Operation Big Lift

Museum in a Box–STEM Challenges:

The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) uses cranes to help lift and move heavy things such as supplies, equipment, and small boats.

These cranes are extremely strong and help sailors get their ships ready for deployments (missions). They are the Navy’s super helpers, making sure everything is in place and ready to go!

Every RNZN ship has two davits. A davit is a small crane that is used to launch the RHIBs (Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats). The RHIBs are sent out with small groups of people to do special jobs when needed.

Two ships also have other cranes on board which help the ships to carry out their roles. The amount the cranes can lift is measured in tonnes. One tonne is equal to 1000kg. An average car weighs just two tonnes

HMNZS Aotearoa’s 25 tonne crane

It helps lift things on and off the ship. This is useful when the ship takes equipment down to Scott Base in Antarctica for the New Zealand scientist team based there. Aotearoa is the only polar class ship in the Navy, which means it can break through ice up to 120 cm thick. When it made its first trip to Antarctica in 2022, it was the first New Zealand Navy ship to take supplies there in 50 years!

HMNZS Canterbury has two 60 tonne cranes

It can even load heavy vehicles. These have been used many times as the ship is often asked to help when there is a natural disaster both here and in the Pacific.

After Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 the ship was called back from the Sub-Antarctic Islands early to join the other Navy ships taking important supplies to the Hawkes Bay area. Canterbury’s cargo included five ‘Bailey bridges’. These are temporary bridges which were used to replace bridges that had been washed away or damaged to help restore access to places.

Canterbury also travelled to Tonga in January 2022 to provide support and supplies after the tsunami triggered by the underwater eruption of Hung Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Aotearoa were also sent to help. Aotearoa took 25,000 litres of water and could make up to 70,000 litres of water using the ship’s desalination plant. This is a system that can take the salt out of sea water and make it safe to drink.