She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles. From 1948 to 1956 she functioned as a training ship.
Damage to the bow of HMNZS Kiwi caused by ramming the Japanese submarine I-1
On 29 January 1943, with her sister ship Moa, Kiwi rammed and wrecked[1] the Japanese submarine I-1. At the time Kiwi was under the command of Lieutenant Commander Gordon Bridson who was awarded the DSC and the United States Navy Cross[2] for this action.
HMNZS Kiwi
Kiwi was the first vessel with this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is named after the national bird of New Zealand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMNZS_Kiwi_(T102)
HMNZS Endeavour (A11) was a fleet oiler for the Royal New Zealand Navy. She was named after James Cook’s Bark Endeavour and the third ship in the RNZN to carry that name, though if continuity with the Royal Navy ships of the name HMS Endeavour is considered, she is the twelfth.
June 2009, NAVY, HMNZS ENDEAVOUR, HMNZS Endavour RAS with a Royal Navy logistic support vessel, Wave Ruler and the HMAS SUCCESS during Exercise BERSAMA SHIELDHMNZS Endeavour (A11) at Chowder Bay, Sydney.Ships from left to right HMNZS CANTERBURY, HMNZS ENDEAVOUR, HMAS ARUNTA, HMAS ANZAC, HMNZS TE KAHA, HMNZS HAWEA, and HMNZS TAUPO.HMNZS Endeavour departs Wellington Harbour. Possibly HMNZS Rotoiti entering harbourHMNZS Endeavour refuels HMNZS Te Kaha and ROKS Choi Young.HMNZS Endeavour at anchor in Jervis Bay, New South Wales, during Exercise Ocean Protector.HMNZS Endeavour visits Wellington
The previous two ships of the RNZN were Antarctic research support vessels. Endeavour was built in South Korea to a commercial design and commissioned on 8 April 1988, and decommissioned on 15 December 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMNZS_Endeavour_(A11)
USS Namakagon (AOG-53) was a Patapsco-class gasoline tanker built for the United States Navy during World War II. In some sources, the ship’s name is also spelled Namakogon. After her decommissioning from the U.S. Navy in 1957, the former Namakagon served as Antarctic supply vessel HMNZS Endeavour (A184) for the Royal New Zealand Navy (1962–1971), and as ROCS Lung Chuan for the Republic of China Navy. Lung Chuan ended active service when she was decommissioned from the Republic of China Navy in 2005.
Service history United States Navy career Namakagon was laid down on 1 August 1944 by Cargill, Inc., Savage, Minnesota and was launched on 4 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Alfred J. Scobba. The ship was commissioned on 18 June 1945.
The gasoline tanker Namakagon completed her U.S. Gulf Coast shakedown and, having filled her tanks at Baytown, Texas, departed for the Pacific Ocean, 19 July 1945. She arrived at Pearl Harbor as hostilities in the Pacific ceased and on 20 August continued on to Midway Island. Based at Pearl Harbor, she carried fuel to various islands of the Pacific, including Johnston Island, Canton Island, Marcus Island, Truk, Guam, Saipan, Okinawa, Peleliu, and Kyūshū, for over 18 months, then returned to the U.S. West Coast.
In early June, 1947, she completed overhaul at San Pedro, California, and on the 9th steamed north to her new homeport, Kodiak, Alaska. From there and from ports in Washington, she carried passengers and mixed cargo as she operated a gasoline provisioning shuttle to naval bases and stations on the coast and in the Aleutians. Detached from Kodiak in 1953, she returned to Pearl Harbor, whence she operated until June 1957. She then sailed to Mare Island, California, where she decommissioned on 20 September 1957, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Royal New Zealand Navy career On 27 June 1962, custody of Namakagon was transferred to the Commandant, 12th Naval District for activation, following which she was transferred, under the Military Aid Program, to the Royal New Zealand Navy, on 5 October 1962. Commissioned as HMNZS Endeavour (A184), an Antarctic supply ship, she delivered fuel to research bases on the seventh continent, bringing over 1 million gallons each year to McMurdo Sound alone, since 1963.
