HMAS ORION - "ORBE CIRCUMCINTO"

15 June 1977 - 4 October 1996

The motto for Orion according to the Latin Department of the University of London is either "Encompass the World" /"Belt around the World"/"Over the World". It is apparently very difficult to get a precise translation. When the crew first arrived in Greenock as commissioning crew the motto from the RAN Navy Board was "Over the World" but the crew preferred the Latin as HMAS Orion was the direct descendant from the old 8" cruiser and asked the Navy Board if they could keep the Latin. The College of Heralds and Navy Board (ADM Synot) agreed. It was changed back to "OVER THE WORLD" at a later date when Defence decreed that all mottos had to be in English.

Orion is said in Greek mythology to be the son Hypieus, a mighty hunter of great beauty and gigantic strength. He was beloved of Eos the Greek Dawn goddess who carried him to Delos. Previously he had been struck blind by Dionysus the Greek god of wine. His eye sight was however restored upon exposing his eyeballs to the rays of Eos (Her task was to open the gates of the East for the sun). A hunter, he is alleged to have known Artemis, the sister of Apollo. Artemis became Orion's companion which made Apollo jealous. This caused Apollo to deceive Artemis, whereupon she shot Orion. After his death Orion was changed into a constellation in the form of a warrior wearing a girdle of three stars and a lion's skin carrying a club and sword.

HMAS Orion was the sixth warship to be given the name Orion. The first five were all British warships. The first was a 74 gun ship launched on the Thames on the I st June 1787. She served in the French Wars. In a long fighting career she won the Battle Honours 'First of June' under Lord Howe in 1794, 'Groix Island' under Lord Bridport in 1795 and 'St. Vincent' under Sir John Jervis against the Spanish Fleet in 1797. Under Nelson she fought at the Battle of the Nile (1798) and at Trafalgar. In the final phases of the Napoleonic Wars she served in the Baltic before paying off to be broken up in 1814.

The first hull section of the 5th Orion was placed in position on the 19th of April, 1972 and launched by Mrs John Armstrong, the Australian High Commissioner on the 16th of September, 1974 at Scott's Shipyards in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland.

HMAS Orion was the first HMA vessel ever to visit a German port.

HMAS Orion called at Spain, Greece, made a transit of the Suez Canal, visited the Seychelles and Singapore, making its Australian landfall at Cockburn Sound WA on the 20th June 1978, arriving at its home base Sydney on July 3, 1978.

The significant aspects of the submarines crest is the bust of Orion and was unofficially the cret of the original HMS Orion, and the submarine's motto "Orbe Circumcinto" is latin for ..

During her 19 years of service she steamed over 321,850 nautical miles. Orion was adopted prior to its commencement of building and was granted the rights to the Freedom of the City of Woolongong, NSW on the 27th September 1980.

HMAS OTAMA - "UNSEEN WE SEEK"

27 April 1978 - 15 December 2000

HMAS Otama was launched by the Princess Anne, Mrs Mark Phillips on the 3rd of December, 1975 at Scott's Shipyards in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Her Royal Highness was also the guest of honour at the commissioning ceremony, conducted on 27 April 1978.

The name Otama is the North Queensland aboriginal word for dolphin, the world wide submariner's emblem and it was fitting to name the last RAN Oberon HMAS Otama.

HMAS Otama completed the voyage to her home base Sydney on the 15th December 1978, and de-commissioned on this date 22 years later.

The significant aspects of the submarines crest is a stylised dolphin and the submarine's motto "Unseen We Seek" which reflects the operational role undertaken by HMAS Otama. Her crew lovingly referred to her as "The Gucci Boat". During her 22 years of service she steamed 316, 693 nautical miles.

HMAS Otama is the last of the six RAN Oberons to de-commission. She was also the last of 35 Oberons and almost identical Porpoise class submarines built for the navies of Britian, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Australia.
Note: 2004 - Otama is currently at Westernport in Victoria where it is hoped that it can be opened as a tourist and educational attraction. Difficulties with local authorities are holding up this project.


