Bird-class minesweeper
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Bird class |
| Builders: | Henry Robb Ltd, Leith, Scotland. |
| Succeeded by: | Isles class |
| Completed: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Minesweeper |
| Displacement: | 607 standard, 923 full load |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draught: | 15.3 ft (4.7 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1,100 ihp (820 kW) oil |
| Speed: | 13 knots (24 km/h) |
| Complement: | 33-35 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | asdic |
| Armament: |
|
The Bird-class minesweeper was a naval trawler built to Admiralty specifications so it could function as a minesweeper. Three were built for the Royal New Zealand Navy. The vessels were also referred to as corvettes.
The Bird class evolved from the experimental minesweeping trawler HMS Basset, 1935, followed by HMS Mastiff, 1938, both built by Henry Robb Ltd. They were slightly larger and more powerful than these prototypes of what ultimately became the Isles class.
Service history
The three vessels were HMNZS Kiwi (T102), HMNZS Moa (T233) and HMNZS Tui (T234).[1]
On 29 January 1943, in a classic duel, Kiwi and Moa rammed and wrecked the Japanese submarine I-1.[2] On 19 August 1943 the Royal New Zealand Navy Tui and some United States Kingfisher floatplanes jointly sank the Japanese submarine I-17.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Royal New Zealand Navy's Bird-class ships (NZHistory)
- ↑ Waters, Sydney David (1956) The Royal New Zealand Navy, Page 307-309, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington.
- ↑ Waters, Sydney David (1956) The Royal New Zealand Navy, Page 327-328, Official History, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington.
- McDougall, R J (1989). New Zealand Naval Vessels. Government Printing Office. pp. 59–61. ISBN 978-0-477-01399-4.