HMNZS Tui (T234)

HMNZS "Tui" (T234) was a "Bird" class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy. She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles.

"Tui" was the first of two ships with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and was named after a native bird from New Zealand.

War service

In March 1942 in Scotland, "Tui" and the four "Isles" class trawlers, "Killegray", "Inchkeith", "Sanda" and "Scarba" had been newly build for New Zealand. They were formed into a flotilla and departed from the River Clyde with a convey bound for Canada. The trawler flotilla then left for Auckland, arriving there in August.

In Auckland "Tui" was assigned to the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla and sailed for Suva to replace "Matai". In December she joined her sister ships "Kiwi" and "Moa" at Noumea. The 25th Minesweeping Flotilla had been offered to COMSOPAC, and by early December "Tui", "Moa", and "Kiwi" with "Matai" as flotilla leader, were all together at Noumea ready to move north. They sailed for the Solomons, escorting a convey some of the way. Making Tulagi their base they began anti-submarine screen patrols on 19 December 1942 off Tulagi and Lunga Point, Guadalcanal.

Landing barges

On 21 January 1943, "Tui" and "Moa" came across four Japanese landing barges stopped close inshore. When "Tui" and "Moa" closed in, those aboard the barges opened fire with machine guns and small arms, and got underway. At close range "Moa" fired on the leading barge, but a fluke shot passed through the 4-inch gun aperture, ignited a cordite charge and injured all seven in the gun crew. "Moa" managed to silence the first barge and sink the last in line with 20mm fire, then withdrew and attended to the cordite fire and injuries. "Tui" then opened fire on the barges, sinking one with her 4 inch gun, and the remaining two escaped inshore in the darkness. [Waters, Sydney David (1956) "The Royal New Zealand Navy", [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Navy-c20.html#n309 Page 309-310] , Official History, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington.]

ubmarine "I-17"

On 19 August 1943, while escorting a convey from Noumea, "Tui" picked up a submarine contact. She made an initial run over it without using depth charges, a second run dropping two depth charges, and a third run throwing another two depth charges. Contact was lost and "Tui" signaled some US seaplanes who joined the search. A plane indicated that "Tui" should investigate smoke on the horizon. The submarine was sighted on the surface and "Tui" opened fire at maximum range, scoring one and possibly two hits. Aircraft then dropped depth charges and the submarine sank at coord|23|26|S|166|50|E. She was the Japanese submarine "I-17", 2,190 tons, 108m long, built in 1939. Ninety-seven crewmen were lost. "Tui" picked up six survivors who said that "Tui's" depth charge attacks had damaged the submarine and forced it to the surface.

The commanding officer and anti-submarine control officer on the "Tui" had doubted whether the contact was really a submarine, so the depth-charge attacks were not properly carried out. A later Naval Board report concluded that "had the proper procedure been followed and a full depth-charge pattern fired in the original attack, there is little doubt but that the submarine would have been destroyed then and there." [Waters, Sydney David (1956) "The Royal New Zealand Navy", [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Navy-c21.html#n327 Page 327-328] , Official History, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington.]

"I-17" was the first Axis ship to shell the United States mainland when she shelled an oil refinery near Santa Barbara on 23 February 1942.

Other service

COMSOPAC released the New Zealand ships in June 1945, and "Tui" departed the Solomons escorting a group of six RNZN Fairmiles. On her return to Auckland, "Tui" worked with "Kiwi" and the 7th Trawler Group on the final clearing of the German minefield in the outer Hauraki Gulf.

Post-war service

"Tui" was put in reserve in June 1946.

Training

In 1952 the Navy wanted to free some Loch class frigates for war service in Korea. "Tui" was recommissioned in February 1952 to take over training duties previously undertaken by the frigate "Kaniere". This training was carried out for the Naval Volunteer Reserve and included training for compulsory reservists as well as volunteer reservists and sea cadets.

She was also used part time by the DSIR and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).

Oceanographic research

In October 1955 "Tui" was docked for conversion to an oceanographic research ship. On 5 March 1956, the now disarmed "Tui" was recommissioned and reclassified as a fleet auxiliary. She made many scientific cruises for the DSIR and NRL to places around New Zealand and Pacific islands. She investigated shipwrecks, notably [http://divenewzealand.com/articles.asp?sid=676 "Holmglen"] off Timaru in in 1959 and [http://users.iconz.co.nz/rwincer/kaitawa.htm "Kaitawa"] off Cape Reinga in 1966.

Her fate

"Tui" was finally decommissioned on 22 December 1967. She was stripped of her equipment and sold in December 1969 to Pacific Scrap Ltd who demolished her.

She was replaced in 1970 by a purpose built oceanographic ship with the same name.

ee also

* Minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy
* Survey ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy

Notes

References

* McDougall, R J (1989) "New Zealand Naval Vessels." Page 59-61. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780477013994

Further reading

* Harker, Jack (2000)"The Rockies: New Zealand Minesweepers at War." Silver Owl Press. ISBN 0959797998