HMNZS Waikato (F55)

History
New Zealand
NameHMNZS Waikato
NamesakeWaikato province of New Zealand
OperatorRoyal New Zealand Navy
BuilderHarland and Wolff
Laid downJanuary 1964
Launched18 February 1965
CommissionedSeptember 1966
Decommissioned1998
RefitMajor modernisation refit 1986–88
HomeportTauranga, New Zealand, but based out of Devonport Naval Base, Auckland
IdentificationF55
Nickname(s)"The Mighty Y"
Honours and
awards
  • Armilla Patrol - 1982
  • Bougainville - Operation Big Talk 1990
FateSunk on 18 December 2000 as an artificial reef
General characteristics
Class and typeLeander-class frigate
Displacement
  • 2,450 tons standard
  • 3,200 tons full load
Length372 ft (113 m)
Beam41 ft (12 m)
Draught19 ft (6 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers delivering steam to
  • 2 × English Electric geared steam turbines, 30,000 shp to 2 shafts
Speed27 knots (50 km/h)
Range4,600 nautical miles (8,520 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement18 officers, 248 sailors
Sensors and
processing systems
Type 965 air search radar. 993 main search radar. 1006 Navigational Radar
Armament
Aircraft carriedOriginally a Wasp helicopter, later a Kaman SH-2G
image of HMNZS Waikato and 3 sister ships in Wellington Harbour 1980
HMNZS Waikato and 3 sister ships in Wellington Harbour 1980

HMNZS Waikato (F55) was a Leander Batch 2TA frigate of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). She was one of two Leanders built for the RNZN, the other being the Batch 3 HMNZS Canterbury. These two New Zealand ships relieved British ships of the Armilla patrol during the Falklands conflict, freeing British ships for deployment.