New Zealand Navy Ship Sinks After Crew Leaves It on Autopilot
A New Zealand navy ship sank after hitting a reef near Samoa due to a mistake by the crew, who accidentally left the vessel on “autopilot,” an inquiry revealed on Friday.
In October, the HMNZS Manawanui struck a reef south of Samoa’s Upolu Island, causing a fire that ultimately led to the ship sinking. Dozens of sailors were rescued from the wreck. This incident marked the first time New Zealand had lost a naval ship since World War II, according to the BBC. The HMNZS Manawanui was one of just nine ships in the country’s small navy.
The ship had been sent on a mission to map the ocean floor. A military court inquiry found that the ship was left in autopilot mode, which caused it to continue heading toward land and ultimately run aground. The crew noticed the ship was off course and tried to correct its direction, thinking they had lost control due to a “thruster control failure.” However, they failed to check if the autopilot was still engaged, which led to the ship accelerating towards the reef instead of steering away from it.
The inquiry confirmed that the grounding was caused by a series of human errors. The ship’s autopilot should have been disengaged, and the person in control should have checked whether the autopilot function was still active. The mistake occurred due to “muscle memory,” where the crew member didn’t realize they hadn’t turned off the autopilot.
New Zealand’s Defense Minister, Judith Collins, described the incident as a blow to the Navy. “It was a terrible day,” she said. “It was extremely disappointing. But that’s what has happened.”
The ship came to rest about 100 feet underwater, sitting on a stable part of the reef. It was carrying 950 tons of diesel, raising concerns about a potential oil spill that could harm wildlife and damage local food sources. However, the navy has reported that the ship’s main fuel tanks appeared to remain intact, and salvage teams were working to prevent significant leaks.
Fortunately, no one died in the accident, though a few sailors sustained minor injuries.
The sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui attracted criticism online, with some social media users wrongfully blaming the ship’s female captain. These remarks were quickly condemned by New Zealand’s defense minister, who dismissed the critics as “armchair admirals.”
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The incident came just weeks after another naval accident, when the U.S. Navy’s oil replenishment ship, the USNS Big Horn, ran aground off the coast of Oman. Although the damage caused flooding aboard the U.S. vessel, there were no reported injuries in that case either.
