The Navy received its new tanker in April 1988. Named HMNZS ENDEAVOUR, she displaced 12,354 tonnes and had a capacity for 7500 tonnes of diesel, 120 tonnes of aviation fuel and some dry and refrigerated cargo. Rigged to be able to replenish ships at sea, she had a helicopter flight deck aft and an initial complement of 35.
Two months later a modern diving support ship joined the fleet. Built in Yorkshire in 1979 as the Star Perseus, the 498-ton ship was fitted with a diving bell, recompression chamber and facilities for up to 15 divers. The ship also had a capability to hold station over a fixed position. Bought in March 1988, she was renamed HMNZS MANAWANUI, the third ship to bear her name.
[[Some references taken from Howard G. Portrait of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Grantham House, New Zealand, 2001]
The museum has a collection of oral histories relating to afloat support.