DECOMMISIONING HMAS OTAMA
Friday, 15 December 2000
CAPTAIN M.A. SANDER

Leader of the Opposition, The Most Honourable Kim Beasley, Admiral Shackleton, Admiral Briggs, Admiral Smith, Former Commanding Officers and ships companies of Otama, Fellow submariners, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to be here today to speak at this significant occasion and as the Commanding Officer on the last Operational deployment for the Class. I would like to thank Captain Rick Shalders for thinking of me and affording me the opportunity not only to be here today, but to participate in what I consider to be, a most noteworthy and important day. I must make mention of LCDR Paddy O’Dwyer who succeeded me for the last few months of Otama’s sea going life.

It was almost 18 months ago that I relinquished command of Otama. I am not embarrassed to say that I did so with a heavy heart and a tear in my eye as I crossed the brow for the final time as the CO of an operational submarine. I am sure that is a common feeling for submariners. A submarine is not simply a complex web of steel, pipes and cables. A submarine lives and breathes, from the constant throb of an ASR 1 diesel to the movement on the high seas. If the hull and systems are the body, then the crews of the submarines are the soul.

What is it then, that lures 8 Officers and 56 Crew to careers in which they spend so much of their time in cramped quarters, under great psychological stress, with dangers lurking all about? Submariners by necessity form a very close knit and harmonious team. This adds to the espirit de corp and provides a powerful and enduring connection between the crews and their boats. We grow as a team, confident in the knowledge that we can rely upon our shipmates in time of need, and determined that we succeed as a team.

Submarines each have their own character. Our emblem was the dolphin, Otama will always be known as the Gucci boat, a trait often reflected in her crews. Always the operational submarine and hence required to always maintain the highest operational standards. In her three commissions she traveled over 300,000 Nautical miles and as her motto states, always Unseen.

A nautical romantic at heart I took the opportunity this week to walk her passageways for just one more time.

I went down to the forends where the forendies used to sit and watchkeep for endless hours. Passing through 34 bulkhead I stopped briefly in the cramped forward mess which was the home for about twenty sailors. The noise emanating from the senior rates attracted my attention. Opposite was the outside wreckers, the SPO and the POLTOs bunks, all filled with every conceivable spare under their mattresses to ensure they could cope with whatever defect the boat threw at them. The galley was next with the smell of pizza and chips. It reminded me of Saturday night at sea. Through 49 bulkhead to the grot. Aptly named because it was still a mess. The wardroom was next. Corro was counting the contingent account, The XO was writing just one more XOTM and of course the WEEO was asleep in his bunk. I could then here the sounds of the control room. Standby target setup, pay attention CEP, get me on depth now engineer, racket dangerous, racket dangerous, racket dangerous, down all masts, well done panel. Far too tense there so I moved aft passed the Cos cabin and stepping over the ROs as they were scrubbing out trap 1. I also needed to step over the chef who was in the fridges for the third time that day. I still wonder what possessed the Brits to put the fridges directly outside a toilet. The AMS was far too noisy so I continued aft where the donk shop horse and pony were busy changing a cylinder head on the stbd donk, something todays CO would gladly have the capacity to do. The engine room is no place for a seaman officer so I hurried through to the motor room with the sound of "fifty gallons ballast pump" still ringing in my ear. The first motor room watchkeeper was there bright and breezy having been warned off by the donk shop that I was coming aft. To his relief I passed through quickly to the after mess. In Otama the aft mess was more than a home away from home. It was decked out in wood and carpeted throughout. Not a soul stirred as we had just finished SAI day 3. Consequently I turned around and went back forward. I stopped momentarily to read "Christina, my daughter’s name, on the ship’s bell, a time honoured tradition afforded to past and present members of a ship’s company to christen their children on ships or submarines.

