The one that didn't get away.

Rip It Up, Issue 124, 1 November 1987, Page 22

The one that didn't get away.

You have to be up early to catch them. At night the long-liners will sneak inside our Exclusive Economic Zone in search of grouper, schnapper and marlin. Then just before morning they’ll return to International waters — their holds filled with the night’s plunder. Our job is to catch them before they catch too much. The tackle. Because they are not playing fair nor are we. We’re pitting one of our deadliest weapons against them. The Orion Maritime Patrol aircraft. It’s capable of hunting down a nuclear submarine lurking in the deep. Cruising at 330 knots the Orion and its crew of eleven from 5 Squadron at Whenuapai can search 78,000 square kilometres every hour. Its sophisticated radar can pick up and track up to 100 targets. And by dropping Sonar buoys the Orion can, when needs be,

track and deal with unwelcome submarines. Only this time the bomb-bay holds not depth charges or torpedoes, but life rafts, emergency flares and first aid equipment. Just in case the Orion is called to a rescue. But this is no mission of mercy, we’re out to catch a thief. The target. Position. 150 miles north-east of the North Cape. It’s 0510 when the Orion’s radar picks up a trawler. She’s fifty miles inside the EEZ and heading out. The Orion’s radio operator contacts the duty frigate HMNZS Wellington, which is in the area. At high speed they’ll be on the fisherman’s tail in under an hour. The Orion’s observers man the aircraft’s four blister windows. Their armament is a high speed reconnaissance camera. Its powerful lense capable of picking out the rivets on a trawler’s deck.

The catch. Time 0542. Daybreak. “Target 12 O’clock, five miles”, calls the radar operator. The Orion bursts through the clouds, below in an angry sea is a foreign trawler, lines out and running for International waters. - We’ve caught them red handed. The Captain banks the Orion to bring the camera to bear, the high-speed camera rolls, the navigator, radar operator and observers mark their charts and tape record their remarks. All this while the Orion’s infra-red video camera makes a movie that’ll make the ship’s Captain see blue. We’ve got all the evidence we need. The radio operator contacts the ‘Wellington’. In half an hour they’ll board the trawler and arrest the Captain. In court he’ll probably face a heavy fine, even the loss of his vessel.

For the Orion and its crew, it’s back to base for a debrief and then a well-earned rest. But the day’s not over, once landed the ground team will swarm over the aircraft. Making sure everything is perfect. Because we’ll be going out again tomorrow after bigger fish. Protecting what’s ours. To know how you could be part of our team, talk to your nearest RNZAF Recruitment Officer.

AIR FIERCE

More than you ever imagined. y C? SAATCHI AFI94