The ship was berthed at Devonport Naval Base until the problems could be addressed; this was slow in coming, and by June 1997, "Charles Upham" was being referred to as "the Calliope South Windbreak". Delays included a reassessment of Defence finances and operational requirements prioritising spending on the Army, and government calls for an independent report into the ship's acquisition and suitability for conversion (the report found that the vessel had been acquired reasonably and was suitable for modification, although the Alliance Party criticised this review as a whitewash). In October 1997, Cabinet agreed that conversion of the vessel would be considered in 2000, near the end of the three-year planning cycle. A month later, the Alliance Party published "The Scandal of The Chales Upham" the first of two booklets criticising the ship and her acquisition. By April 1998, pressures on the defence budget caused priority for funding the conversion to be reduced, and the RNZN made "Charles Upham" available for civilian charter until such funding became available again. In early 1998, the ballast tanks were refitted, and an STP was installed.