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HMNZS Arbutus, (K403) – Modfied Flower Class

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HMNZS Arbutus

HMNZS Arbutus was a modified Flower-class corvette of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). Built for the Royal Navy as HMS Arbutus, the corvette was transferred to the RNZN on completion in 1944, and operated in the British Pacific Fleet during the final year of World War II. In April 1947, Arbutus was one of the units involved in a mutiny over poor pay and working conditions. She was decommissioned in 1948 and broken up for scrap in 1951.

Construction
The corvette was built for the Royal Navy by George Brown & Co of Greenock, Scotland. She was laid down on 3 May 1943, and launched on 26 January 1944. Before completion, she was transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, and commissioned on 16 June 1944, although not completed until 5 July.

HMNZS Arbutus

Operational history
World War II
Arbutus departed the United Kingdom for New Zealand on 1 August 1944, but ran aground off Viwa Island. She suffered damage to her rudder, propeller and a 25 foot length of her hull. HMNZS Aroha towed Arbutus to Auckland for repairs, which were not complete until April 1945.[2] In May, Arbutus was offered for service in the British Pacific Fleet and sent to Sydney for fitting out as a radio and radar maintenance ship. She joined the fleet train in Japanese waters on 28 July and serviced at least forty ships of Task Force 37. Arbutus was then assigned to escorting supply ships and was present in Hong Kong for the Japanese Surrender.[3]

HMNZS Arbutus

Post-war
In early February, Arbutus was deployed on a two-month show the flag cruise around the Pacific Islands.[4] The deployment had seen several incidents, the first of which occurred while the ship was docked in Tahiti; sailors who were meant to be guarding the ship became drunk, after which a crowd of Tahitians attempted to board the ship and remove equipment.[5] On departure, the corvette sailed into a heavy storm, which lasted for several days.[6] Waves breaking over the bow rendered the bridge unusable, and many aboard—including the ship’s cat, for the first and only time in its life—were seasick.[6] Water contamination of the fuel oil taken on in Tahiti damaged the propulsion machinery, further adding to the problems.[6] When Arbutus finally limped into port at the end of March, the ship’s company were informed that they would only remain at HMNZS Philomel long enough to take on aviation fuel and supplies to be delivered to the Cook Islands.[6]

Mutiny
Main article: 1947 Royal New Zealand Navy mutinies
At the time of Arbutus’ return to Philomel, there were problems affecting sailors across the RNZN.[7] The main cause of unhappiness was a pay review due to be released in the next few days; the review was a year late, and sailors learned that they would still be underpaid in comparison to Army and Air Force equivalents, and that the government had backed down on its promise to backdate the pay to the original due date of the review.[8] In addition, attempts to improve the working and living conditions aboard RNZN ships through lower-deck committees had proven to be ineffective.[8]

On the morning of 1 April, 100 sailors at Philomel refused duty at morning parade; they were later joined by personnel from HMNZS Black Prince which was undergoing refits at the base.[9] The ship’s company of Arbutus had been confined to the ship in preparation for their imminent departure, but at 14:00, representatives of the mutineers walked up to the dock next to the corvette and began discussions with those aboard.[10] All the sailors aboard Arbutus joined the mutiny, bringing the numbers up to 200.[10] That afternoon, the mutineers marched off the base.[10] Although the government agreed to make the new pay rates retrospective, the mutineers intended to remain off base until the rest of their demands were met. This did not happen; on 3 April, the sailors were ordered to return to work and accept punishment or be discharged.[11] Of the 200, only 23 men returned to the base, they, along with 18 British loan personnel were used to man Arbutus and get her underway for the Cook Islands that afternoon.[12] In their haste to separate the loyalists from further mutinous influences, the ship was not properly provisioned, and all aboard were forced to eat canned pilchards for the entire voyage.[12]

Fate
Arbutus was paid off in 1948, and returned to the Royal Navy. She was broken up for scrap in June 1951 at Dunston, Tyne and Wear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMNZS_Arbutus_(K403)

Arabis (K385) Mod Flower Class

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HMNZS Arabis was a modified Flower-class corvette of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). Built for the British Royal Navy as HMS Arabis, she was transferred to the RNZN on completion. She was commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1948.

HMNZS Arabis
HMNZS Arabus (K403)

After a refit, Arabis sailed for the Solomons, arriving at Renard Sound on 14 December 1944 where her captain took over as senior officer, 25th Minesweeper Flotilla, from Matai.

HMNZS Arabis in the Solomons

She returned to Auckland on 20 June 1945. Two voyages to Nouméa followed in July 1945 to escort with Tui the twelve RNZN Fairmiles back home to Auckland.
Arabis was decommissioned in 1948, and broken up for scrap in 1951
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMNZS_Arabis_(K385)

HMNZS Scarba

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HMNZS Scarba
7 February 1944, five Fairmile ‘B’ Class patrol craft ML 401-404 and 406 departed Auckland for the Solomon Islands. They travelled via Whangaroa Harbour (to top up fuel), Norfolk Island, Noumea, Espiritu Santo before reaching their destination at Renard Sound in the Russell Islands.
The first group of four Fairmiles had already departed in January. The Fairmiles were organised into two six-craft flotillas the 80th ML (Motor Launch) and 81st ML under the operational control of the US Navy. The launches were used for anti-submarine patrols off Guadacanal, Tulagi and the Russell Islands. Additional duties included escorting vessels.
The minesweeper HMNZS Scarba (background) escorted the Fairmiles as far as Noumea.
HMNZS Scarba – Lt CDR Finch and Lt Blair and Tabs the Cat