HMNZS Endeavour ll – US Icebreaker Edisto Taken in 1963 an unbroken white expanse of the frozen sea. In the far distance through the crystal-clear air, there is the volcanic outline of Mt Discovery, and the snow-capped peaks of the Transantarctic Mountains. The New Zealand ship Endeavour II, a fleet oiler, is being towed into frozen McMurdo Sound behind the powerful US Icebreaker Edisto. An earlier ship, Endeavour I, was the supply ship that carried people and materials to build Scott Base in 1956, in support of New Zealand’s contribution to the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.”HMNZS Endeavour in Lyttleton
Endeavour was decommissioned and returned to U.S. custody in 1971.
Republic of China Navy career The former Namakagon was leased to the Republic of China Navy in 1971 and renamed ROCS Lung Chuan (AOG-515).[1] Her pennant number was later changed to AOG-507. Although Lung Chuan remained in the custody of the Republic of China Navy, the vessel was returned to the U.S. on paper in 1976, struck from the American Naval Vessel Register on 15 April, and sold back to the Republic of China. Lung Chuan was decommissioned on 1 April 2005 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Her final disposition is unknown.
Military awards and honors Namakagon’s crew was eligible for the following medals:
American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia Clasp) National Defense Service Medal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Namakagon
A 10-personnel Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) contingent has completed a six-week deployment supporting the Fiji Ministry of Fisheries to counter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which covers 1.29m square km.
07 MAY, 2024
An eight-person Deployable Boarding Team (DBT) from HMNZS Matataua – the RNZN’s littoral warfare support unit – along with two Junior Warfare Officers embarked the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) vessel HMS Tamar in Auckland in March before beginning a sweep of Fiji’s waters for vessels fishing illegally, as well as other illicit activity including poor crew welfare, pollution or involvement in the shark fin trade.
Partnering with Fijian fishery officers, the boarding teams from HMS Tamar intercepted and boarded 23 vessels.
All vessels were complying with the terms of their licences, though several were found to have minor infractions with their long-line fishing practices. Local authorities indicated this could be due to a recent policy transition which is still being communicated to vessels.
Lieutenant Jack Walters, officer in charge of the DBT, said it was a great opportunity to represent the RNZN and Aotearoa while supporting our international partners.
“There is an estimated loss of FJ$600m (approx. NZ$440m) to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Pacific region each year,” Lieutenant Walters said.
“This combined effort has strengthened deterrence and enforcement in the region, which hasa direct correlation to the prosperity of our Pacific Island neighbours. It’s heartening to see that there were no concerning reports from any of the vessels we observed or boarded.
“HMS Tamar is a capable platform enabled by a professional and passionate crew, and we’ve appreciated the opportunity to work with our UK counterparts for enhanced relations and counter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.”
SUB LIEUTENANTS DARREN PACE AND ELLIOT BELL ON THE BRIDGE OF HMS TAMAR1029
PETTY OFFICER PHYSICAL TRAINING INSTRUCTOR MARC THOMAS CLIMBS ABOARD HMS TAMAR
PETTY OFFICER SEAMAN COMBAT SPECIALIST JORDAN MCHUGH AND ABLE HYDROGRAPHIC SYSTEMS OPERATOR MYA-MARIE WELLS ON BOARD A VESSEL OF INTEREST
A BOARDING TEAM PREPARES TO APPROACH A VESSEL OF INTERESTScroll to previous imageScroll to next image
Sub Lieutenant Darren Pace was one of the two Junior Warfare Officers on board, and said the opportunity enabled them to experience life on a foreign warship and gain valuable exposure to boarding operations, including holding watches on the bridge alongside their RN counterparts.
“Being able to work with other nations on operations are the exact experiences I joined the New Zealand Defence Force for,” he said.
“Conducting bridge watches on HMS Tamar was an awesome opportunity to gain and maintain navigation skills that will support our career development.”
The DBT team – which was stood up last year – is a specialist capability providing a ready-to-go resource that can support an RNZN ship or vessels of partner nations on operations.
HMS Tamar is a Batch 2 River-Class Offshore Patrol Vessel of the RN. Alongside its sister-ship HMS Spey, it is forward-deployed to the Indo-Pacific as part of the UK’s enduring commitment to the region.
