norfolk, Virginia, as training ship for crews for escorts soon to be commissioned, Fessenden carried out an escort mission to the Panama Canal Zone, returning to Norfolk 5 November 1943. Between 23 November and 18 March 1944, she escorted convoys on two voyages to Casablanca, then on 3 April sailed again to guard a convoy to Bizerte. Off Bone 20 April the convoy came under heavy air attack, one guardian destroyer being sunk, and on the homeward bound passage, the convoy screen lost two more destroyers to submarine attack. Fessenden returned safely to New York 21 May.
She sailed from Norfolk next on 12 June 1944, and escorted a convoy as far as Gibraltar, where she was detached to escort two captured Italian submarines to Bermuda. One developed engine trouble 2 July and was ordered back to Gibraltar, but Fessenden reached Bermuda with the other 16 July. Returning to New York 22 July, she was briefly overhauled, then sailed out of New London, Connecticut, training submarines from 3 August to 2 September. Next came special training off Maine, and her return to Norfolk to join the hunter-killer group formed around USS Mission Bay (CVE-59).

Sinking of German Submarine U-1062

Operating with this group south of the Cape Verde Islands on 30 September 1944, Fessenden and two other ships investigated a contact, making a depth charge attack late in the afternoon, sinking U-1062 in 11°36′N 34°44′W / 11.6°N 34.733°W / 11.6; -34.733. The group continued its antisubmarine patrols in the South Atlantic refueling at Dakar, French West Africa, Bahia and Recife, Brazil, and Cape Town, South Africa. Fessenden returned to New York 26 November, joined in training exercises in Long Island Sound, then off Guantánamo Bay, until 19 January 1945 when she reported to Miami, Florida, to serve as school ship for the Naval Training Center for a month.
She returned to Guantanamo 12 February 1945 to rejoin the Mission Bay group as it provided air cover for a convoy northeast of Bermuda carrying President F. D. Roosevelt home from the Yalta Conference. After brief overhaul at New York, she sailed north to Argentia, Newfoundland, with her hunter-killer group to work with similar task organizations in setting up a barrier patrol in the North Atlantic, to prevent German submarines from approaching the United States during the last days of the European war.

Transfer to the Pacific Ocean

Fessenden served at New London, Connecticut, and Quonset Point, Rhode Island, in May and June 1945, aiding in the training of submariners and aviators. On 28 June, she sailed from New York for training at Guantanamo Bay and Pearl Harbor en route to the Marshall Islands. On 17 September, her commanding officer became representative of the Majuro Atoll Commander for the Japanese Naval Garrison at Wotje, and Fessenden lay at Wotje to supervise its demilitarization and the evacuation of the Japanese until 4 December. She cleared Eniwetok 4 January 1946 for San Diego, California, New York, and Green Cove Springs, Florida, where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve 24 June 1946.

Converted to Radar Picket Ship

Fessenden was converted for radar picket duty at Boston, Massachusetts, where she was recommissioned 4 March 1952. After antisubmarine training out of Key West, Florida, Fessenden returned to her home port, Newport, Rhode Island, 25 September 1952 to begin duty on the radar picket stations of the North Atlantic. She returned from her sea patrols only for necessary maintenance and refresher training. With her division, she sailed from Newport 15 July 1957 for Pearl Harbor, her home port for Pacific early warning radar picket duty from 18 August 1957 until 18 March 1960 when she left the Hawaiians for San Francisco, California.

Final Decommissioning

On 30 June 1960, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Stockton, California. On 1 September 1966 she was struck from the Navy list. She was sunk as target off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 20 December 1967.

11 injured during training on USS John C. Stennis off San Diego - San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com

USS John C. Stennis, CVN-74/ Photo US Navy

It was reported in the news yesterday that 11 people, (8 sailors, 1 marine and 2 civilian contractors ) on board the USS John Stennis were injured off the coast of San Diego when a F-18C Hornet had an engine explode and catch fire just as it was preparing to be launched from the aircraft carriers deck. The two worst injuries was one sailor was hit in the chest by a piece of the aircraft and another sailor suffered a broken femur.

I don't know how the majority of people reacted to this news, but as you know I spent 20 years in the navy and much of that time was spent on two aircraft carriers, the USS Constellation CV-64 and USS Kitty Hawk CV-63. This is not a rare occurrence, accidents like this happens a lot on board ships of the navy, especially the aircraft carriers, working on board aircraft carriers is a very dangerous job, however the crew is always prepared to act quickly to accidents and fires on board, although sometimes fires get away from the fire fighting crew. When I was on board the USS Constellation on 2 August 1988 when a major fire erupted in the 1 main machinery room. We fought that fire for 2 days luckily no one was killed but 20 sailors where injured and motivated off the ship. Read the news story and watch the videos on channel 8's site and I will put up info on the ship, aircraft and squadron soon

11 injured during training on USS John C. Stennis off San Diego - San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com