New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy

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Historic ships of the
Royal New Zealand Navy
RNZN Ensign
Alphabetical list

The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy was formed in 1921 and remained in existence until 1941. It was the precursor to the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).

Originally the British Royal Navy provided total security for the colony of New Zealand. The passing of the Naval Defence Act 1913 created the New Zealand Naval Forces as a separate division within the Royal Navy.

In 1921 the New Zealand Naval Forces were renamed the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. Funded by Wellington and increasingly manned by New Zealanders, it operated 14 ships over a period of 21 years, including the cruisers HMS Achilles and HMS Leander, the training minesweeper HMS Wakakura, and the elderly HMS Philomel which was recommissioned as a base training establishment.

Contents

[edit] Ships of the New Zealand Division

Sortable list covering the period from the inception of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy in 1921 to the formation of the Royal New Zealand Navy on 1 October 1941.

Name Pnnt Type Class Com Decom Notes
HMS Achilles 70 Cruiser Leander class 1936 1941 1941-1946 was HMNZS Achilles in the RNZN
HMS Auckland L61 Convoy sloop Grimsby class 1938 1939 Nominated only.
HMS Chatham Cruiser Town class 1920 1924 Replaced by Dunedin in 1924
HMS Diomede D92 Cruiser Danae class 1926 1935 Replaced by Achilles in 1936
HMS Dunedin D93 Cruiser Danae class 1924 1937 Replaced by Leander in 1937
HMS Laburnum T48 Convoy sloop Acacia class 1922 1935 Flower class sloop
HMS Leander Cruiser Leander class 1937 1941 1941-1944 was HMNZS Leander in the RNZN
HMS Leith L36 Convoy sloop Grimsby class 1934 1939  
RFA Nucula L61 Fleet oiler 1924 1937 oil hulk 1937-1947
HMS Philomel Cruiser Pearl class 1921 1941 "Cradle of the Navy." 1914-1921 was HMS Philomel in the NZ Naval Forces. 1941-1947 became HMNZS Philomel in the RNZN
HMS Puriri (T02) T02 Minesweeper Converted merchant ship 1941 1941 14 May 1941 struck a German mine 9 miles NE of the Whangarei heads and sunk with the loss of five crew members.[1][2]
HMS Torch Convoy sloop 1921 1924 1914-1921 was HMS Torch in the NZ Naval Forces. Also called a gun boat. Wrecked in Chatham Islands. Picture
HMS Veronica T67 Convoy sloop Acacia class 1920 1934 Flower class sloop
HMS Wellington L65 Convoy sloop Grimsby class 1935 1939  
HMS Wakakura T00 Minesweeper Castle class 1926 1941 1941-1945 was HMNZS Wakakura in the RNZN

[edit] Transition to the Royal New Zealand Navy

When Britain went to war against Germany in 1939, New Zealand promptly declared war and expanded it's naval forces. In recognition that the naval force was now largely self-sufficient and independent of the Royal Navy, the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy became the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) in 1941.

According to the Royal Navy web site, in 1941 there were

  • 2 Cruisers
  • 2 Escort Vessels
  • 1 Survey Vessel
  • 1 Minesweeping Vessel

as well as miscellaneous ships.

The prefix "royal" was granted by King George VI on 1 October 1941, and ships thereafter were prefixed with HMNZS (His/Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship).

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Tonson, A.E. HMS Puriri 1938, NZ Navy, article in Naval Historical Review - March 1983
  2. ^ HMNZS Puriri

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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