Commonwealth Day 2022 : New Zealand
New Zealand at Operation Grapple
During 1957 and 1958 New Zealand’s foreign policies were centered on that of the Commonwealth; the production and testing of atomic and thermonuclear weapons by the United Kingdom was supported as it was believed this would enhance the security of New Zealand and the rest of the Commonwealth; New Zealand did not object to the Pacific Ocean being used for tests as long as the weapons could be used to prevent or ward off an attack in the Pacific area.
Sir Anthony Eden originally approached Sidney Holland (New Zealand Prime Minister) with a request to use the Kermadec Islands as a testing site but this was refused in August 1955. HMNZS Lachlan surveyed the Northern and Southern Line Islands in early 1956 as part of the planning for Grapple and also supported air reconnaissance carried out by RAF Shackletons.
In July 1956, the UK requested two loch-class frigates be provided by New Zealand to the Grapple Task Force and in order to cover for the two RNZN frigates, offered HMS St Brides Bay and HMS Cardigan Bay. the radar on HMNZS Pukaki and Rotoiti was upgraded to type 277Q and the frigates were brought to operational readiness. After much debate and disquiet, the primary task of the two frigates was described as patrolling the test site and also as weather ships. One of the balloons was tracked by Pukaki to a height of 100,400ft. Secondary tasks were anti-submarine watch and sampling the water for radiation contamination.
HMNZS Pukaki and Rotoiti left Auckland on 13 March 1957 for Suva, collected 40 Fijian troops and then sailed on to Christmas Island.
HMNZS Pukaki was present at all four of the Grapple series of tests and Rotoiti at the first and second series of Grapple Tests.
It is interesting that Lorna Arnold in her books “A Very Special Relationship” and her official history of the H-bomb programme “Britain and the H-Bomb" provides great technical detail of the development of nuclear weapons but does not recount lived experiences of British let alone NZ or Fijian troops and this is why I highly recommend Nic Maclellan's “Grappling with the Bomb” which particularly as it is available as a free download should be on everyone’s reading list.
The BNTVA are proud to have as a member a gentleman who served on HMNZS Rotoiti during Operation Grapple.
The BNTVA has been in contact with a researcher from the New Zealand Navy Museum who has been kind enough to share transcripts of oral history interviews. The museum has also published a commemorative Operation Grapple issue of its White Ensign journal which may be found by clicking on the following link.
The link for Nic Maclellan’s book
The list of crews of HMNZS Pukaki and Rotoiti
