The Royal New Zealand Navy reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Royal New Zealand Navy

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The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) is the navy of New Zealand.

As of 2004, the RNZN consists of three frigates and about a dozen small craft. The Chief of Navy is Rear Admiral Peter McHaffie. Ships of the RNZN are referred to as "HMNZS..." ("Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship...").

History

Originally the Royal Navy provided security for the colony, but in 1846 the settlers bought a gunboat. The Waikato Flotilla operated from 1860 to 1865, and at the same time a Naval Artillery Volunteer corps was established to provide harbour defence. In 1884 the government purchased four spar torpedo boats, and starting in 1887 it funded ships of the Australasian Auxiliary Squadron.

The Naval Defence Act of 1913 formally established the New Zealand Naval Forces, and the RN ship HMS Philomel was the first to be commissioned into it. From 1921 the forces were known as the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, operating two cruisers and a minesweeper. The present name was granted by King George VI on 1 October 1941, and by the end of World War II the RNZN had over sixty ships in commission.

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