This one wasn't planned, but I was taking a break in Tonga this week, and stumbled upon this restored vessel at the entry to the HM Naval Base Masefield near Nuku-alofa. She is the Ngahau Siliva, and was one of the first warships to serve the Tongan Defence Forces (from 1975-1991).
Built by Brooke Marine, Lowestoft in the United Kingdom, she had a Glass-Reinforced Plastic (GRP) hull, and was manned by a crew of 7. In service, she was armed with two 0.5” Browning Machine Guns. She was powered by two Cummins V8 diesels which gave a maximum speed of 21 knots, and she had a range of 1,000 nautical miles.
She was restored under the Tonga-Australia Defence Cooperation Program, and opened as a monument by the King in July 2024.
