So for a govt that always goes on about it's "green" credentials it puts the SOPV back another four years. Why doesn't that surprise me. I can see no reason why they can't have the SOPV FOC by 2022 / 23. It's just another lot of backsliding by the pollies.
I imagine the reason they have delayed it is to smooth out the capital expenditure profile, as the P8, C130J, and complementary maritime air surveillance are all due to be introduced (and paid for) by 2023.
As well as a number of Army and NZDF projects over the next 5 years. Money is being spent, which I know is a shock to many - so I thought it would be useful to broach some of these out to 2025, amongst the more well noted ones.
I agree the Harry DeWolf / VARD 7 100ICE class ticks all the boxes. It is logical to assume that a modernised design evolution of its sister variant the VARD 7 100OPV would also be an attractive follow-on, to replace the current VARD 85OPV design.
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They're both about a decade + away so it's probably just a educated guess of what the likely price of a LPD will be a decade or more from now!?!
Of note, the Harry DeWolf class (or, AOPV in RCN parlance) is actually an enhanced version of the VARD 7-100 ICE, built as a dual-purpose ship capable of arctic patrolling but also as an OPV. It is slightly heavier (6615 tons vs. 6400 tons), longer (103.6 m vs. 98 m), and more capable in ice (1.2 m vs 1.0 m). The extra capability in ice comes from the bow being built to PC4 standard, with the rest of the hull PC5. It also comes with fin stabilizers (retracted when operating in ice), which are especially welcome in open-ocean conditions. Given the areas within which the RNZN would presumably be operating (i.e a lot of open ocean, even if just transiting to the polar region) it may be a better option than the VARD 7-100 ICE, which was designed as an arctic patrol vessel only. Either version seems to fit the requirement, but the AOPV perhaps better than the baseline VARD design.
My take on the Southern Ocean OPV is that sea keeping would be more important than heavy ice protection and that the Harry DeWolf class would be overkill on the Ice protection and too short in length for the sea conditions in the southern ocean which are unlike anywhere else in the world due to the ocean circumnavigating the bottom of the world ("the top" from our view point) without the blocking effect of large landmasses. I would expect a length significantly in excess off 110m, possibly even up to 130-140m.
The Canadian AOPV would be ideal in the Great Southern Ocean and it's not the length per se that is the inportan factor, but the ratio of the length to the beam that matters. Don't worry there can be some pretty mean seas on the RCN operating areas as well. Also the HDW class isn't overkill for NZ because it will allow is to get into areas that we haven't be able to before, not only for enforcement reasons but also for whole of govt support, and in the longer term dealing with enforcement of the Antarctic Treaty provisions and NZ soverignity claims.
Length is important in regard to the wave cycle distance and in heavy seas a shorter than minimum ideal length can lead to excessive pitching and a tendency to nose into waves and suffer excessive water over the bow. I would suggest that speed may also be a factor due to the large area that needs to be covered. The criticism from some retired naval officers at the time the OPV's were being built was that they were too short for the southern ocean and that an absolute minimum length was in excess of 100m The problem appears to be not so much about surviving in these seas as about not beating the crew up too much.
The Aurora Australis has been punching through the Southern Ocean for decades and there has been no adverse comments regarding her seakeeping, she’s 95m.
The north Atlantic is well known for some extreme storms, but the southern ocean has the highest average wind speed of any place on earth as the wind can blow unimpeded right around the globe (21000 km) at that latitude and a ship can be in storm conditions for a very long time. The challenge can be just keeping the crew in good condition
When I posted my reply to you I was / am aware of the both the wave and atmospheric climate of the Southern Ocean. Yes it has an extremely large fetch, however there is an upper limit to the wave length of wind generated regardless of how long the fetch is. This limit is due to the maximum amount of energy that can be transferred to the water by the wind and that is determind by the wind velocity and the roughness of the waters surface.
I think you may find that the HDW cannot go much further than a normal Ice strengthened OPV as while it has the ability to take on 1.2m of ice, even in summer most of the pack ice is several metres think and requires a full blown Ice Breaker in company to achieve navigation to the continental land mass. Sub Antarctic island would be accessible to a normal OPV and rouge fishing or whaling vessels would not enter the pack ice.
The HDW class can go a lot further because they are Polar Class 5 (PC5) with and the current OPVs are 1C which doesn't even feature on the Polar Class table with 1A being PC7, Aotearoa is PC5. Rouge fishing or whaling vessels will enter areas where they believe that they won't be followed and there's nothing to stop them being ice strengthened, because in the end they are profit driven and they don't have the same qualms and considerations that legal fishing businesses do.
Good day folks. It is hard to marry up a class notation and the Polar Code/Polar Class notations.The HDW class can go a lot further because they are Polar Class 5 (PC5) with and the current OPVs are 1C which doesn't even feature on the Polar Class table with 1A being PC7, Aotearoa is PC5. Rouge fishing or whaling vessels will enter areas where they believe that they won't be followed and there's nothing to stop them being ice strengthened, because in the end they are profit driven and they don't have the same qualms and considerations that legal fishing businesses do.
Polar Class 5 is Year-round operation in medium first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions, whilst 1C is in ice no thicker than 0.4 m and in summer months only, so a big difference with PC5 ships able to operate in ice 3 times the thickness of 1C ships and not restricted to the summer season. Also referring to your comment regarding the pitching etc., and comfort at sea, you actually get used to it and can deal with it in most cases. The Lake class patrol boats were not good boats in that regard and Cook Strait & Foveaux Straits aren't the calmest pieces of water in the world. However, from what I have heard through the grapevine the current OPVs aren't to bad in the Southern Ocean. You also have to remember that sailors are a tough breed and not used to the comforts that airmen take for granted. There's an old adage that if you can't take a joke you shouldn't joined and that applies today as much as it did back when you and I were taking the Queens shilling and supporting the local brewery.
Source: AMAIRNE - SHIP ICE CLASS