Significant NZ Naval Moments

[kookaburra]

In the early years, no ship made Kiwi hearts swell more with pride than the Indefatigable Class battle-cruiser they had paid for, and which carried the nation's name: HMS New Zealand.

On an initiative first announced by NZ's Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward in 1909, two Dominions - New Zealand and Australia - raised funds by public subscription for two new capital ships for the Royal Navy (Australia, in fact, coming to the newly-promulgated RAN), and Britain responded to this height of Empire sentiment by sending the name ship to NZ twice.

Famously, on the first visit in 1913 it is estimated that one third of NZ's entire population visited her during the 11weeks she remained in the Dominion.

There was a similar flocking to the ship when she came again in 1919, bringing Admiral of the Fleet, Viscount Jellicoe, on his tour compiling a report on future Dominion naval policy - again, a formative moment in the development of an emerging naval establishment in NZ itself. Lord Jellicoe became a Governor-General of New Zealand later.


In WW1, with Kiwi sailoirs of course on board, HMS New Zealand's war record was nothing short of magnificent. Unlike HMAS Australia, which seemed to miss all the big moments, HMS New Zealand was involved in all four major fleet engagements of WW1, the First Battle of Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank - where she became Admiral Beatty's flagship after HMS Lion was damaged - Jutland, and the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight.


This is a bit bizarre: During both Dogger Bank and Jutland her captain wore a Maori grass skirt and Tiki greenstone, presented during her first visit to the Dominion, to ward off evil spirits. It worked, anyway. At Jutland New Zealand fired 420 12-inch shells, more than any other capital ship, damaging the enemy and taking an 11-inch hit herself on X turret without any significant damage or casualties (she had fired 147 shells at Dogger Bank, but the results are not known).

Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at their Govan Yard on the Upper-Clyde, Glasgow, New Zealand was commissioned in the RN in November 1912, at a time when the Lion Class were already making the Indefatigables redundant, but as we've already seen, she did very well in service. Like HMAS Australia she was to become a victim of the Washington Naval Treaty. Just 10 years and one month old, she was sold out of service in December 1922 for breaking up at Rosyth.

Some pics here are repeats from my first 'Warships of New Zealand' post, but have now been re-sized and repaired (I didn't know how to do it back then).

[kookaburra]

The Royal Yacht Ophir was in NZ in 1901. But even more imposing was HMS Renown when she brought The Prince of Wales in 1920.

Finally, and I can only manage one small poor publicly available pic of this at present, HMS Hood was in Auckland with HMS Repulse on the World Cruise squadron in 1924. Hood attracted the same patriotic Empire sentiments in NZ as had their WW1 name ship in 1913: New Zealanders had served on Hood, and one Kiwi officer was sadly lost with her in 1941.

[kookaburra]

The US Great White Fleet also visited New Zealand in 1908.

Although very welcome, one suspects the outpouring among the somehow more British Kiwis was not quite as effusive as was the case in Australia. The more restrained NZ postcard suggests so.

[astraltrader]

A great read Jeff.

A different picture of Ophir taken in Halifax Nova Scotia during 1901...plus one other that I have...

[kookaburra]

NZ's Spar Torpedo Boats - four suicide missions waiting to happen, but which fortunately never did.

During the Maori Wars and later, the New Zealand colonial government operated some 16 small armed vessels, by far the largest of which was a 300-ton stern wheeled-paddle steamer named Pioneer, built in Sydney, armed with two 24 pounders in cupolas, and one rocket tube. She was first purpose-built warship ordered by the NZ colonial authority.

One of the more bizarre developments to follow was the acquisition in 1884 of four Spar torpedo boats from Thornycroft and Co of Chiswick in London, in the wake of the famous 'Russian scares' of that period.

The decision was taken without consultation with the Admiralty - which regarded the proposed method of operation of these barely seaworthy little vessels as highly dangerous, if not outright suicidal. When NZ's Minister of Defence heard of the dangers he refused to allow testing.

The idea, anyway, was to deliver an electrically-fired explosive charge against the side of an enemy warship at the end of a 40ft wooden spar carried along the length of vessel's deck.

Just how the attackers were meant to escape the effects of their own blast, let alone the guns of the enemy, was never quite clear. The charge had to be calibrated for escape, and there was a little protective citadel towards the stern of the vessels - but it all seemed a pretty problematic theory, and seems to have relied on a very docile or sleeping enemy.


The genesis of the order came in an 1880 report on the Dominion's defences by Colonel P.H. (later Sir Peter) Scratchley of the Royal Engineers. Col. Scratchley recommended the building of various fortifications and heavy gun mountings around NZ's four main ports, to be augmented by 12 of these 2nd class torpedo boats, three each for each port. They could sneak up on calm nights or early morning, and it would be best if they could attack from several directions.

