Peter Phipps

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For the drummer with the same name see Peter Phipps (drummer)

Peter Phipps
c. 1909 – 18 Sep 1989
Vice Admiral Sir Peter Phipps
Place of death	Marlborough, New Zealand
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service/branch	Royal New Zealand Navy
Years of service	1928–1966
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	Chief of Naval staff Chief of Defence staff
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	KBE DSC and bar US Navy Cross

Vice Admiral Sir Peter Phipps KBE, DSC and bar, US Navy Cross (c. 1909 - 18 Sep 1989) was a founding father of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). He was the first New Zealander to reach the rank of vice-admiral in the RNZN. He was also the first Chief of Naval Staff and the first Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force. His date and place of birth are uncertain.

Contents 1 War career 1.1 Commander of the Moa 2 Post war career 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further reading

[edit] War career

Phipps began his military career in 1928 when he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as an ordinary seaman. He was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1930 and as a lieutenant in 1934.

In 1940, after the outbreak of war, he traveled to the United Kingdom where he was given his first command. This was the minesweeper HMS Bay which operated in the English Channel. Fifty aircraft attacked the convoy that Bay was helping escort and she was bombed. Phipps was awarded the DSC for bringing his damaged ship home.

Promoted to Lieutenant Commander, he took command of HMNZS Scarba, one of four Isles class minesweeping trawlers purchased for New Zealand. They carried out convoy duties en route to Auckland where they arrived 4 Aug 1942.

[edit] Commander of the Moa

Phipps then became commanding officer of Moa, which, with her sister ship Kiwi, sank the Japanese submarine I-1 in the Solomon Islands.

Both ships were patrolling at Guadalcanal and Kiwi's depth-charge attack brought the submarine to the surface. She attempted to escape but was rammed by Kiwi while Moa continued to illuminate with star shell. Moa pursued and pressed home the attack upon the submarine, which eventually ran aground on a reef. Phipps was awarded a Bar to his DSC and the United States Navy Cross^[1] for this action. In April 1943 he was wounded when Japanese aircraft sank Moa at Tulagi Harbour. The ship sustained a direct hit from a 500-pound bomb and sank within four minutes. Five ratings were killed and seven were seriously wounded. ^[2]

Phipps then became the Senior Officer of the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla in the Solomons. He represented the New Zealand Government at the surrender of the Japanese forces in Nauru and Ocean Island.

[edit] Post war career

After the war he commanded the training base HMNZS Philomel, where in 1947 he had to deal with a mutiny of sailors impatient to demobilise. He then became the executive officer of the cruiser Bellona. Between 1953 and 1955 he went overseas and served in a senior position in the Admiralty. He then took command successively of the cruisers Bellona and Royalist.

Phipps’ later career was a series of firsts for a New Zealander – he was the first NZ naval officer appointed to the New Zealand Naval Board (1957), the first to reach the rank of Admiral (eventually reaching Rear-Admiral), the first to be appointed to Chief of Naval Staff (1960) and the first Chief of Defence Staff (1963), following the establishment of the Ministry of Defence. ^[3]

Phipps was knighted for his services in 1964. On his retirement in 1966 he was created Vice-Admiral. He died in a car crash on 18 Sep 1989. ^[4]

[edit] See also

• Gordon Bridson
• Non-US recipients of US gallantry awards

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Callo, Joseph F (2004) Who's Who in Naval History: From 1550 to the Present. Page 247. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415308281
• McDougall, R J (1989) New Zealand Naval Vessels. Page 55-61. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780477013994
• Waters, Sydney David (1956) The Royal New Zealand Navy, Chp 9 Part I: The Navy in the Solomons, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington.
• Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Phipps, Peter 1908–1989.
• Official Naval web site Vice Admiral Sir Peter Phipps
• New Zealand Navy Museum Phipps, Vice Admiral Sir Peter

[edit] Further reading

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

Military offices
Preceded by New creation	Chief of the Defence Staff 1963–1966	Succeeded by Lieutenant General Sir Leonard Thornton