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NAVY NEWS and the United States. "The aim of CTF 150 is to ensure commercial ships can operate freely while transiting this vast region, which sees over 23,000 shipping movements per year and the passage of over one-third of the world's oil." Captain Cook will support the Commander CTF 150, Commodore Jonathan Mead, of Australia, to lead the multi- national task force for four months. The command team will be based in Bahrain at the Combined Maritime Forces naval facility, from where it will direct the force's ships and aircraft to deter, disrupt and defeat terrorists' operations. "The deployment is a good opportunity for the New Zealand Defence Force to further develop its strong ties with our Australian counterparts," says Captain Cook. SKIPPER HONOURED FOR TRIP TO ICE Lieutenant Alexandra Hansen FEMALE LIEUTENANT COMPLETES COMMAND Lieutenant Alexandra Hansen has ensured her place in New Zealand naval history with the completion of her 18 months as the first woman to command a Royal New Zealand Navy ship. She relinquished command of the inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Pukaki, to Lieutenant Kane Sutherland at a formal ceremony at the Devonport Naval Base on December 18. Lt Hansen says she had many successes while in command. "The last 18 months have been a career highlight and I have been able to experience a wide range of situations with a great team around me." The Pukaki was one of the response vessels when the Rena first went aground on Astrolabe Reef and also assisted in the Christchurch earthquake. "I have enjoyed getting involved in the local communities in our home ports of Nelson and Picton." Still only 27 years old, Lt Hansen has made the most of the opportunities provided to her by the Navy. "To be entrusted with the assets, tools, people and support to be able to go out there and do the job at sea is awesome. "The highlight would probably have been working with other government agencies such as fisheries and achieving results that ultimately protect our coastline." It wasn't all plain sailing, though. She says transiting across the Bay of Plenty with a head or beam sea during the middle watch was never much fun! OFFICER WILL BE 2IC IN TASK FORCE Royal New Zealand Navy officer Captain Lance Cook has taken up the role of deputy commander of Combined Task Captain Lance Cook 66 Professional Skipper March/April 2012 Force 150, a maritime counter-terrorism task force operating in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. The area of operations encompasses over two million square miles and includes the main shipping routes from the Far East to Europe Lieutenant Commander Simon Griffiths was awarded the New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration in the 2012 New Year's Honours list. He is the commanding officer of the offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Wellington and led her through the introduction into service trials and unit readiness evaluation. The successful conclusion was the ship's deployment in February 2011 to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. This was the first visit by an RNZN vessel to the area in 40 years and there was neither practical experience of operating such a vessel there nor current knowledge of ice navigation. The Wellington was departing the Ross Sea when she received a distress signal from a recreational adventure vessel. With limited communications back to New Zealand due to bad weather, Griffiths "instituted a considered and measured approach to the call", the Navy said. The crew spent 12 hours in an unsuccessful search for the yacht, her lifeboat and crew. Lieutenant- Commander Simon Griffiths "I am hugely honoured to have received this award," said Griffiths. The deployment to Antarctica took a large amount of planning and preparation by a very enthusiastic and professional group of people, he said. "I just happened to be the lucky one who led these people into the unknown, through a series of incredible adventures and back home again. It was definitely a unique experience and the highlight of my career to date." His Excellency the Governor-General will present him with the decoration at an investiture at Government House. FRIGATE TO JOIN MAJOR PACIFIC EXERCISE The participation of HMNZS Endeavour in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii is expected to be a highlight of the Royal New Zealand Navy's commitments this year. This will be the first time in over 25 years that the Navy has