ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy

Okay kiddo, so you know how sometimes there are dangerous things lying around on the ground that you might accidentally step on and hurt yourself? Well, ships in the Royal New Zealand Navy have this really important job to do – they need to make sure that the sea and the harbour where they sail are safe for other ships to travel in.

Now, sometimes there might be things lying at the bottom of the sea that could hurt other ships if they run into them. These things could be explosive mines that were put there during a war or even things like old sunken ships which have become dangerous obstacles. This is where the minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy come in.

A minesweeper is a special kind of ship which has tools that can detect things lying at the bottom of the sea. Kind of like a superhero's special power! It travels slowly through the water, dragging a big heavy chain behind it. This chain creates a loud sound that bounces off anything that's lying at the bottom of the sea, and the ship's tools and crew can hear this sound and figure out what it might be.

If it's a dangerous mine, then the minesweeper will use special machines to carefully lift it out of the water and get rid of it somewhere safe, so it doesn't hurt anyone.

So, the minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy play a very important role in keeping the sea safe. They are like the superheroes of the sea!