was asked to provide a list of such ships available; they advised that the only ship available was Mercandian Queen II, which had just come back onto the market after a previous sale fell through, and Cabinet approval was secured on 28 November 1994. The ship was purchased from Mercandia on 16 December 1994 for NZ$14.15 million or 55 million Danish Kronor. She was sailed to New Zealand with a cargo and as a New Zealand-flagged merchant vessel under the name Sealift to offset costs, arrived on 14 March 1995, and was commissioned into the RNZN as HMZNS Charles Upham (named after dual Victoria Cross winner Charles Upham) on 18 October 1995. Before entering operational service, she was fitted with naval communications equipment, along with four machine guns and two SRBOC Mark 36 launchers for self-defence, and increased accommodation facilities. In military service, the ship's company consisted of 8 officers and 24 sailors. RNZN career During 1996, Charles Upham made two operational voyages to test the ship's capabilities. The first was between Napier and Lyttelton, then on 24 June, the vessel sailed from Auckland to Fiji as part of Exercise Tropic Dust. En route to Fiji, the lightly laden Charles Upham showed a propensity to roll, and reached 37 degrees from centre during one heavy storm; the degree of roll caused the main fuel pump to fail and the ship experienced a broaching effect. The conditions led to the ship being nicknamed "Charles Chuckam" and "Chuck-Up", and the commanding officer was so concerned for the safety of the ship and his personnel that on return to New Zealand on 3 August, Charles Upham was withdrawn from service until modifications could be made to improve stability. Other alterations planned as part of this conversion included the installation of a flight deck and facilities for two mid-size helicopters, and an increase in soldier accommodation by 100, bringing the number of available berths for ship's personnel and passengers to 215. Investigation found that up to of cargo or ballast (half the ship's designed load) was required to minimise excessive motion, and operation of a helicopter in even these conditions would be limited. Cargo unloading capability at undeveloped or damaged wharves was also found to be poor, with cranes unable to be fitted because they would further compromise stability, and container forklifts were too heavy for the ship's -per-axle deck weight limit. The ship