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Police welcome new launch |
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New Zealand Herald
A new $2.8 million police launch will be operating in Auckland in time for summer, with a second for Wellington probably not far behind.
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A computer graphic of the new launch now being built.
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Auckland's Deodar III was well advanced at a Wanganui boat builder's
yard and was due to be commissioned in Auckland on December 14, the
Police Association said yesterday.
The Wellington launch, Lady Elizabeth III, was also due for replacement
after nearly 20 years of service, the association said. Its predecessor
sank in 1986, with the loss of two crew, Constable Glen Hughes and
Sergeant Phil Ward.
The new Deodar, an 18.4m, twin-hulled aluminium boat with a top speed
of 25 knots, was expected to be a prototype for the Lady Elizabeth
replacement, the association said.
It would be powered by twin Hamilton jet units, expected to give it a high degree of manoeuvrability.
Deodar III, which is to replace the 15-year-old Deodar II, will also be
used on customs operations and with other Government departments. The
new boat is one of four expected to be built.
Senior Sergeant Martin Paget said Deodar II had become increasingly expensive to maintain.
Its successor would be launched next month for extensive sea trials in Wanganui before commissioning.
Mr Paget said a hydraulic ramp on the stern to retrieve the launch's
4.5m rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB) was an impressive feature.
The ramp could be lowered to water level and the inflatable could be
moved off. "Getting RIBs off a boat in anything but ideal conditions is
always fraught with danger," Mr Paget said. "It is something we have
struggled with for years."
- NZPA
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