Nautical flavour to Art Deco festival

Last year's Tremains Art Deco Weekend. Photo / File

Two navy ships will be heading for Napier as part of next month's Tremains Art Deco Weekend, which will carry a special nautical flavour.

It will be 100 years since the World War I minesweeper HMS Veronica was commissioned - the ship was moored at West Quay in the inner harbour when the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake struck and its crew were among the first to respond to the emergency.

A special "Thank God For The Navy" breakfast will take place at the Thirsty Whale restaurant, which is opposite the berth where HMS Veronica had been tied up.

The British defence attache, Colonel Tim Woodman, will speak about the Veronica's part in the earthquake story and a jazz group made up of members of the Royal New Zealand Navy band will play.

The military touch to this year's Art Deco celebrations will also include recognition that it is also 100 years since Gallipoli.

HMNZS Wellington, one of the navy's two 1900-tonne offshore patrol vessels, will be in port during the weekend.

It carries a core crew of 35 as well as 10 personnel to operate a helicopter.

It will be joined by one of the navy's four inshore patrol vessels, HMNZS Hawea.

The 340-tonne vessel has a crew of 20 and often carries police, Customs and Fisheries staff during its coastal patrols.

The crews will march and feature in several parades and services.

Also arriving for the weekend will be the deputy chief of the navy, Commodore Dean McDougall.

Commodore McDougall was in command of the Leander class frigate HMNZS Canterbury when it visited for the Art Deco Weekend in 2002.