According to tradition, a member of a ship’s commissioning detail, in the days of wooden vessels, had the right to take a plank from her deck when she was decommissioned. Today, it would be difficult to find a plank on a submarine; so all I can offer is some words of praise for Otama, and those memories to take away with you today. The paying off pennant dates back to the 19th century when cleaning rags in a ship decommissioning were knotted together and hoisted as a sign that they would no longer be used. The practice was for the pennant to be the length of the boat if she paid off on the proper date, with an addition of 1/24 of the length for each additional month. Can anyone work out how long Otama’s pennant should be?

For those of us who served on Otama, a little of us will be lost today as Otama is taken away and started down that irreversible path towards decommissioning. I am glad to see today many former shipmates and the COs from the three commissions. There is a special relationship that exists between a submariner and their boat, especially a boat such as Otama. Her sustained outstanding performance is testimony to that closeness of that relationship throughout her life. The ship and its crew have been an integral part of each other for 22 years, and all of us justifiably take pride not only in what we have done during our deployments on Otama, but also what has been done by those who preceded us as well as those who succeeded us.

This feeling exists because we all have influenced our past, present and future shipmates. Those of us who worked so hard to be a part of that relationship cannot take today too lightly. In your programs you have the names of but a few of these heroes — unsung heroes. As the boat retires, we know her memories will live beyond her years.

I ask you not to think of this decommissioning so much machinery as being superseded. I ask you to look at her as a proud lady, gracefully retiring knowing that her job has been well done. I ask you to look to the future, to our new submarines, which will carry us to the fore.

And finally, I would ask you to reflect on the accomplishments of this great, albeit tired lady. She is truly a leader of her class and arguably the most productive and successful submarine Australia has had.

I would like to say goodbye, a final farewell to Otama by reading a passage I kept in my notebook while CO, written by the author best known for his book ‘the Cruel Sea’, Nicholas Monsarrat, back in 1944.
No-one save a power-maniac, a sadist or a nautical romantic can hold any belief for submarine warfare. There is a current Anglo American illusion skilfully fostered during the war, that whereas the Germans used boats, which were beastly, we only used submarines which were quite different and rather wonderful. This piece of disillusion does not persist with those who have ever been on the receiving end of a torpedo. Of course there is another side to the medal. It cannot be denied that submariners are brave and skillful men and that they are accustomed to continue their skill in conditions of acute danger, which is perhaps the bravest thing of all.

Rest well, our Lady Otama. You have earned your rest. Know your labours have set the standard which others must meet. Let them try and match you. To those of us who have served with you, you remain the love of our lives; you will always be in our memories.


RNZAF's NH90 Helicopter lands on HMNZS CANTERBURY
All images: New Zealand Defence Force



HMNZS Canterbury







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Press Release, June 11, 2013
A glittering debut: The Royal Princess arrives in Southampton for a regal welcome

By FRANK BARRETT, MAIL ON SUNDAY TRAVEL EDITOR
PUBLISHED: 08:49 GMT, 7 June 2013 | UPDATED: 09:43 GMT, 7 June 2013




Next Thursday, cruising's newest ship - Princess Cruises' Royal Princess - will be getting a regal seal of approval from the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate Middleton will become the ship's official godmother when she names her in front of a predicted crowd of thousands at the Ocean Terminal.

Blue beginnings: The Royal Princess will sail into Southampton's Ocean Terminal today

Soon-to-be godmother: Kate Middleton will name the Royal Princess next Thursday (file photo)
Ahead of her royal appointment, the ship will arrive in Southampton today to a fanfare led by actor Simon Callow and a musical extravaganza performed by a flotilla of boats' horns.
Just before the ship sailed from its Italian construction yard near Venice, a flurry of stars took a sneak peak at the liner, including actress Natalie Gumede who played ex-policewoman and demented husband-basher Kirsty in Coronation Street, Lemar and Samantha Womack.
Natalie enjoyed the full Royal Princess tour. While on board, one of the main new features that Natalie tried out was the impressive SeaWalk - an over-the-water, glass-bottomed and covered walkway that extends 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship.
Stepping out onto the top deck walkway, a cantilevered structure which is 128 feet-high over the water, Natalie said "It's amazing and a little bit scary, but luckily I have Captain Tony Draper here to make me feel at ease. It's a long way from the Rovers Return to the Royal Princess!"
Natalie also took in the sights of the new Lotus Spa to see the state of the art beauty treatments that will be available to the 3,600 passengers due to cruise on board this summer.


