Trolls have targeted the female New Zealand Navy captain after a $100million ship sank under her command, forcing the country’s Defence Minister to blast the ‘armchair admirals’ and stress her gender was not to blame.
HMNZS Manawanui, the Royal New Zealand Navy’s specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, was conducting a reef survey south of the Samoan island of Upolu when it ran aground on Saturday.
The 75 crew and passengers had to abandon ship in lifeboats and were hauled to safety in rough seas by Australian and Samoan rescuers.
HMS Manawanui, which is Maori for ‘steadfast’ or ‘big heart’, burst into flames before it capsized and sank on Sunday at 9am.
It is the first occasion in peacetime that the New Zealand Navy has lost a ship and a Court of Inquiry has been launched to establish what went wrong.
Many online trolls have taken aim at Commander Yvonne Gray who has been in charge of the vessel since 2022 – her first ship command.
Commander Gray, originally from Yorkshire in the UK, moved to New Zealand in 2012 with her wife Sharon after falling in love with the country during a campervan holiday.
The critics accused Commander Gray of being appointed to the role due to her gender and/or sexuality rather than her qualifications.
HMNZS Manawanui (pictured), the Royal New Zealand Navy’s specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, was conducting a reef survey offshore from the Samoan island of Upolu’s southern coast before it ran aground on Saturday.
The blame game soon began in the aftermath of the sinking, with many online trolls taking aim at Commander Yvonne Gray (pictured) who has been in charge of the vessel since 2022 – her first ship command.
HMS Manawanui, which is Maori for ‘steadfast’ or ‘big heart’ burst into flames before it capsized and sank on Sunday morning at 9am. It is the first occasion in peace time that the New Zealand Navy has lost a ship
‘The commanding officer Commander Yvonne Gray was a DEI hire. Her qualifications: a woman and a lesbian,’ one X user wrote.
Another sarcastically commented that Commander Gray ‘might stand alone in world history among all naval officers’.
‘She sank 12 per cent of her country’s fleet in a day, without enemy engagement or storm. Diversity is our strength!’, they added.
Another quipped: ‘At least it sunk with pride.’
John McLean, author of A Mission of Honour: A History Of The Royal Navy In The Pacific 1769-1997, said the ship’s sinking ‘raises the issue of whether the Navy is over-promoting women beyond their capacity in order to meet gender and sexual orientation goals’.
But Judith Collins, New Zealand’s first female Defence Minister, dismissed such claims on Thursday, describing them as coming from ‘armchair admirals.
‘People who will never have to make decisions which mean life or death for their subordinates,’ she added.
Online trolls leapt on Commander Gray’s identity to suggest she had been chosen to captain the $93million navy vessel because of her gender and sexuality, rather than her qualifications
‘A court of inquiry has been stood up to establish what caused this terrible incident,’ Ms Collins added.
‘The one thing that we already know did not cause it is the gender of the ship’s captain.
‘Seriously, in 2024, what the hell is going on here with people who are sitting there in their armchair operating a keyboard making comments about people that they do not know, about an area they do not know and they are just vile.
‘Where’s a bit of decency?’
She added women in uniform had been abused in the street following the sinking.
‘This is outrageous behaviour and New Zealand is not known for this and we are better than it,’ she added.
In a press conference at the Devonport Naval Base on Sunday, Ms Collins said the fact that no one died was ‘something of a triumph frankly, given the very, very difficult circumstances’.
Holding back tears, she added: ‘This could have been a truly terrible day.’
Ms Collins suggested the ship had run aground because it ‘lost power’ but investigators are still working to establish an official cause of the sinking.
The criticism of Commander Gray came despite her three-decade-long career in both the British and New Zealand Navy.
She took the helm of helm of HMNZS Manawanui in 2022 after the then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave a speech before releasing a bottle of champagne to wet the bow at the ship’s commissioning.
Commander Gray, who lists her pronouns as ‘she/her’ on LinkedIn, said the ship’s sinking was when her ‘very worst imagining became a reality’.
She said that said her team ‘responded in exactly the way I needed them to’.
‘They acted with commitment, with comradeship and, above all, with courage,’ she said in a Defence Force statement on Tuesday night.
Chief of the Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, said Commander Gray had ‘made the right call’ to abandon the ship.
Judith Collins, New Zealand’s first female Defence Minister, (pictured) dismissed these claims on Thursday, describing them as coming from ‘armchair admirals, people who will never have to make decisions which mean life or death for their subordinates’
Online, family of the crew thanked local rescuers for returning all 75 crew members to Samoa
Samoan police and emergency crews reportedly worked with Australian Defence personnel to pull the vessel’s crew to safety
‘It’s a testament to her experience and skill as a commander,’ he said.
Vision from local media showed the $93million navy vessel tilting as the ship took on water and thick black smoke clouded the sky above it.
Anti-submarine aircraft P-8A Poseidon was also deployed to assist in the rescue effort.
But rescuers battled strong currents and winds propelled life rafts and sea boats containing the 75 crew toward the reefs.
High swells only made the rescue efforts more challenging.
‘We are very grateful for the assistance of everyone involved, from RCCNZ who coordinated rescue efforts, to the vessels which responded and took our crew and passengers from Manawanui to safety,’ NZ Maritime Component Commander Commodore Shane Arndell said.
Commander Gray took the helm of helm of HMNZS Manawanui in 2022 after the then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave a speech before releasing a bottle of champagne to wet the bow at the ship’s commissioning (pictured: Ms Ardern with her then partner Clarke Gayford and their 11-month-old daughter Neve at the official ceremony at Devonport Naval Base)
Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority said their rescue team worked through the night and into the morning to retrieve and treat HMNZS Manawanui’s crew.
‘Fortunately, no-one was heavily injured and no lives were lost. We’re proud to say we saved them,’ a spokesperson said.
Two crew members were later hospitalised – one with a dislocated shoulder, and the other with a hurt back.
Another dozen crew suffered minor cuts and soreness.
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