HMNZS LACHLAN
Two questions have arisen with regard HMNZS LACHLAN. The image below shows her flying a decommissioning pennant and her callsign.
1, How is a decomissioning pennant measured?
2. What was LACHLAN’s international visual callsign?
11 thoughts on “HMNZS LACHLAN”
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Radio callsign – ZMCU ex VKMX
If my memory is right it was one foot for every year of Service However to day I believe that the RNZN have limited it to 120 feet.
Agree. She was VKMX in the 50s when I was on her.
Hey Frank,
still awesum to get all you mails from home.
Lachlan, probably wasn’t born yet.
Have a good day,
Joyce T
Mole is correct the RNZN has adapted the early tradition of flying a paying off pennant and for a ship the size of ENDEAVOUR the paying off pennant is at least 122 metres long. I believe that when LACHLAN paid off her pennant would have been the length of the ship plus one foot for every year she was in commission.
The RN Regulations of April 2015 state 1. HM ships are only to fly this pennant when leaving harbour for the final passage to their paying off port, and again on entering harbour for the final time before paying off. It is customary for a paying off pennant to be approximately the same length as the ship in which
it is flown.
Interesting post – didn’t know the answers but enjoyed the photo of Lachlan paying off.
Lachlan was my very first draft after part 2 training at Philomel and becoming a Junior Tel. We did survey work up in the pacific islands then on return to NZ surveyed Golden Bay which was enlightening about survey work with depth finding gear and LAN equipment
And her pennant number was F364
Well Done Chook! She was also fondly referred to as “the ghost of the coast” if I recall.
Cheers!
Remember the VKMX very well – used to enjoy working ZLB (with its somewhat unique sound) whilst surveying Fouveax Strait in 1950.
She was my second ship after Bellona/Royalist doing a survey of Tonga
Callsign was VKMX in 1964. Sister ship HMAS Diamantina is in the Marine museum dry dock on the South Bank of the Brisbane river. I’ve visited the comms office onboard. The original 89M or 89Q transmitter used to vibrate so badly the frequency crystal used to pop out and it had to be retuned from scratch. Commander Doole was the skipper when I was onboard. We evacuated the Raoul Island weather staff and ornithologists in 64 after the ash eruption. Fond memories, good seaboat.