Threats and temperature made frigate crew sweat

By SCOTT MacLEOD

The frigate Te Mana's patrols in the Middle East were among the most challenging by a New Zealand warship since World War II, says her commander.

To foil any suicide attacks from boats packed with explosives, the frigate would place itself between valuable cargo ships and the fleets of small boats that ply the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.

At night, Te Mana's near-new Kaman Seasprite helicopter was used by coalition forces needing its infra-red and radar sensors.

The frigate docked at Devonport yesterday after a six-month voyage of 78,000km in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, searching for al Qaeda and Taleban terrorists or shipments of weapons.

Commander Andrew Watts said the patrol was one of the most challenging since the war.

Te Mana worked with seven or eight ships of Task Force 151 under the command of a Canadian who named the New Zealanders tops for "operational flexibility" and "operational tempo".

In other words, the frigate worked hardest.

"The threat level at times was assessed as medium and high," said Commander Watts.

"The straits were awash with small aluminium boats - exactly the type used for terrorist attacks.

"We had to be disciplined and not over-react."

The threat was highest when Te Mana was escorting ships.

Commander Watts said the situation was stressful, and Te Mana often had to make speedy manoeuvres at night.

Its crew boarded 87 vessels during their patrol, but Commander Watts would not say whether they found anything illegal.

Many of the boarding parties were led by Lieutenant Laurie Bates, who said the vessels ranged from 5m "tinnies" to a 250,000-tonne supertanker.

The boarding teams ranged from three to 18 people divided into teams responsible for mustering crew, searching cargo and taking control of the bridge.

One unnamed crew member said Te Mana escorted ships packed with weapons for the war in Iraq.

"We were herding the Iranian vessels away and at one stage we were threatened.

"They told us we were in danger."



The heat was dangerous. Air temperature regularly topped 45C, making hard work of even the most mundane tasks requiring minimal physical exertion.

Below decks, the diesel engines and gas turbine for high-speed running pushed the temperature close to 70C.

Commander Watts said it was too dangerous to leave engineers below for more than 15 minutes.

Only the strongest and fittest crew-members were selected for the boarding parties. They wore heavy kevlar body armour and carried backpacks with water and first-aid kits, and a webbing belt for weapons, riot sticks, torches and radios.

They also carried 9mm pistols and other weapons that Lieutenant Bates would not identify.

Defence Minister Mark Burton flew to Te Mana just before it docked and told the crew that "both official and informal" reports showed the frigate had done an extremely good job.

Commander Watts said of his crew: "I couldn't be more proud of them."

- additional reporting: NZPA