Diversity hire sinks New Zealand Navy ship

[Half Cocked]

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Originally from Harrogate in Yorkshire, Cdr Gray took the helm of the RNZN's dive, hydrographic and salvage vessel HMNZS Manawanui in December 2022.

Her career began in the Royal Navy when she joined in 1993, after spending university holidays at a Sea Cadet facility in the Lake District.

She spent most of her junior career at sea, including on the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible and the minehunters Walney, Bridport and Cromer, after specialising as a Mine Warfare Officer.

After completing the Principal Warfare Officer course in 2004, she joined HMS Westminster as the PWO (Underwater) and Operations Officer, with operational experience in West Africa, Northern Europe and the Gulf.

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Following a posting to the Maritime Warfare Centre in Portsmouth, she took the opportunity in 2009 to work with the Royal Australian Navy at HMAS Watson, Sydney.

Cdr Gray then moved to New Zealand in 2012 after a campervan holiday where she and her wife fell in love with the country.

Speaking to New Zealand's Navy Today magazine in 2022, she said: "How do we get to live here, we asked ourselves," adding: "The most obvious thing was to apply to join the Royal New Zealand Navy."

On taking command of HMNZS Manawanui, Cdr Gray said: "It was that opportunity that made my eyes light up."

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https://www.forcesnews.com/services...ving-lives-after-new-zealand-naval-ship-sinks
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This is the first New Zealand Navy ship to sink since WWII.
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