Commander Sandra Walker has become the first female assigned command of a major fleet unit within the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).
In a formal ceremony held at the Devonport Naval Base this week in Auckland, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Tony Parr officially handed Commander Walker control of the replenishment tanker HMNZS 'Endeavour' from outgoing Commanding Officer Keith Robb.
Commander Walker said she was grateful for the opportunity.
"As an officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy, taking command of a ship is something we all aspire to as it is the pinnacle of your seagoing career. I'm very much looking forward serving on HMNZS 'Endeavour' again, and working with the ship's company."
Having enlisted on the RNZN's general list of officers in hydrographic specialisation of the executive branch in 1994, Commander Walker completed initial and specialist officer training on the HMNZS 'Tamaki'.
Between 1994 and 2002 she served on the HMNZ 'Southland', HMNZ 'Waikato', HMNZ 'Endeavour', HMNZ 'Monowai' and HMNZ 'Resolution'.
In April 2007 Commander Walker was the executive officer of the HMNZS 'Endeavour' when the ship's company received the Maritime Component Commanders' Award for efficiency in operations.
More recently she has also worked in support of the Canterbury earthquake recovery programme and Operation Rena.
Women were first enlisted into the seagoing career trades of the RNZN in the early 1990s.
Iain MacIntyre