Navy Ships - New Zealand

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Date of Issue: November 06, 1985

This FDC with neat cancellation with the Souvenir Sheet showing ships that served over years for The Royal New Zealand Navy with its emblem on the cover and the souvenir sheet with map showing the route in which the ANZCAN (abbreviation for Australia-New Zealand-Canada) Cable laid.

Denom. - Name of Ship - Period of service in Navy
25c - HMNZS Philomel - 1914 - 1947
45c - HMNZS Achilles - 1936 - 1946
60c - HMNZS Rotoiti - 1949 - 1965
75c - HMNZS Canterbury - 1971 - 2005 (source: wikipedia)

The ship found in the Souvenir Sheet was HMNZS Monowai 1978 - 1997 (Source: Wikipedia)

Note: HMNZS - Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship

Scott catalogue number for this Souvenir Sheet: 842 a

Click here for more details on ANZCAN Cable.

HMNZS Rotoiti (F425) was a Loch class frigate of the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Interesting Facts:

HMNZS Achilles
Achilles was originally built for the Royal Navy, and was commissioned as HMS Achilles on 10 October 1933. She served with the Royal Navy's New Zealand Division from 31 March 1937 up to the creation of the Royal New Zealand Navy, into which she was transferred in September 1941, renamed as HMNZS Achilles.

Achilles was returned to the Royal Navy at Sheerness, Kent, England on 17 September 1946. She was then sold to the Indian Navy and recommissioned on 5 July 1948 as INS Delhi. She remained in service until decommissioned for scrap at Bombay on 30 June 1978. As part of the scrapping, her Y turret was removed and presented as a gift to the New Zealand Government. It is now on display at the entrance of Devonport Naval Base in Auckland.

HMNZS Monowai
HMNZS Monowai (A06) was a hydrographic survey vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).

During her naval service she was known as the "ghost of the coast", as she quietly remapped most of the New Zealand coastline including the Chatham, Cambell, and Auckland Islands, as well as the many sub-Antarctic islands in New Zealand's responsibility. She also acted as a resupply vessel to Campbell and other sub-Antarctic island, served as an "official residence" for VIPs and dignitaries at Pacific Island conferences, monitored Chinese missile splashdown tests, stood by Fiji after military coups with a platoon of naval gunners to assist in possible NZ civilian evacuations, participated in the ANZCAN cable route survey and in international searches for sea mounts and shoals. She carried a helicopter and undertook rescue or aid missions, saving the lives of eight people during the New Zealand to Tonga Yacht Regatta.