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A Look at the Final Days of the F69 Frigate
30.01.06
The last days of the HMNZS Wellington have been caught on camera by local photographer Emma Smith.
Exhibition F69: The Deconstruction of a Frigate, which documents the transformation of the decommissioned F69 Frigate and her last days afloat in Wellington Harbour, will be on view at the Wellington Arts Centre gallery from 2-12 February. The public is invited to an opening reception from 6.00pm - 8.00pm on Thursday 2 February.
Ms Smith spent six months documenting the ship's final port of call, and closely studied the preparations for the sinking off Wellington's South Coast. She worked with the Sink F69 Trust to photograph the ship as it was prepared for scuttling in November 2005. The stripped hull of the former naval vessel now rests less than a kilometre offshore in 40 metres of water, and has become a popular spot for recreational divers.
Ms Smith says her intention was to provide Wellington with historical images of an important vessel. "The exhibition offers a story of transformation, functional purpose, and the voyage to new utility under the sea."
Her photographs reveal a ship caught between its identity as a protector of New Zealand fishermen and vessels as the HMNZS Wellington, and serving as an artificial reef as the sunken F69.
"The original ship had a complex interior network of practical tools used to navigate the ocean, while its final state is a completely empty structure resting on the seabed," says Smith. "The images in Exhibition F69 explore this physical reduction and transformation, presenting ideas of retired service, residual danger and deconstruction."
The project was completed with the support of the Sink F69 Charitable Trust, Wellington City Council, Wellington Arts Centre, and Image Lab.
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