HMNZS Waiho was one of eight steel New Zealand-built Castle-class ships built and commissioned by the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the last Castle-class trawler built for any navy.
 HMNZS Waiho
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 New Zealand | |
| Name | Waiho |
| Builder | Stevenson & Cook, Port Chalmers |
| Launched | 19 February 1944 |
| Commissioned | 3 June 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 1946 |
| Identification | Pennant number: T34/T403 |
| Fate | Sold to Red Funnel Trawlers |
 Australia | |
| Name | Matong |
| Owner | Red Funnel Trawlers |
| Acquired | 1946 |
| In service | 1946 |
| Out of service | 1958 |
| Fate | Scrapped in 1963 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Castle-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 625 tons |
| Length | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Beam | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Single screw, triple reciprocating engine |
| Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Background
editThe vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the Castle-class design because it was simple enough to be built with the country's limited ship construction facilities at the time.[1]
Operational history
editWaiho was the last of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the Royal New Zealand Navy and was commissioned on 3 June 1944. the others being Aroha, Awatere, Hautapu, Maimai, Pahau, Waima, Waipu, and Waikato (never commissioned). She served with the 97th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Auckland.[2]
The day she was commissioned, she ran aground and was towed off after two hours, suffering a twisted rudder and popped rivets.[1][3] In 1944, the Waiho was struck by the Tui.[3] In 1945, she struck the Auckland ferry Makora, with damage to the ferry. [3] In 1946, she was sold to Red Funnel Trawlers, and was towed to Australia by the Matai.[4][3]
She began fishing in 1946, and was laid up in 1958.[3] She was sold for scrap in 1963.
References
edit- ^ a b "HMNZS Waiho Castle-Class Minesweeper". National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy. 2015-10-06. Archived from the original on 2009-12-21. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ "CHAPTER 18 — The Minesweeping Flotillas | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ a b c d e McDougall, R.J. (1989). New Zealand Naval vessels. ISBN 0-477-01399-6.
- ^ "MATAI DELAYED". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-30.