If the enemy were Russians, I believe that Col. Scratchley should also have recommended that they be delivered of several complimentary cases of vodka at least two hours before the attack was to be made.

As it was, the fortifications never quite got built, and only four of the torpedo boats were delivered on SS Lyttalton and SS Peter Stuart in February and May 1884. The galvanized boats, which had to be stored out of the water, were first handed to the Torpedo Branch of the Armed Constabulary, then the Naval Artillery Volunteers, and finally the NZ Permanent Militia. It almost seemed like no-one wanted to touch them.

The boats were Defender (No 168) based at Lyttelton 1884–1902 ; Taioroa (No 169) based at Port Chalmers 1884–1902 ' Waitemata (170) at Auckland 1885–1902; and Poneke (171) at Wellington 1885–1902. I don't know quite why, but another reference gives other names for three, Tamioha (168) Arai te Uru (170) and Jervois (171), but perhaps the names changed.

In an article written 30 years ago, NZ Defence Historian I.C. MacGibbon pointed out that 170 and 171 were fitted with dropping gear and two Whitehead Fiume Mark 1V torpedoes in 1886 (see pic 4), but doubts remained whether the 63ft, 12-ton boats had the stability to carry and drop these weapons in any kind of seaway.

Mercifully they were never put to the test, particularly in the spar attack mode. But like such boats elsewhere they were an interesting part of the evolution of this kind of naval vessel - and another independent-minded step in the emergence of NZ's naval consciousness.

Although broken up in the early 1900s, a bow relic of one, Defender, appears to be preserved at a Torpedo Boat Museum in Lyttleton, a city which unfortunately I've not visited, but whose port photographs are always interesting. See pics 5 & 6.


i about their stability to

[kookaburra]

On June 20, 1920 the New Zealand Government issued an Order in Council authorising ‘The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy,’ a move that undertook to maintain a sea-going force and a training centre under New Zealand control.

This move, which followed Lord Jellicoe's 1919 report and recommendations on the future development of the Dominion navies, was to have far-reaching results on the development and promulgation of the RNZN in 1941.3, in the crucible of WW11.

Lord Jellicoe - who became NZ's Governor General in 1920 to 1924 - must have been at the heart of the 1920s developments, but it also accorded with New Zealand's desire to develop its own naval forces.

Jellicoe had recommended that NZ develop a force of three 'Fleet Units,' each unit comprising one light cruiser, two destroyers and two submarines, that could be integrated with similar units of the Royal Australian Navy or the Royal Navy (RN) in the event of war. These units would be supported by the old HMS Philomel serving as a depot ship.

The three cruisers and six submarines were to be obtained first, with the destroyers to come later. Even so, it was an ambitious plan, and in reality somewhat beyond the small country's resources.

As it eventuated, the government sought only a modern replacement for Philomel - 'the cradle of the New Zealand Navy' - and HMS Chatham arrived in 1921 to become the flagship. Chatham was replaced in the mid-1920s by two more modern cruisers, HMS Dunedin and HMS Diomede.

If Philomel had been the cradle, the decade-plus service of these two ships, along with the minesweeping trawler Wakakura [see RNZN Ship Of The Week thread] and the old Flower Class sloops Leith and Laburnum, that were the emerging young navy's education.

Dunedin and Diomede, by the way, played significant roles in the rescue and recovery efforts after a devastating earthquake struck Napier, Hastings and other towns throughout Hawkes Bay at on February 3, 1931, killing 250 people.

Meantime, largely due to political lobbying by the NZ Navy League 's President Charles Palmer a trial unit of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve had been established in Auckland, and divisions opened in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin two years later. By the outbreak of WW11 78 officers and 610 ratings were enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (NZ Division), and years 1000 men had been trained.

It was these developments that subsequently enabled New Zealand to operate the famous HMS/HMNZS Achillles and Leander, and other vessels, as essentially New Zealand ships until they formally became so in a greatly-expanded RNZN on October 1, 1941.

Source notes: I have essentially put this 'snapshot' view of the history together from notes on the NZ Navy Museum site, but some other sources. Most of the images also come from that same primary source, but again there are several sources, including the New Zealand National Library (pic 4) and some books with sketchy details.

[BECA@CLEAR.NET.NZ]

Kookaburro, you really do have the nack of posting interesting old pictures.
There is just something about these old vessels, of whatever navy, that I find endlessly fascinating.
Is it my imagination or are the older warships more interesting to look at than the sleek gin palaces that float around nowadays?.
The lads on board, whatever the ship, would still do their duty today I am sure, as sailors always have.
Thank you for posting,
Regards.

[Old Salt]

NZ White Ensign

On 20 June 1968 the RNZN first hoisted the NZ white ensign, replacing the RN white ensign.

I was serving in HMNZS Blackpool on that day in Gisborne and colours was carried out with all hands paraded, ceremony and pride.

Brian