HMNZS Killegray (T174)

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HMNZS Killegray (T174)
a black and white photo of HMNZS Killegray clearing sea mines in the Bay of Islands.
“There’s something quite confronting about this picture which captures these deadly mines bobbing in the water, with the Bay of Islands’ distinctive Ninepin Rock, or Tikitiki, on the horizon,” says Heritage New Zealand’s Northland manager, Bill Edwards.
“It’s a seascape loved by thousands of visitors – and yet here we see a bunch of mines floating in the water where many of us enjoy recreational water activities today.
”It’s a stark reminder that Northland was a fortress on high alert against attack after the bombing of Pearl Harbour.”
The photo was taken by Tudor Collins, who served as a petty officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy during the war.
HMNZS Killegray (T174)
The Isles class naval trawlers were 164-foot (50 m) long, displaced 740 tons full load, and could manage 12 knots (22 km/h). They had a complement of 40 and were armed with one 12-pdr gun, three 20 mm Oerlikons (3×1) and depth charges.

HMNZS Inchkeith (T155)

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Inchkeith was one of the first warships to be commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy after the awarding of the title that was effective 1 October 1941. From October 1942 to June 1943 Inchkeith and her sister ships were employed on anti-submarine patrols while supply ships were discharging at Norfolk Island.

HMNZS Inchkeith followed by HMNZS Killigray and HMNZS Scarba entering Whangarei 1942 – Image Tudor Collins -Torpedo Bay Museum

Inchkeith was one of the first warships to be commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy after the awarding of the title that was effective 1 October 1941. It was named after the Scottish island in the Firth of Forth.

The Isles-class minesweepers were a group of vessels based on the Admiralty designed Anti-submarine and Minesweeping trawler HMS Bassett that was commissioned in 1935. Other groups of similar design include the Tree-class minesweepers in which many New Zealand RNZNVR officers served in during the Second World War. The Isles-class purpose was for training rather than active operations. In April 1941, the Admiralty offered four Isles-class vessels to the New Zealand government which accepted it in July as part of the recommendations that thereby nineteen vessels for minesweeping and anti-submarine duties in New Zealand’s home waters.[3] The government paid £65,000 each for the four vessels that were commissioned as Inchkeith, Sanda, Killegray, and Scarba.[4]

Inchkeith was completed in October 1941 and commissioned into service with the RNZN under the command of Lieutenant-Commander H.A. Dunnet RNR a New Zealander who would serve as her commanding officer until 1943.[5] The majority of the ship’s companies were New Zealanders. The initial workup of the four vessels was carried out in Scottish waters and the vessel conducted escort work around the coast. On 15 March 1942 Inchkeith collided with an ocean boarding vessel HMS Marsdale, damaging some of her superstructures. The Isles-class ships in RNZN service seem to have had a reputation for accidents and collisions.

On 15 March 1942, Inchkeith, the other three vessels and the Bird-class corvette HMNZS Tui left Greenock and joined a Canada-bound convoy [ONS76] as escorts. From Canada, the ships sailed down the eastern coast of the United States and arrived at Bermuda were Inchkeith and Killegray was repaired during a 12-day stay.[6] After spending four days in Jamaica, the fleet passed through the Panama Canal and arrived at the USN naval base at San Pedro, California on 25 May 1942. There the fleet acted as an anti-submarine escort a USN fleet of ten tankers to Pearl Harbour arriving on 22 June 1942.[7] The ships departed on 6 July, less HMZNS Killegray which had boiler trouble, and arrived in Suva on 24 July.

On the leg from Suva to Auckland, HMNZS Sanda ran out of coal which was poor quality and Inchkeith took her under tow from 1 August and then handed over to HMNZS Muritai two days later. Inchkeith arrived at Devonport Naval Base [HMNZS Philomel] on 4 August 1942. She underwent a refit and was deployed for minesweeping duties from September 1942 with the 7th Trawler Group. The area of operations for the group included the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands. In 1944 the group consisted of the four Isles-class trawlers.[8]

Occasionally there were escorts for merchant ships sailing to Norfolk Island. In October 1942 Inchkeith was the anti-submarine escort protection to the steamer Waipori that took supplies for the garrison on the island that was being developed as a base for anti-submarine operations. From October 1942 to June 1943 Inchkeith and her sister ships were employed on anti-submarine patrols while supply ships were discharging at Norfolk Island.[9]

This work continued for the duration of the war. In January 1945, perhaps returning the favour, HMNZS Sanda took fourteen hours to tow Inchkeith from Whangaparapara Harbour, Great Barrier Island back to HMNZS Philomel. From March to October 1945, the 7th Trawler Group undertook clear-sweeping of the Hauraki Gulf minefields. Even though after five years it was thought probable that the mines would have been lost or sunk. However, the approaches to the Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf needed to be free of mines. By May 1945, no mines had been swept. When detailed information was received from the Admiralty where the mines laid by the German raider Orion in 1940, a further sweep was undertaken but no mines were located. In October 1945, shortages of coal forced the ships into lay-up until February 1946 when the corvettes HMNZS Arabis and Arbutus were fitted out as minesweepers and four Isles-class ships including Inchkeith were paid off to reserve.[10]

Inchkeith remained in reserve at the dockyard until the RNZN declared it surplus in 1957. All four Isles-class ships were sold en bloc to G A Sparrey in August 1958 for scrapping. The ships were broken up at the Lighter Basin in Freemans Bay, Auckland in 1959.

HMNZS Inchkieth