Dream sail:
Top -

t
he Royal Princess will include the 'SeaWalk', a glass-bottomed walkway,


Bottom -
actress Natalie Gumede and Captain Tony Draper on board the Royal Princess cruise ship in Venice




New ferry a lifeline for remote Tokelau

Official Development Assistance

For the2012/13 financial year, New Zealand's projected official development assistanceto Tokelau is $20.3 million. New Zealand was the largest bilateral donor toTokelau, with its economic support amounting to around 75% percent of Tokelau'srecurrent budget. An International Trust Fund was established in 2004 toprovide Tokelau with an independent source of revenue and now stands at $70million.
Shipping services
Tokelau relies on shipping to connect with the world. NewZealand and Tokelau are working to ensure reliable, adequate and efficienttransportation for residents on the three atolls. In May 2012 anagreement was signed a two with PB Sea-Tow to provide an interim safe andreliable ferry service for Tokelau. The PB Matua is now operating on theApia-Tokelau route.
New Zealand isnow working with Tokelau to build a new long term ship to service the Apia –Tokelau route, suitable for the next twenty five years.
New Zealandand Tokelau are also working to ensure safe ship to shore operations, includingsuitable equipment, wharf infrastructure and maritime safety planning.


Tokelau
Motto: "Tokelau mo te Atua" (Tokelauan)
"Tokelau for the Almighty"
Capital Atafu(unofficial)a
Largest city
 Fakaofo(official)
Official languages
 · Tokelauan
· English
· Samoan
[citation needed]
Tokelauan
Constitutional monarchy
- Monarch Elizabeth II
- Administrator Jonathan Kingsb
- Head of Government Keli Hiano Kaloloc
New Zealand territory
- Tokelau Act 1948
- Total 10 km2 (233rd)
3.86 sq mi
- Water (%) negligible
- October 2011 census 1,411d (237th)
- Density 115/km2 (86th)
298/sq mi

12 June 2012
NewZealand
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the signing of a two year agreement with international company PB Sea-Tow toprovide a safe and reliable ferry service for Tokelau.

“The ferry service between Apia and Tokelau is a vital lifeline,” Mr McCullysays.

“Tokelau can only be reached by ship, and since the previous ferry, the MV Tokelau, was taken off route earlier this year New Zealand has been helping to find a replacement solution.

“We have seen the tragic consequence of substandard vessels operating in the Pacific and New Zealand is committed to ensuring the people of Tokelau, as NewZealand citizens, have a safe way of transporting people and goods.

“The arrangement with PB Sea-Tow will see the PB Matua operating on theApia-Tokelau route for the next two years - starting later this month.

“The charter will cost approximately $12 million over the two year period andwill provide an interim shipping solution until longer term transport optionscan be put in place,” Mr McCully says.

The PB Matua can carry 36 passengers internationally and 50 passengers domestically. It can take up to 120 tonnes of cargo and has full maritime compliance for unrestricted use in international waters.

“The interim charter is part of a wider $17 million transport package aimed at supporting the social and economic development of Tokelau,” Mr McCully says.

“This package will fund the construction of a new passenger ferry, investigate the construction of a small coral runway on Nukunonu, and develop safe andeffective ship to shore operations.”

About the PB Matua

The PB Matuais 45 metres long; it has seating capacity for 50 people in reclining airline style seats, as well as covered deck space for passengers. Itcan travel at 14 knots but will maintain a cruising speed of 11 knots for fuelefficiency.

The Matua has the capacity to carry 36 passengers internationally and 50 passengers domestically. 100 tonnes of dry cargo and 20 tonnes of freezer/cooler cargo can be stored on board. The vessel can also carry dangerous goods,with 25 passengers. It is fitted with its own cargo handling equipment,including a 5 tonne crane.