The New Zealand Navy insists the British female captain’s gender was not to blame after the warship under her command ran aground, caught fire and capsized
The New Zealand Navy has insisted that the gender of a female captain is not responsible for the sinking of a naval ship.
HMNZS Manawanui caught fire and later capsized after running aground a nautical mile off the Samoan island of Upolu while exploring a reef on Saturday night.
It was the first time New Zealand had lost a military ship since World War II.
All 75 people aboard the specialized diving and ocean research ship, including seven scientists and four foreign military personnel, were evacuated and rescued early Sunday. Officials are investigating the cause of the incident and how it could damage the local marine environment.
Since Saturday, British-born Captain Commander Yvonne Gray, who previously served in the British Royal Navy, has been inundated with sexist trolling online.
New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins defended the captain in the wake of the negativity: “The one thing we already know that isn’t the cause is the gender of the ship’s captain.
Since Saturday, British-born captain Commander Yvonne Gray (pictured) has been inundated by sexist trolls online
HMNZS Manawanui caught fire and later capsized after running aground a nautical mile off the Samoan island of Upolu on Saturday night.
New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins (pictured) defended the captain in the wake of the negativity
She added that she was shocked to see the trolling of “armchair admirals, people who will never have to make life-or-death decisions for their subordinates.”
‘I seriously thought in 2024 what is going on here with people sitting there in their armchair operating a keyboard and making comments about people they don’t know, about an area they don’t know and who are just mean. Where is a little decency?’
Collins, the country’s first female defense secretary, said women in uniform have been abused in the streets since the sinking.
“This is outrageous behavior and New Zealand is not known for this and we are better than that.”
Environmental officials are concerned the ship will cause massive damage to the area, which has not been officially explored since 1987.
On Thursday morning, Samoa’s Marine Pollution Advisory Committee (MPAC) said the ship was “leaking oil from three separate locations” but there is still “no trace” of oil washing up on land.
HMNZS Manawanui ran aground off the south coast of the Samoan island of Upolu on Saturday
Samoan police and emergency services reportedly worked with Australian defense personnel to get the ship’s crew to safety
The ship ran aground near Samoa
All 75 people on board were rescued from the sinking ship
The exact cause of the ship’s grounding is still unknown, but the New Zealand Defense Force is investigating the incident
Local residents are still terrified that marine life will be seriously affected.
One man, Manu Percival, told Radio NZ: ‘There are so many green sea turtles in that area, so many rays.’
‘Right where the ship just sank inland, there is a huge lagoon with brackish water and all kinds of animals live there. Coconut crabs, everything. They will all be affected.”
The New Zealand military said a team had been set up “to respond to any contamination of local beaches and to remove debris that has come ashore.”
It added that divers from the Samoan Ministry of Resources and Natural Environment had also “observed damage to the reef where the collision occurred.”