HMNZS Kahu (A04)

Being maintained at the Devonport Naval Base in 2008.
History
New Zealand
Name	Kahu
Namesake	HMNZS Kahu (ML400)
Builder	Whangarei Engineering and Construction Company
Laid down	8 December 1978
Completed	May 1979
Commissioned	17 May 1988
Decommissioned	30 October 2009
Homeport	New Plymouth, New Zealand
Identification	MMSI number: 512000164 Callsign: ZMG2015
Fate	Sold for use as a pleasure craft, 2010
General characteristics
Class and type	Moa-class inshore patrol vessel
Displacement	91.5 ton standard; 105 ton full load
Length	122 ft (37 m)
Beam	6.1 m (20 ft)
Draught	2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Decks	4
Propulsion	Two Cummins diesels (710 hp (530 kW)) twin shafts
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Range	3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi)
Sensors and processing systems	Navigation Radar Racal Decca 916 I Band

HMNZS Kahu (A04) was a Moa-class inshore patrol vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy. She was launched in 1979 as the lead boat of her class, modified to function as a diving tender. She was initially named HMNZS Manawanui (A09),^[1] the second of soon to be four diving tenders with this name to serve in the New Zealand Navy. As a diving tender she participated in the exploration and salvage work of the wreck MS Mikhail Lermontov in March 1986.^[1]

On 17 May 1988, she was renamed Kahu (A04) and recommissioned as the basic seamanship and navigation training vessel attached to the Royal New Zealand Naval College. Kahu is the second boat with this name to serve in the New Zealand Navy. (The name comes from the Māori-language kāhu - the name for the native swamp harrier hawk.) The ship was replaced in her role as a diving tender by HMNZS Manawanui (A09).

She remained in service for seamanship, Officer of the Watch training and as a backup diving tender until her decommissioning on 30 October 2009. The ship was sold for use as a pleasure craft on 18 February 2010.^[2]

Kahu was distinguished from other boats of the Moa class by the gantry on her quarterdeck and lack of funnels.