WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – New Zealand’s defense minister has slammed online comments made by an “armchair admiral” about female captains of stranded, fire and sunk naval ships, calling them “vile” and “misogynistic.” Off the coast of Samoa.
“Seriously, it’s 2024,” Judith Collins told reporters Thursday. “What the hell is going on here?”
Mr Collins appealed to the public to “do better” after days of comments directed at Commander Yvonne Gray’s gender on social media. Mr Collins said female members of the military had also been subjected to abuse on the streets since one of the New Zealand Navy’s nine ships was wrecked on Sunday.
All 75 crew members were evacuated to safety but suffered minor injuries after the vessel ran aground on a coral reef it was surveying about a mile off the coast of Upolu, Samoa’s most populous island. The cause of the disaster is unknown.
“One thing we already know is not a contributing factor is the gender of the captain, a woman with 30 years of naval experience who made the call that night to get the crew to safety.” said Collins.
She added that one of the posters was a truck driver from Melbourne, Australia.
“I think he should direct his comments to people who drive trucks, not people who drive boats,” Collins said. “These are the people I am calling out, and I am happy to continue calling them out for as long as it takes to stop this behavior.”
Approximately 20% of New Zealand’s uniformed military personnel are women. Ms Collins said she was New Zealand’s first female defense minister, joining the likes of Mr Gray and the country’s first female army chief, Major General Rose King, who took office in June.
“We are all appointed based on merit, not gender,” Collins said.
The sinking raised concerns about a large-scale fuel spill. On Thursday, Samoan authorities said the ship was leaking oil from three locations, but the amount was decreasing day by day and was quickly dissipating due to strong winds in the area.
According to a statement from the Marine Pollution Advisory Committee, it appears that most of the ship’s fuel was burned up in the fire. Officials were scheduled to meet with local residents on Thursday to discuss how to remove the ship’s anchor and three shipping containers from the reef without causing further damage to the fragile marine ecosystem.
The New Zealand government ordered a military tribunal led by a senior military official to investigate the case. We plan to meet for the first time on Friday.
New Zealand Navy chief Rear Admiral Garin Golding told reporters after the sinking that the passengers, including civilian scientists and foreign military personnel, left the ship in lifeboats in “difficult conditions” and darkness.
The passengers were then flown back to New Zealand.
The diving and hydrographic surveying vessel has been in service in New Zealand since 2019, but is 20 years old and previously belonged to Norway. The military said the ship was purchased for NZ$100 million ($61 million) but was not covered by replacement insurance.
The state of New Zealand’s aging military equipment has prompted a warning from the Pentagon, which said in a March report that the navy is “extremely vulnerable” and has problems maintaining and retaining the personnel needed to maintain it. The ship is said to be in a dormant state. Five of the Navy’s remaining eight ships are currently in service.
Mr Golding said HMNZS Manawanui underwent a maintenance period prior to deployment.
