HMNZS Kiwi (T102)
HMNZS Kiwi (T102) was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | HMNZS Kiwi (T102) |
| Builder: | Henry Robb Ltd. Scotland. |
| Commissioned: | 20 October 1941 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 December 1956 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Bird class minesweeper |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 168 ft (51 m) |
| 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 |
| Armament: | 1 × 4-inch gun, 2 × 1 Hotchkiss, twin Lewis, 40 depth charges |
She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles. From 1948 to 1956 she functioned as a training ship.
On 29 January 1943, with her sister ship Moa, Kiwi rammed and wrecked[1] the Japanese submarine I-1. At the time Kiwi was under the command of Lieutenant Commander Gordon Bridson who was awarded the DSC and the United States Navy Cross[2] for this action.
Kiwi was the first vessel with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is named after the national bird of New Zealand.
Notes
- Waters, Sydney David (1956) The Royal New Zealand Navy, Page 307-309, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington.
- Full Text Citations for award of the Navy Cross Archived 2006-09-19 at the Wayback Machine
References
- McDougall, R J (1989) New Zealand Naval Vessels. Page 59–61. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-477-01399-4
Further reading
- Harker, Jack (2000)The Rockies: New Zealand Minesweepers at War. Silver Owl Press. ISBN 0-9597979-9-8
External links
- Royal NZ Navy's Bird-class ships New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Updated 20 December 2012.
- Photo of HMNZS Kiwi's company
- Photo of damage to the bow of Kiwi
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