Old Salt
02-01-2011, 02:36
RNZN IN THE KOREAN WAR
On 25 June 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea, and over the next few weeks its Army pushed South Korean, American and British ground forces back to the Pusan perimeter in the south.
On 27 July 1950, within 48 hours of the Government making the decision to support United Nations operations in Korea, two of the Navy's frigates, HMNZ Ships PUKAKI and TUTIRA were enroute to the area. For the next three years the RNZN kept two frigates attached to the United Nations' naval forces off Korea.
To get to Korea entailed a 5500 nautical mile trip from New Zealand. The ships called at Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea for fuel, then Hong Kong for war stores and gunnery exercises before arriving in Japan. Our ships were then based either at Sasebo or Kure, for what were generally 12-14 month deployments away from New Zealand. Facilities for recreation in these two ports were extremely limited, considerably reducing the benefit of the relatively few occasions that the ships were in harbour.
For the first few months the main tasks of the New Zealand ships were convoy escort and general patrol work. PUKAKI and TUTIRA formed part of the naval force which covered the landings at Inchon, then also participated in the landings at Wonsan.
TUTIRA had a variation in tasking when she took charge of two South Korean minesweepers in operations off Peng Yong Island in early 1951, just prior to the ship's return to New Zealand.
From mid-1951 the New Zealand ships primarily operated close to the West Coast of Korea in support of land operations, often well up the Han River. Much of the time was spent providing gunfire support to units ashore. During a 14 month deployment from August 1951 to October 1952, TAUPO fired over 16,000 rounds from her 4 inch gun, wearing out the barrel in the process. A number of gunfire missions were also conducted using the ships' 40mm Bofor guns, requiring the firing ship to be very close inshore.
During naval gunfire support operations the ships often landed their own spotters. During a short refit in Kure, ROTOITI had taken the opportunity to have an assault platoon, made up from the seamen on board, trained up by a Royal Marine Commando unit. Subsequently ROTOITI sent raiding parties into enemy territory on three occasions.
In a major contrast to these operations, ROTOITI saved a merchant ship which had been captured by pirates. ROTOITI was on her way home, off the coast of China, when a distress signal was received from a British merchant ship, SS HUPEH, which had been captured by pirates. ROTOITI's intervention ensured that the pirates gave up their prize and the crew and passengers were unharmed.
Although hard worked and frequently operating close inshore, the ships were particularly fortunate in seldom coming under fire. Two notable exceptions to this were ROTOITI, which was engaged by enemy shore batteries when far up the Han River, and TAUPO, which assisted in the foiling of an invasion of Yang Do, an island off the East Coast of Korea.
A number of awards were granted to the personnel of the ships, notably the Distinguished Service Medal to two members of the landing party of ROTOITI for their actions during the raids of 1951. Most of the Commanding Officers of the ships received the Distinguished Service Cross, or bars thereto if they already held one, in general recognition of the work of the whole ship. In addition to these, a number of men were awarded Mentions in Despatches for their particular efforts during the various ships' deployments.
All of the Navy's Lake-Class frigates (ex RN Loch class) served off Korea, with two of them, HAWEA and ROTOITI, completing two deployments. During three hard years, often in extreme weather conditions, they had none of the headline brilliance of great naval battles. It had been hard and monotonous but essential work - denying the sea to the enemy, while enabling the UN forces to make full use of it.
Subsequent to the truce of 1953, New Zealand maintained its naval commitment to the UN Command in South Korea until 1959, by the regular attachment of RNZN warships to the UN forces. From 1955 these attachments occurred in conjunction with deployments to the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve.
Source : RNZN Museum
On 25 June 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea, and over the next few weeks its Army pushed South Korean, American and British ground forces back to the Pusan perimeter in the south.
On 27 July 1950, within 48 hours of the Government making the decision to support United Nations operations in Korea, two of the Navy's frigates, HMNZ Ships PUKAKI and TUTIRA were enroute to the area. For the next three years the RNZN kept two frigates attached to the United Nations' naval forces off Korea.
To get to Korea entailed a 5500 nautical mile trip from New Zealand. The ships called at Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea for fuel, then Hong Kong for war stores and gunnery exercises before arriving in Japan. Our ships were then based either at Sasebo or Kure, for what were generally 12-14 month deployments away from New Zealand. Facilities for recreation in these two ports were extremely limited, considerably reducing the benefit of the relatively few occasions that the ships were in harbour.
For the first few months the main tasks of the New Zealand ships were convoy escort and general patrol work. PUKAKI and TUTIRA formed part of the naval force which covered the landings at Inchon, then also participated in the landings at Wonsan.
TUTIRA had a variation in tasking when she took charge of two South Korean minesweepers in operations off Peng Yong Island in early 1951, just prior to the ship's return to New Zealand.
From mid-1951 the New Zealand ships primarily operated close to the West Coast of Korea in support of land operations, often well up the Han River. Much of the time was spent providing gunfire support to units ashore. During a 14 month deployment from August 1951 to October 1952, TAUPO fired over 16,000 rounds from her 4 inch gun, wearing out the barrel in the process. A number of gunfire missions were also conducted using the ships' 40mm Bofor guns, requiring the firing ship to be very close inshore.
During naval gunfire support operations the ships often landed their own spotters. During a short refit in Kure, ROTOITI had taken the opportunity to have an assault platoon, made up from the seamen on board, trained up by a Royal Marine Commando unit. Subsequently ROTOITI sent raiding parties into enemy territory on three occasions.
In a major contrast to these operations, ROTOITI saved a merchant ship which had been captured by pirates. ROTOITI was on her way home, off the coast of China, when a distress signal was received from a British merchant ship, SS HUPEH, which had been captured by pirates. ROTOITI's intervention ensured that the pirates gave up their prize and the crew and passengers were unharmed.
Although hard worked and frequently operating close inshore, the ships were particularly fortunate in seldom coming under fire. Two notable exceptions to this were ROTOITI, which was engaged by enemy shore batteries when far up the Han River, and TAUPO, which assisted in the foiling of an invasion of Yang Do, an island off the East Coast of Korea.
A number of awards were granted to the personnel of the ships, notably the Distinguished Service Medal to two members of the landing party of ROTOITI for their actions during the raids of 1951. Most of the Commanding Officers of the ships received the Distinguished Service Cross, or bars thereto if they already held one, in general recognition of the work of the whole ship. In addition to these, a number of men were awarded Mentions in Despatches for their particular efforts during the various ships' deployments.
All of the Navy's Lake-Class frigates (ex RN Loch class) served off Korea, with two of them, HAWEA and ROTOITI, completing two deployments. During three hard years, often in extreme weather conditions, they had none of the headline brilliance of great naval battles. It had been hard and monotonous but essential work - denying the sea to the enemy, while enabling the UN forces to make full use of it.
Subsequent to the truce of 1953, New Zealand maintained its naval commitment to the UN Command in South Korea until 1959, by the regular attachment of RNZN warships to the UN forces. From 1955 these attachments occurred in conjunction with deployments to the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve.
Source : RNZN Museum