Napier man takes command of Navy helicopter squadron

A busy Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) career as a Seasprite helicopter observer, mission planner and trainer has taken Napier man Commander Sam Greenhalgh around the world.

This week he capped that by becoming the new Commanding Officer of the RNZN’s airborne wing, No.6 Squadron, where Seasprite crews are trained and deployed to its helicopter-capable ships from Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Auckland.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to take command of 6 Squadron, which is made up of passionate and proud people who operate in a dangerous environment,” Commander Greenhalgh said.

Commander Greenhalgh, 39, said he joined the RNZN for adventure and travel and has certainly achieved his aims, having operated RNZN Seasprites from the Persian Gulf and the Aleutian Islands to South East Asia, Hawaii and the Southern Ocean.

“Being part of a ship’s company and travelling around the world with an aircraft and a ship – that has definitely been a highlight,” he said.

During Year 13 at Napier Boys’ High School in 1997 he attended an open ship day of HMNZS Te Kaha in Wellington and that cemented the idea of a navy career and deploying on a frigate.

He joined the RNZN the next year as a Seaman Officer, completed Junior Officer training and became interested in the helicopter observer role.

“In those days you had to be a ship driver first, before you could train as aircrew,” he said.

He served as Bridge Watchkeeper on various RNZN vessels for five years and in 2003 graduated to Navigator on the HMNZS Resolution, a former RNZN hydrography vessel.

He became a Seasprite Observer with 6 Squadron in 2004.

“The Seasprite has a three-person crew of pilot, observer and loadmaster and the observer is effectively the mission commander – leading the tactical role of the aircraft and operating the sensors and weapons,” he said.

“It can be a very busy role. A Seasprite has a lot of the same sensors as the P3 Orion to detect shipping and interact with vessels, but with only three crew to do the job and only two people with access to the sensors.”

Commander Greenhalgh said he had two principal aims as Commander of No 6 Squadron: boosting its size and ensuring that its identity remains strong.

“The squadron has grown a lot in size over the past 14 years and we need to keep that going, both with new trainees and retaining our people at senior levels,” he said.

“And during the past few years we’ve really built a strong identity at 6 Squadron and we want to keep that strong, so that people want to be part of the squadron. We have a good group of aircraft maintainers and aircrew here, who are proud to be part of the squadron and we want to keep that.”