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For the first time since World War Two, New Zealand has lost a navy ship.
The Manawanui sank in Samoan waters after it lost power and hit a reef during surveying work in rough seas.
New Zealand’s Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, says an investigation into the incident has begun.
“I can confirm there were 75 people on board at the time the ship ran aground, including seven civilians from scientific agencies and four foreign military personnel.”
All 75 of those people made it to shore safely after the ship’s captain, Yvonne Gray, called for an evacuation.
New Zealand’s Defence Minister, Judith Collins, says the focus is now on mitigating the environmental impacts and salvaging what is left of the ship, with efforts tracking well.
"What is not tracking well is the deeply concerning misogynistic narrative that reared its head before our people had even made it home to New Zealand. A court of inquiry has been stood up to establish what caused this terrible incident. The one thing that we already know did not cause it is the gender of the ship's captain.”
British-born Commander Yvonne Gray previously served in the U-K’s Royal Navy, and has more than 30 years of naval experience.
Since the incident, Captain Gray has been subjected to vicious online abuse, with some online trolls suggesting she was promoted above her station due to her gender.
Ms Collins is calling out the behaviour.
"I am appalled to see the comments online from these armchair admirals, people who will never have to make decisions which mean life or death for their subordinates. I'm appalled to hear that our women in uniform are being abused in the street because of this incident.”
About twenty per cent of New Zealand’s uniformed military members are women.
The country also currently has a female Defence Minister and female Chief of Army.
New Zealand has a long history of gender equality, and was the first country to grant women the right to vote.
But the nation's most recent female prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, received frequent misogynistic abuse while in office.
Ms Collins has emphasised all those women were appointed on merit, and says she is shocked by the extent of abuse Captain Gray is receiving.
"I thought seriously, we're 2024. What the hell's going on here with people who are sitting there in their armchair operating their keyboard, making comments about people that they do not know, about an area they do not know, and they're just vile."
As for the damage, Samoan officials are fearful fuels and oils from the ship could contaminate the surrounding ocean.
However, it is believed most of the ship's fuel burnt off during the fire onboard, and oil in the sea has been observed dissipating quickly.
New Zealand’s Defence Force says a navy team has been established to respond to any arising environmental impacts- but some in Samoa are calling for an apology from New Zealand.
So far, Ms Collins has declined to offer one.
Instead, she's defending the actions of the crew.
“They’re undertaking a survey of an area that I understand had not been surveyed since 1987... and since then, there have been hurricanes and tsunami, and all sorts of things. So, this was work that needed to be done. I think the main thing is, nobody lost their lives and that is, that is actually something of a triumph, frankly, given the very, very difficult circumstances.”
An interim report into the sequence of events leading up to the incident, as well as the cause of the grounding and sinking, is due in mid-November.
