Leading marine technician Oliver Redshaw will be part of the inaugural crew of the 173m-long HMNZS Aotearoa, which arrived in New Zealand last week and will be commissioned at the Devonport Naval Base in late July.
Lmt Redshaw, who joined the navy in 2014 after leaving Bayfield High School, could not wait to get on board.
"There’s something very special about being a crew member of not only a brand new navy ship but the biggest one we’ve ever had in our fleet."
He trained as an electrical engineer and a typical day involved working on the electrical systems on ships, conducting servicing or maintenance on anything from electric motors to lighting circuits, and working on ship generators and main engines.
"Each day is different, because there is such a wide variety of equipment and technology to learn about and work on while at sea," he said.
Aotearoa has an "environship" design, which incorporates a new hull that reduces resistance and lowers fuel consumption, alongside lower exhaust emissions.
